Denver Union Station ready for its close up

If you work, live or play in LoDo, you’ve dealt with the noise and flying cranes squawking around the Denver Union Station redevelopment near 17th and Wynkoop.

Now, it’s time to celebrate the newest jewel in Denver’s development crown. The official Denver Union Station Grand Opening Celebration will be feted with a street festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Presented by FirstBank, this free community celebration will feature food trucks, vendors, family activities and live music. Rachel and the Kings will take the stage at 10:45 a.m., followed by Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers at 12:30 p.m. and The Railbenders at 2 p.m.

The official Denver Union Station opening ceremony will be held at noon by the Union Station Alliance partners.

The public is invited to tour the $54 million revitalization of Denver Union Station, which is now home to The Crawford Hotel and a custom-crafted group of 13 Colorado restaurants and retailers.

To help manage the large crowds that are expected, tickets will be issued for building access between noon and 8 p.m., based on demand. Free tickets will be available at the street festival until 3 p.m. Time stamped tickets are available at www.altitudetickets.com/mobile/event/denver-union-station-grand-opening-celebration/2148 for a$1 processing free, which also guarantees your chosen time of entry.

Event sponsors include FirstBank, Schomp Automotive, AOR Inc., Coors Brewing Co., Republic National Distributing Co., Pepsi, CBS4, DaVita, University of Colorado Health, University of Colorado at Denver, SunShare and Uber.

For more information, visit http://unionstationindenver.com/grandopening/.

(Ellen Jaskol photos )