This summer, Denver residents will be able to enjoy lunch at a table that’s a mile long — the longest that’s ever been set in the United States, according to organizers.

Longer Tables, a nonprofit whose goal is to foster connection by bringing strangers together over a meal, is organizing a table spanning 5,280 feet for lunch at 10 a.m. on July 26th on Denver’s Auraria Campus.

The “Mile-Long Table” will be the organization’s most ambitious effort yet.

Headquartered in Denver, Longer Tables has organized group meals across the state for 10 years. Serving cities, towns, and even companies, the organization seeks to connect people in a common space in order to build community. Longer Tables finds sponsors in different cities across Colorado and sets up tables for groups ranging from 10 guests to more than 1,000. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Longer Tables stopped setting tables for two years. After the pandemic created a sense of isolation for so many Americans, the organization saw a renewed interest and hunger for human relationships. 

“We came back from the pandemic, and we had a table that I’ll never forget… for an hour and a half, no one moved out of their seat. We were so starved for connection. People were leaning across the table; we didn’t see a phone for the whole night,” said Tim Jones, executive director. 

Young people have borne the brunt of the burden of social isolation: dealing with increased technology demanding their attention and reeling from school closures and lockdowns during the pandemic. When asked if Longer Tables was planning to cater to young people specifically, Jones answered that they plan to launch more dinners in schools. 

Denver’s dinner this summer will be sponsored by Southwest Airlines and Serendipity Catering. The majority of the food will be locally sourced from farms across the state, and the set up will be handled by volunteers. Due to the size of the event, Longer Tables has asked some guests to be “super-hosts,” who will be responsible for bringing more guests. 

“We ask them to stretch and invite people that may be lonely or isolated, people who don’t look like them, and then we mix everyone up,” Jones said. 

America’s longest table will be held at Auraria, a higher education campus located in downtown Denver. It’s home to the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University and Community College of Denver, and will provide a diverse backdrop for an event that’s supposed to represent all of Denver. 

“We had a table a couple of months ago that was absolutely beautiful, from Asian grandmothers down to Latino teenagers, and everyone in between,” Jones said. “We hope it looks like all of Denver, not just one pocket of Denver.”

Plans call for the event to host 5,280 people, all sitting at one long table. Although guests may arrive together, they are encouraged to sit next to people they haven’t met before. 

“As we’ve grown farther and farther apart over the last few years, just the polarization and all of the fear, everything that’s happened in our culture, we’ve seen [the tables] become more and more powerful… The Mile Long Table coming up… Is the big one that we’ve been working on for about nine years now,” Jones said. 

Tickets are available for purchase on the Mile-Long Table website.