Outside Days, the Colorado festival celebrating outdoor recreation, is getting bigger each year.

The event held on the last weekend of May generated $42.15 million for the state’s economy, according to a news release from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). Over the three years of its existence, the state economic office said it boosted Colorado’s economy by nearly $100 million.

The economic impact in 2026 was up 17% from 2025 and up 163% from when the festival first debuted.

Outside Days is hosted by Boulder-based Outside Interactive Inc., Visit Denver and the State of Colorado. It launched in 2024 after the Outdoor Retailer, the industry’s largest trade show, left Denver in 2022 and returned to Salt Lake City.

State officials wanted to come up with their own replacement that would be more consumer-focused and inspired by Austin’s South by Southwest, the technology conference that also acts as a film and music festival.

The Colorado festival expanded to four days with a music lineup featuring Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket and Cage the Elephant. It included panels with some of the world’s top athletes, an outdoor-themed film festival, a business conference, a startup pitch competition and an outdoor gear show. There was also a career fair with 34 national brands that attracted more than 500 people seeking jobs in the outdoor industry.

The festival drew more than 40,000 guests in 2026, up by 172% from its debut year, OEDIT said. About 30% of visitors came from outside of Colorado.

“By creating the ‘SXSW’ of the outdoor industry, we are not only celebrating our state’s incredible natural resources but also lifting up the many small businesses and organizations that connect people to unforgettable outdoor experiences,” said Conor Hall, director of the state’s outdoor recreation office, in the release.

The state’s economic office contributed about $900,000 toward getting Outside Days off the ground and said Colorado made more than $100 for every $1 of state investment.

Colorado’s outdoor industry modestly grew by 3.6% in 2024 and contributed nearly $18 billion to the state’s economy, according to the most recent federal data. While growth is slowing, it’s still one of the biggest outdoor economies in the nation at 10th place and the largest in winter activities, by far.

“The success of Outside Days proves that when we bring people together, we aren’t just celebrating our wild spaces — we’re building a stronger, more resilient future for Colorado workers and small businesses alike,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a press release.

The next Outside Days festival is set to return to the Auraria Campus in 2027, OEDIT said. It was originally hosted at Civic Center Park but the historic downtown landmark is undergoing a major renovation project.