Overview:
Denver bars gear up for Broncos playoff crowds as sold-out games drive fans to packed watch parties across the city.
Broncos tickets for this weekend’s Conference Championship games against the New England Patriots sold out in nearly 24 hours. That means that many fans who were unable to attend the game will be looking for places to watch their favorite team potentially return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015.
Denver sports bars have already begun preparing their staff, products and televisions, anticipating that the busiest season has only just begun. McGregor Square, home to some of Denver’s most popular sports bars, including Tom’s Watch Bar, thrives on game days.
“We have already ordered about 250 cases of beer,” said Nikki Clark, Tom’s Watch Bar’s operating partner, “just to be able to do business on Sunday.”
Events of this scale require loads of behind-the-scenes work. For last week’s playoff game, “I was here at 6 a.m. on Saturday, and it started with setting up our patios, walking and checking the bar for products, making sure the staff aren’t running late and allowing time to make up for any last-minute needs,” Clark said. “We focus on the little details the most.”
According to the most recent credit and debit card data collected by Bank of America, spending at restaurants in Denver fell 6.7% from the previous year. These game-winning weeks have brought about a change, allowing the restaurant to thrive once more and provide Denver residents with a sense of community.
“Absolutely, the Broncos doing very well has helped us tremendously,” Clark said. “I remember from last year that if they aren’t doing well, the fans will stop coming in, but if they are doing well, like now, we will fill up for every game.”
Many smaller restaurants have also seen the positive effects of these wins as some fans look for local places to watch. “Winning brings excitement; it increases small business in the area because if fans feel the excitement in the bar, they will gain more business,” said Ballpark District Ambassador Austin Bryant. “The excitement from the games bleeds into all other parts of Denver and brings fans out to other events in the city as well.”
In order to avoid the cold and expensive ticket prices, fans go to restaurants in search of the kind of communal experience they would get at the stadium. According to Clark, working at the bar during last weekend’s playoff game was a wild experience.
“It was just intense; you could feel the energy and excitement,” she said. “We had a DJ hyping everyone up, saying, ‘Let’s go Broncos,’ or whenever the ball missed, they would go, ‘In-com-plete,’ and all the fans got in on it. It’s that type of energy you would get if you were in the stadium, you getting in our restaurant.”
Last weekend, Broncos fans from all over Colorado came to Denver to join in on the afternoon festivities.
“It didn’t matter if it was a touchdown or not; if a play went well, the whole place went crazy,” said Kameron Hosier, a CU Boulder student who went to Tom’s Watch Bar this past weekend to watch the game. “Even though we could have gone to Pearl in Boulder to watch the game, the atmosphere and fans in Denver made the 30-minute drive worth it.”
Denver bars and restaurants plan for the Broncos fans to fill their tables just as much this coming weekend, hoping to watch their team make history.
“The fans work during the week and then will plan their weekend on coming here to watch the games,” Clark said. “We have extended our licensing into McGregor Square for the weekend, putting vendor and server tents out there, TVs on the patio and even giving away a signed Nik Bonitto helmet to one of our fans.”
Together, these packed patios, extended licenses and early-morning preparations reflect more than just a single weekend’s excitement. As Denver bars brace for another surge of fans, the Broncos’ playoff momentum has become a catalyst for McGregor Square, reviving restaurant traffic, supporting hospitality workers and turning game days into shared civic moments.
Whether fans arrive in jerseys or just for the atmosphere, the collective experience of watching together has once again made Denver’s sports bars a central gathering place during the postseason.
“You do it for your staff, and you do it for yourself, but it’s the people that come into our building that make it worth it, and we give them an experience that’s unforgettable,” Clark said. “It’s all about how we take care of our fans and how we want them to remember their experience with us. And they can be sure there is never a dull moment.”
