This story was first published at Front Porch
DENVER | The arch parties are over, for now. These celebrations of the new steel arches towering over East Colfax Avenue in Denver and Aurora acknowledged progress and support for the resilience of 650-plus small businesses enveloped in the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
The arch parties began as a simple idea and turned into 17 evenings of dance, food, and community connection centered on 32 new arches from Franklin Street in Denver to Havana Street in Aurora.
One party, at the La Vista Motel in February, drew about 200 people. A Sept. 21 party at Havana Street was the only one in Aurora.
“We have not been able to find anyone who celebrates a bus arch lift raising (with a) party, so we were pretty excited when we started doing this model, and we were able to entice hundreds of people to come to these things,” said Ryan Louis, who leads small business outreach for the BRT communications team.
Louis said the first party in May 2025 happened by chance when a group of BRT staff were hanging out at the Tight End Bar on Franklin Street. He brought information sheets, thinking people would want to learn more about the BRT. He discovered what they really wanted to know more about was the arch that was going up outside.
Each party that followed was themed around the character of the arch’s location. All were scheduled for Monday evenings and were designed to drive foot traffic to businesses on a historically slow day of the week.
Party themes included a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony at Fiction Brewing, Colfax-themed Halloween costume and trivia contests, conga lines, face painters, fake tattoos, live DJs, dance parties in parking lots, book swaps, and beer crawls.
At the final party night in October, neighbors, community leaders, and BRT project leads gathered inside Sarahi’s Kitchen at Colfax and Uinta awaiting the 14-ton arch lift outside.
Owner and chef Sarahi Martinez said she struggled during construction, closing for a time and announcing a scheduled reopening on Nov. 1. She’s been in the area for two years, and the support from the community makes her “keep trying,” she said.
Surrounded by a crowd, Martinez said she hopes to support efforts to change the perception of Colfax. “It’s time for each individual to make this area different,” she said.
Speaking at the party inside Sarahi’s Kitchen, East Colfax Neighborhood Association President Monique Helstrom asked people to visit a business on Colfax while the construction and its impact continue. “You know it’s going to be hard, but we need you in order to do it,” she said.
BRT Project Manager Brian McLaren thanked Colfax neighbors for their patience. “I’m looking forward to giving your street back to you,” he said.
McLaren added that he appreciated the patience and tolerance of everyone affected by the project. “We know that it’s disruptive. We knew that going into this project, and we really worked hard at making it better on you, but we still know it’s been disruptive, and we’re looking forward to getting out of here.”
While the work continues, Louis said the team will continue trying to find ways to celebrate milestones and future events. “Even though they won’t be as iconic as big as these arches are, it will be just as fun,” he said.
He acknowledged that the parties put a positive spin on construction’s impact on local businesses, noting, “It’s a combination of culture and celebration, and we just try to tap into that more than anything.”
Louis hopes people will continue to sign up for the Colfax Pass, a program designed to support local businesses through incentivized visits.
The East Colfax BRT project is led by the City and County of Denver, with RTD and the City of Aurora as partners.
Construction on the project began in October 2024, and the first phase from Colorado to Broadway opened in late September. RTD’s 15 and 15L lines are now using the bus-only lanes with more stretches set to open before the project is completed in January 2028.
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