4 APRIL 23-29, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 12 UNDER THE COVERS As romance and fantasy merge into romantasy, readers are getting hot. BY TONI TRESCA 6 SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT Give me a “B,” give me a “U,” give me a “LLY.” What does it spell? Trouble for Vista Peak! BY BENNITO L. KELTY 15 SEE YOU AROUND! Westword’s Food Editor is ready for her next course. BY MOLLY MARTIN 17 DIY OR DIE HUFR Fest is the stoner-rock celebration that Denver needs. BY EMILY FERGUSON 12 Culture 15 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 26 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 26 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 34 APRIL 23-29, 2026 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun News Editor Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Bennito L. 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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI “SMOKE ALARM,” THOMAS MITCHELL, APRIL 17 B U R N N O T I C E And everyone had such high hopes back in 2012. It is sad to see what has happened to Colorado’s cannabis industry. I just grow my own. Still. Hildy Forster Denver Informative and well-written. Thanks. Gorden McDaniel Denver Good article. Good points. But spoiler alert: It’s private equity and investors that caused this. “The race to the bottom” is just the blueprint for PE. Sacrifi ce quality for profi ts. Buy decent brands, reduce quality of inputs for better margins. Then sell. It became a cash grab, and the state’s barriers to entry make it easier for trappers to exist in the shadows. It’s why you have to buy your equatorials and rosin from tent growers if you want a top-tier product. Allele Appeal Instagram Colorado made an error by not letting in outside investment once the national/inter- national markets started to heat up. They should have lifted the residency regulation for investors. This would have allowed the established brands to grow in the state and in the national stage. Johnny Utah Instagram It’s almost like the canna-community has been saying this would happen when investors and private equity bulldozed their way in. Casey Stelter Instagram “Back when it still meant something” is a perfect summation of contemporary can- nabis culture. Vinnie Chant Instagram I worked as a budtender for years, and ul- timately the problem is that Colorado hasn’t stayed competitive with other legal states. We broke ground as the fi rst state to legalize but now that you can get it elsewhere, most other legal states are packing better products at better prices, limits, and taxes. Apple Addams Instagram The race to the bottom hurts everyone but the medical patients the most. Respect. Christian Safaii Instagram I literally stopped smoking weed because of this. Fuck if I’m going to give my money to some shithead fi nance bro. Joe Flynn Instagram Exhibit #1000000000 on capitalism ruin- ing things. However, probably a net positive for society if less people end up smoking weed overall. Tyler Atwood Instagram “COLLISION COURSE,” HANNAH METZGER, APRIL 9 T H E W H E E L T H I N G Just downloaded Veo app. Lime 30-minute pass: $2.99. Veo 30-minute pass: $5.49. Not surprised. Larry Nunez Denver I don’t care who gets the contracts. Those things are a menace. James Rance Denver “TOWERING AMBITIONS,” BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY, APRIL 2 D O W N O N D O W N T O W N Downtown needs help, but this developer seems out to lunch. I hope Denver gets its money back. Joe Ramirez Denver
