A last hoorah will shake the buildings on South Broadway this weekend.

The Underground Music Showcase (UMS) returns for its 2025 iteration on Friday, displaying more than 200 bands across 12 indoor venues and four outdoor stages throughout a nearly 1-mile stretch.

Artists headlining the event include All them Witches, Flyana Boss, Devotchka and “a very special guest,” according to a news release from UMS.

Additional artists include Cain Culto, Frances Forever, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Garbagebarbie, Jean Deaux, La Luz, Le Parody, Mansionair, New Constellations, Shermanology, Sherwyn, Sweet Pill, The Velveteers, Vienna Vienna, Vundabar and V1V1D, according to the release.

To celebrate the event’s 25th year — which started in 2001 and has hit South Broadway every year except 2020 —  UMS will be highlighting “legacy” artists that have been around since the beginning, including El Ten Eleven, The Velveteers and Anthony Ruptak.

Unfortunately, the 25th year will be the last for Denver’s longest-running and largest music festival in its current form, according to UMS LLC — which was formed by non-profit organization Youth on Record and for-profit marketing agency Two Parts in 2021 after Two Parts purchased the festival from the Denver Post Community Foundation in 2018.

According to an announcement earlier this month, there’s just not enough funding to support the festival’s $1.4 million budget.

“I’m walking into this final UMS holding a lot — grief, gratitude, pride, a sense of hope, and also acknowledging that I took a big risk on behalf of Youth on Record,” Jami Duffy, executive director of both the UMS and Youth on Record, told The Denver Gazette.

She continued: “Some of it — like all of the incredible mission-aligned work, worked. Some of it didn’t — like bringing enough philanthropy to the table and enough government support to the table to sustain this thing. I can assure you that It wasn’t for a lack of trying, a lack of advocacy, and a lack of asking for support.”

Mission-aligned work Duffy alluded to included acting as a major economic engine for area businesses and a plethora of programs during the festival that focused on mental health, sobriety, accessibility, professional development, representation and harm reduction.

But the fun will still be had.

Along with shows, pop-up bars and merch booths, new additions include a “good-natured chaos” dunk tank with local personalities and a UMS townhall at the Get Loud Summit on Sunday, highlighting legacy, community and what comes next for Colorado’s music ecosystem.

“UMS took risks. It redefined what a music festival could be — deeply local, fiercely equitable and unapologetically mission-driven,” Duffy said. “UMS dared to be loud first. We led with care, creativity and courage. This year, we don’t just say goodbye. We send up a flare.”

Schedule, tickets and parking

Single day passes for the festival start at $75 and full weekend passes start at $130, with a bevy of other options all available at undergroundmusicshowcase.com.

On Friday, the festival will run from 4 p.m. till 1 a.m., with outdoor stages ending at 10 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the shows will run from 2 p.m. till 1 a.m., with outdoor shows ending at 10 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively. 

Standard backpacks and handbags are allowed into the festival area, but are subject to searches. Empty water bottles will also be allowed.

Audio recording devices, weapons, outside food and drink, bicycles, glass and pets (other than service animals) are prohibited. 

While South Broadway from 6th Avenue to Alameda Avenue will be shutdown between the outdoor stages, there will be no designated parking for the festival. Street parking will be available off of Broadway, but will be limited. 

The outdoor festival is technically all-ages, with free entry for children under 10 years old, but the majority of the indoor shows at the nearby clubs and bars will be age restricted. Anyone under 16 years old must have a chaperone. 

More information about the lineup of bands, venues and more can be found on the UMS website. A specific app for scheduling and navigation can also be found on the festival’s website. 

The Denver Gazette’s Senior Arts Journalist John Moore, who founded the UMS in 2001, contributed to this report.