Downtown Denver will be the epicenter of the climbing world at the end of May when the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) brings the World Cup to town.

On May 31 and June 1, the Downtown Denver Partnership, in collaboration with USA Climbing and supported by Denver Arts & Venues and Visit Denver, will host an International Speed Climbing World Cup event over two days.

The event will take place in downtown Denver, with the official location to be announced at a later date, and marks the first time Denver will host an IFSC World Cup competition.

“In Denver, we have an urban event with the mountains in the distance, so we combine the present IFSC with our history and roots,” IFSC President Marco Scolaris said. “The world’s best speed climbers, including USA’s very own world record holder Sam Watson, will compete in the heart of a city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.”

According to he IFSC, the Speed Climbing World Cup will take place as part of the 16th Street Summer Kickoff — a weekend-long celebration of the revitalized public space that is nearing completion.

The two-day World Cup event is free and will span across downtown Denver’s iconic mile-long main street, showcasing 16th Street as a hub for live music, art, food, shopping and more.

The IFSC said a jam-packed line-up of performances, experiences and activations will be announced soon at SummerInDenver.com.

“Denver also completes the trio of disciplines for the USA as we move from Salt Lake City with Lead Para Climbing and Boulder to showcase the full range of our sport with an exciting, action-packed Speed competition in a new venue,” Scolaris said. “I’m very excited to see the competition, but I’m even more excited to see a new crowd of people enjoying climbing up close.”

IFSC said the competition will be the second part of acClimbing doubleheader in the United States, following the IFSC Boulder World Cup, which takes place in Salt Lake City from May 23-25. Together, the two World Cups will showcase the growing popularity of climbing and the impressive abilities of its world-class athletes.

“We can’t wait to bring speed climbing to Denver,” said Marc Norman, president and CEO of USA Climbing. “For years, Colorado has hosted some of the world’s best climbers and we know that the international climbing community will feel right at home for this World Cup.”

“As climbing continues to gain momentum in the United States, we could not be more thrilled to partner with the IFSC and USA Climbing to host a Speed Climbing World Cup right here in the heart of Downtown Denver,” Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, said. “As an epicenter for outdoor recreation and the economic hub for the Rocky Mountain West, the opportunity to host a competition like this is synonymous with our ethos. All of us in Denver are incredibly proud to welcome the IFSC, its athletes and a global audience to our city this summer.”

Denver’s event is going to be the third of five speed competitions of the IFSC World Cup Series 2025, joining stops in Wujiang, China; Bali, Indonesia; Krakow, Poland; and Chamonix, France.