The annual Taste of Colorado festival returned to Denver over Labor Day weekend, attracting thousands of attendees to take part in the new, larger and more socially distanced celebration.

This year, rather than holding the festival in Civic Center Park, dozens of vendors lined the entirety of 16th Street Mall. This new format is intended to engage more of the community, said Sharon Alton with the Downtown Denver Partnership.

This year’s festival also comes after Taste of Colorado was forced to cancel in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival has been a Denver community staple for the last 38 years, with over 500,000 people attending annually.

“Connection and community are more important now than ever, and Taste will be spread across our urban core as we celebrate the local creativity, passion and diversity that are a critically important part of our region’s fabric and culture,” Alton said.

From 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday through Monday, more than 50 vendors are set up down 16th Street from Tremont Place to Arapahoe Street, selling art, crafts, gift items, furniture, jewelry, imports and more.

At Arapahoe Street, Food Truck Row begins with 10 different trucks ranging from ice cream to hot dogs to sushi.

Another dozen food vendors are set up within two fenced-off areas in Skyline Park, separated by the 16th Street Mall. In addition to the vendors, these areas feature live music, bars and kid activity zones with bouncy houses and trampolines.

Several restaurants along the mall are also offering exclusive Taste of Colorado menus over the weekend, including Philadelphia Filly, Aloy Modern Thai, Brooklyn’s Finest Pizza, 5280 Burger Bar and Hard Rock Café.

The celebration continues Monday until 7:30 p.m. The festival is free to enter and open to all ages. Unvaccinated attendees are asked to wear face coverings and practice social distancing.

The Cherry Creek Arts festival is also concluding Monday, featuring art, music and food at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.