About The Creative District

The Downtown Fort Collins Creative District strives to connect people to Downtown’s culture, artists, history and creative business by providing arts information, creative industry connectivity, and meaningful storytelling.  It is a walkable area of historic Fort Collins certified by the State of Colorado as a creative district because of its large number of cultural assets and creative industry activity.  By pursuing its mission to advance Downtown as an arts and creative hub, they work towards being a robust, inspired place where creators, artists, innovators and fans shape their everyday lives into spectacular experiences. Explore Downtown’s music, galleries, public art, architecture, history and get to know the stories of our artists and creators, our songs and passions. Make your life a work of art!

Our Mission

To advance Downtown Fort Collins as an arts and creative hub.

Our Vision

The Downtown Fort Collins Creative District will be a robust, inspired place where creators, innovators and fans shape their everyday lives into spectacular experiences.

“Creative energy is one of Downtown Fort Collins’ most abundant natural resources!”

Peggy Lyle, Creative District Director

HOME TO CREATIVITY

Proudly one of the most recognized downtowns in the nation, Downtown Fort Collins is home to a successful creative and innovative culture. Set in the picturesque Fort Collins Old Town historic area, the Creative District contains a bustling pedestrian center and historic buildings housing hundreds of shops, boutiques, restaurants, theatres, music venues, museums, performance centers, and art galleries.

The nationally acclaimed revitalized business area is surrounded by historic residential areas, award-winning breweries, a vibrant music scene and colorful public art. This urban district is interconnected with picturesque pedestrian alleys and flower-lined sidewalks and is easily accessible by comprehensive bicycle paths.

Akinz – photo by PHOCO
Wolverine Farm – photo by PHOCO
Fort Collins dance – photo by PHOCO

HOME TO MUSIC

Events and festivals are a regular occurrence in the Creative District, including the largest music festival celebrating Colorado music: Fort Collins Music eXperiment (FoCoMX). Odell Small Batch Festival, celebrates craft brewing and New Belgium Brewing’s original Tour De Fat bicycle-powered parade and festival also take place downtown.


photo by PHOCO
photo by PHOCO
photo by PHOCO

HOME TO ART

Visual Art is everywhere in the district in galleries, integrated into the restaurants and along every street. From Art Walk to makers markets and art exhibitions, there is something for everyone. Public art can be seen and experienced at every corner with Pianos About Town, the city’s transformer box and paver art programs, and many murals both modern and historic on downtown buildings. All of this, plus hundreds of creative businesses and entrepreneurs make the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District a wildly attractive destination for visitors, residents, collectors and artists!

photo by PHOCO

Read more about the Colorado Creative Industries, the unique statewide Creative District Program, and the important impacts of the Creative Industry. Colorado ranks number 1 in the percentage of residents who personally perform or create artworks, according to the National Endowment for the Arts’ Participation Study.


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