CrowdMateDenver · Venue
Bluebird Theater
A 550-ticket East Colfax concert room inside a former neighborhood movie theater.
- Upcoming shows
- 54
- Address
- 3317 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206
- Phone
- (303) 377-1666
- Next show
- Thu, 8 Oct 2026
About Bluebird Theater
Bluebird Theater is a 550-ticket Denver room on East Colfax, built as a movie house and now scaled for close-range concerts. Its distinguishing feature is the three-tier interior and balcony: a compact historic theater where the upper level looks across the full stage room, while the floor plan gives the space a clear sense of depth. The building’s cinema-era purpose remains legible in the room’s architecture.
A cinema reborn for the stage
The building opened in 1914 as the Thompson Theater, designed by Harry W. J. Edbrooke as Denver’s first theater created specifically for showing movies. Theater operator Harry Huffman later acquired it as the starting point for what became the city’s largest locally owned movie-theater chain, and the house took the Bluebird name in 1922.
A harder chapter followed: after a period of adult-film programming, the theater closed in 1987. Chris Swank and Evan Dechtman bought and renovated the abandoned property in 1994, preserving its murals and older architectural details while converting it for amplified music. The revived Bluebird opened on November 24, 1994, with Lisa Loeb headlining; AEG took over operations in 2006. That reopening is the hinge in the venue’s story, turning a shuttered cinema into a regular stop for touring acts and Denver audiences.
The concert room
Bluebird operates as an exclusive concert and special-event venue. Its programming runs heavily through folk, indie, alternative and rock, with country, pop, R&B and metal bills also on the calendar. The three-tier layout and balcony offer varied viewing positions, while seating and tables shift with the event format. Venue materials emphasize the installed stage, lighting and sound systems; the room’s fixed theater proportions keep performers and crowd in close quarters.
Sources
- Bluebird Theater National Register documentation — National Park Service
- Bluebird Theatre — Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives
- Bluebird Theater Rentals — Bluebird Theater
- From Movies to Music: The History of the Bluebird Theater — Denver Westword
Next 15 shows
- Thu, 8 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Carbon Leaf View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 10 Oct 2026 · 21:00 Hans Williams + Cece Coakley View in the CrowdMate app
- Tue, 13 Oct 2026 · 19:30 Sawyer Hill + Never Ending Fall View in the CrowdMate app
- Thu, 15 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Lil Man J View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 16 Oct 2026 · 20:00 SLIFT + Nightfishing View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 17 Oct 2026 · 20:00 The Milk Carton Kids + Paper Wings View in the CrowdMate app
- Sun, 18 Oct 2026 · 20:00 The Milk Carton Kids + Paper Wings View in the CrowdMate app
- Mon, 19 Oct 2026 · 19:30 Patrick Droney + Tenille Townes View in the CrowdMate app
- Fri, 23 Oct 2026 · 20:00 The Fretliners + Wood Belly View in the CrowdMate app
- Sat, 24 Oct 2026 · 19:00 bunii + Crayon View in the CrowdMate app
- Sun, 25 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Gavn! View in the CrowdMate app
- Mon, 26 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Failure + quannnic View in the CrowdMate app
- Tue, 27 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Gilla Band View in the CrowdMate app
- Wed, 28 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Post Sex Nachos + Hannah Geller View in the CrowdMate app
- Thu, 29 Oct 2026 · 20:00 Chaparelle + Heavy Diamond Ring View in the CrowdMate app
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