Time to Bring Out Your Best: The 2024 Readers' Choice Poll Is Live!

This year, Westword celebrates our fortieth anniversary of the Best of Denver, jumping straight out of 1984. Jay Vollmar

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Denver keeps evolving.

Four decades ago, this city was kicking off the dust of its cowtown reputation and emerging as an exciting regional hub with a hot cultural scene, an improving restaurant lineup and a lot more to do around town than cheer on the Broncos. Federico Peña had just been elected mayor, the 16th Street Mall was nearing completion, mobile hot tubs were all the rage, and Pirate was throwing great gallery parties.

To capture the emerging city, in 1984 Westword set out to create an essential survival guide: The Best of Denver.

This year, we're celebrating our fortieth anniversary of the Best of Denver. The city has continued evolving since 1984, and every annual edition has documented many of those changes. But the basic goal of the Best of Denver remains the same: to create an annual package celebrating hundreds of people, places and things around town.

click to enlarge

The basic goal of the Best of Denver remains the same: to create an annual package celebrating hundreds of people, places and things around town.

Jay Vollmar

Best of Denver Editors' Picks

To do this, our top-secret team researches ideas and suggestions all year long, turning those that are worthy into the Best of Denver editors' picks that are touted both in the print edition and online with paragraph-long award descriptions. We're currently in the midst of that process, and are always happy to get recommendations from readers at [email protected].

While the way the Best of Denver awards are chosen has not changed, for this fortieth anniversary, we've taught our old cow mascot a few new tricks. In the issue, we'll look back at some of our previous winners and share favorites from a few of this city's moovers and shakers.

Best of Denver Readers' Choice Poll

Our Best of Denver Readers' Choice Poll has evolved, too. For the first time this year, the poll comprises a list of categories independent of the editors' picks — more than 200 in all. That poll just went live today (and you can vote daily through March 22).

Both the Best of Denver editors' picks and the Readers' Choice award winners will remain a secret until the Best of Denver issue hits the streets and westword.com on April 4.

Here's to the best #BestofDenver ever!