After Party on the Bridge Makes Fundraising Cool (and Affordable)

The After Party on the Bridge takes over the 19th Street and Platte Street Historic Bridge at Riverfront Park at 6 p.m. on Fri. Sept. 13 for a lower-priced alternative to the chic Gala on the Bridge on the previous night. Both events raise money for The Greenway Foundation, but target decidedly different audiences.

Attracting a younger crowd

Jorgen Jensen, Co-Host of the After Party on the Bridge and Project Developer at Urban Market Partners, says it's all about getting younger people involved. 

Dana Crawford, a mentor of Jensen's, was instrumental in the launch The Greenway Foundation in 1974 and helped start the Gala on the Bridge in Riverfront Park fundraiser two years ago. In 2012, she asked Jensen and Anna Bogler to help bring a younger demographic to the glitzy gala.

"It didn't really work," says Jensen. The problem? "It's $300 a ticket."

Jensen and Bogler figured a second event on the following night in 2013 might help attract a younger crowd. "We said, 'Let's come in at a lower price point,'" says Jensen, noting that setup and teardown are costly, but leaving the bridge in party mode for an extra night is not.

The resulting $75 ticket for After Party on the Bridge gets attendees catered street food and all the beer and local spirits they can drink, plus entertainment in the form of DJs and live music. Jensen says it's something of an entry-level fundraiser that will hopefully lead to younger attendees at future galas.

Killer actsThe After Party on the Bridge takes over the 19th Street and Platte Street Historic Bridge at Riverfront Park at 6 p.m. on Fri. Sept. 13.

"My motivation was the musical piece," says Jensen. "Denver is the music capital of the West."

On this note the After Party at the Bridge has booked Nathaniel Rateliff with Born in the Flood and FLASH/LIGHTS, an experimental electro-pop act from RiNo. "They're getting a lot of national attention," says Jensen. "They're really fun." Dancers from local contemporary company Wonderbound will also perform.

"Doors open at six, the music will start at eight and Wonderbound will do a flash-mob, pop-up performance," Jensen says of the night's agenda. The event will also honor four award-winners "who have had an impact on parks and greenways," he adds, and last call will be at about 10 p.m.

This is the inaugural After Party on the Bridge, and Jensen's goal is to sell 500 tickets. "It's a first-year event," he says. "It's never easy."

Founded in 1974, The Greenway Foundation has been the force behind reclaiming the South Platte River through Denver, catalyzing the construction of 100 miles of trails and over 20 parks. The current list of projects includes more river-restoration and educational initiatives from Overland to RiNo.