Niwot brings back Dancing Under the Stars

The year 2019 saw the end of Boulder's iconic Dancing Under the Stars after 35 years of offering free summer dancing nights in the middle of town. That same year Catherine McHale, a member of the local dancing community herself, decided that it shouldn't completely disappear, it should just move to Niwot.

"I saw a Facebook post of the original organizers who said they had to cancel it... They hadn't managed to get an agreement with the city," she explained. "So I approached Cottonwood Square and we did it for the first time in 2019 and it was absolutely a resounding success."

In addition to the locals, Niwot's first Dancing Under the Stars saw people from Denver, Fort Collins, Boulder and other areas come to the event. Some of the busiest nights had approximately 200 people.

"People were super grateful saying, 'Thank you so much for saving this event,'...It's a wonderful event and wonderful feeling for people," McHale said.

Similar to the last dancing series, there will be an actual dance floor and a dancing lesson at 7 p.m. before open community dancing. Spanning from June 11 to Sept. 10 every Friday, there will be a number of salsa and swing dance nights, along with waltz and folk dancing nights.

"I saw all generations, families, people who were superb dancers and who were beginners. I'm so excited that we're going to bring it back," said McHale.

The event is set to be sponsored by the Niwot Business Association, with additional support from the Niwot Local Improvement District and various local businesses. In addition to being announced twice each evening, the sponsors will be featured on the Dancing Under the Stars social media pages. McHale reported that there has been an increase in interest in the page and messages inquiring about the event series.

"You don't have to know how to dance, you can just come and hang out," she said. "It's a community dance event, a chance to come together to enjoy music, dancing, and the beautiful Colorado summer."

For more information about the event, you can follow @dancingunderthestarsniwot on Facebook, and an Instagram page will be established soon.