First-Timer’s Guide to Attending Outside Days Solo in Denver, CO

I flew to Denver alone for four days to attend Outside Days, a festival split into a two-day industry summit and a three-day music festival. If you’re thinking about going solo for the first time, here’s what I wish I’d known: what to expect, how to pace yourself, and why it’s such an easy event to attend alone.

Highlights

• Why Outside Days works so well for solo travelers , thanks to its social layout and approachable, no-experience-required activities
• What to expect from the Outside Days Industry Conference and festival weekend, plus tips for first-timers
• A packed festival lineup of gear demos, wellness sessions, and 2026 headliners like Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket and Cage the Elephant

Editor’s Note: The writer was partially hosted.

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What Is Outside Days?

Outside Days is Denver’s answer to SXSW for the outdoor world, now in its third year. It runs across four days: a two-day industry conference Thursday and Friday, plus a three-day music festival Friday through Sunday.

• An industry conference for outdoor, travel and wellness professionals
• Live music from bands, along with food, drinks and festivities
• Gear demos and brand activations from names like Cotopaxi, REI and Brooks
• Wellness classes, yoga and adventure film screenings

SheBuysTravel Tip: Only want the festival? Buy a weekend pass instead of the full event pass. The conference days are ticketed separately.

Should You Attend the Conference, the Festival, or Both?

If you work in the outdoor industry, the conference is worth the extra time. I attended as an industry expert at Basecamp Outdoor’s “Gather” event and mentored a few aspiring outdoor writers who stopped by my table.

I was joined by other outdoor industry leaders including Roberto Gutierrez of Backcountry, Daniel Matti of The North Face, Jen Gurecki of Coalition Snow, Corey Mercer of Unrepped, Maren Hamilton of Popfly and others. The energy alone made the two days worth it.

The conference splits into four tracks:

• Attract: travel industry innovation
• Ignite: a startup pitch competition for outdoor and wellness brands
• Summit: executive leadership and the future of the outdoor industry
• Endure: built for endurance race directors and event producers

What Should You Expect at Outside Days?

Festival days shift the energy from conference badges to full festival mode: live music, sunshine and a sprawling footprint of brand activations.

I spun a giant wheel at the Cotopaxi booth and won a fanny pack, then strapped on VR goggles to explore a virtual nighttime landscape in the Travel Nevada zone. Nearly every booth had some kind of demo, raffle or hands-on activity, and by mid-afternoon my tote bag was already sagging with stickers, samples and gear I hadn’t planned on carrying around all day.

• You’ll leave with more gear than you arrived with
• Interactive booths outnumber static vendor tents
• The footprint is large, so plan for a lot of walking between stages and activations

SheBuysTravel Tip: Budget extra bag space. Between raffles and giveaways, you’ll collect more than you expect.

Is Outside Days Good for Solo Travelers?

I didn’t need a plus-one for a single minute of this trip. The layout does the work for you.

• Interactive booths spark conversation naturally, since you’re doing something together instead of just watching a stage
• Group wellness classes and yoga sessions offer a low-pressure way to meet people
• Raffle lines are an easy opening to talk to whoever’s next to you
• The industry conference doubles as built-in networking, even outside official sessions

SheBuysTravel Tip: Nervous about attending alone? Start at a yoga or wellness session instead of the main stage. Smaller groups make it easier to build connections.

Tips for Outside Days First-Timers

A few things I wish I’d known heading in:

• Pace yourself. By day two of the conference, my voice had gone hoarse from talking over crowd noise, and I still had a full festival weekend ahead of me. The conference and festival leave little downtime. Don’t feel obligated to attend everything back-to-back.
• Wear broken-in shoes. I underestimated how much ground the footprint actually covers, and by hour six my feet were done. It covers more than it looks like it will.
• Bring a water bottle. Between the altitude and standing in full sun at outdoor booths, I was refilling mine constantly. Free refill stations make it easy to stay hydrated.
• Check both schedules closely. Friday is the only day the conference and festival overlap, so it’s easy to miss something.
• Build in buffer time between your hotel and the festival grounds, especially if you’re walking.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Denver sits at 5,280 feet. Ease into the weekend, hydrate often, pack electrolytes and wear sun protection.

Where To Stay For Outside Days

The Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center ranks among my favorite hotel stays in Denver. Recent renovations lean into a classic Denver, outdoorsy aesthetic, right down to climbing-inspired details in the lobby.

• Centrally located, with an easy 15–20 minute walk to the festival grounds
• Freshly renovated rooms with a cohesive, on-theme design
• A convenient home base for both the conference and the festival

What to Do Beyond Outside Days

I used my extra days in Denver to explore a bit beyond the festival grounds.

• Major Tom: a Scandinavian-inspired dinner spot in RiNo, helmed by James Beard Semifinalist Chef Duncan Holmes. Pair a glass of bubbles with the Pacific oysters if you go.
• F1 Arcade Denver: an unexpected highlight of the trip. Think grown-up barcade, racing simulators, and food that actually backs up its “fast service” claim.
• RiNo neighborhood: I spent an afternoon just wandering. Converted warehouses now house breweries, galleries and small-batch coffee roasters, an easy way to fill time before or after the festival.

Tips For Flying Into Denver

Denver International Airport is one of the easier major airports to navigate.

• The airport is large, so build in extra connection time if you have a tight layover
• Ground transportation into downtown Denver is straightforward via rail directly from the terminal
• Smart carts are available near baggage claim for $8, worth it if you’re traveling heavy

SheBuysTravel Tip: If you have layover time, check out DEN’s public art collection. It’s one of the most extensive in the country, and features a mix of large-scale permanent installations with rotating exhibits that spotlight Colorado-based artists.

If You Have An Early Morning Flight

The week after Outside Days, I had a separate trip with a layover in Denver where I stayed at the Westin Denver International Airport, which turned out to be one of the best airport hotels I’ve stayed in. If you have an early flight or a late arrival, I’d highly recommend staying here for easy airport access.

Outside Days FAQ

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