Meet up downtown Denver for the National Western Stock Show Parade on Thursday, January 9, 2025 before noon.
The parade will start at 1pm outside Denver Union Station and march twelve blocks down 17th Street to Glenarm Place. Participants stage in the Coors Field parking lot. To photograph the animals with the backdrop of Union Station, gather near the intersection of 17th and Wazee Streets.
Tips per Michael Ryno:
- It makes sense to select a specific location and arrive close to an hour early in order to get up along the front of the sidewalk, as it is much easier to take photos without other spectators in front of you. It is nearly impossible to walk up and down the sidewalks during the last 30 minutes before the start of the parade, and definitely impossible to move around once the parade begins.
- When selecting a location, be sure to pay attention to the background, as an interesting background can add interest to your images. One popular location is at the northeast corner of 17th & Wazee, as it provides the historic Oxford Hotel in the background and, if you are in the front row, options for including Union Station in the background.
- The parade opens with the herd of longhorn steer that are closely guarded by police on horseback. Also note that there is plenty of congestion with police and other officials in the area, particularly when the steer make their way up 17th, so be creative in looking for opportunities for interesting photos.
- The parade makes its way up 17th to Glenarm, then along Glenarm for one block to 18th, and then back along 18th towards Union Station. If you happen to be near 17th & Wazee for the initial part of the parade, once most of the main attractions have passed through, be sure to walk the one block over to 18th and photograph the parade as they make their way towards Union Station. However, note that the longhorn steer herd gets pulled aside at Glenarm and 17th, so they don’t make their way back down 18th.
- As for gear, I would recommend any camera body and a lens of 70-200 if you have one. Be creative with apertures depending upon when you want to get full depth of field (tight aperture) or selective focus on specific subjects (open aperture). It looks like the weather will be chilly this year, with the possibility of light snow, so be sure to bring warm clothing including layers and a coat, gloves and a warm hat. Parking lots will be busy, so either take light rail or allow time to park and walk in.
