Kärcher Revives the Magic: Restoring and Revitalizing America's #1 Outdoor Music Venue with Visitors in Mind!

Hosting its first concert in 1906, world-renowned and locally beloved Red Rocks Amphitheatre has held regular concert seasons for musicians of every genre since 1947. With its naturally occurring acoustics, it made music history in 1983 as the backdrop for "U2 Live at Red Rocks - Under a Blood Red Sky."

"This is part of the storytelling that goes on with Red Rocks, being able to piece pull together the public, the history, the ecological part of it, just the natural beauty and the fact that it is an international attraction.'" says Alton Dillard, principal consultant at the Dillard Group, who has had a 30-year career in government communications in Colorado (and is a Red Rocks frequent visitor/concert goer).

Like all other cleaning projects in Kärcher's prolific past, this groundbreaking cultural "deep-clean" project featuring cutting-edge Kärcher innovative technology was a highly collaborative effort. Partnering with Aramark Facilities Management and involving Red Rocks officials, historians and other supportive players, Kärcher set out to ensure the highest preservation and sustainability standards were met, aligning with this National Historic Landmark and cultural institution's iconic presence.

"When we look at our organization and how we get involved with protecting these places, we're really thinking about what is that community connection'" says Jennifer Orrigo Charles, executive director of Colorado Preservation, Inc. "What is a place if it is just saved? We're not saving it just because it is old. We're saving it because it's relevant and it has a future, and the public cares about that."

John Deffenbaugh, president and CEO of Historic Denver agrees, "We think that historic places anchor people. They give us familiarity. They give us hope. In order to experience Red Rocks, it needs to be thoughtfully maintained." He continues, "The Beatles played here, and that takes us back. We can think of the benefits from those times, and also what we should learn from those times, and what we can do better."

Between its legendary concerts, Easter Sunrise services, Yoga on the Rocks, Film on the Rocks and more, the numbers of visitors since the 1940s — ticketed and sightseers alike — is impossible to enumerate. And with them has come decades of grime and buildup from food residue, biofilm, algae, and other bacteria— even petrified gum stuck under the seats and adhered to rock and concrete for nearly eight decades.

Cleaning challenges and approach

"We want to keep it in tip-top shape," says Elliot Younessian, CEO at Kärcher North America. "We are a cleaning business. Every opportunity we get to do a Cultural Sponsorship Project, we learn. We find new things and new ways to clean. We take (that information) and apply it to new technologies. We are always looking for opportunities to help."

Sitting at 6,450 feet above sea level, the venue's mountainous setting with long lines of stairs, curved rock walls and multiple entrances at varying elevations makes navigation an enigma for visitors. So imagine the challenge it posed for cleaning crews — particularly given a 100-foot elevation difference between the stage and the top row of seating.

The venue staff performs regular rinsing after each event. The sandstone vertical spaces beneath the bench seats, however, needed a deep cleaning with steam. In addition, chewing gum was prevalent on the seats and flat surfaces, which needed to be melted away with specialized equipment. These areas, as well as the food concession area on the upper deck, were treated to meticulous, careful removal of unwanted buildup and debris.

Along with Kärcher's cleaning specialists, expert industrial rope access technicians were contracted to rappel down, cleaning the two towers framing both sides of the iconic stage using Kärcher's steam-cleaning machines.

The cleaning method depended on the area and main cause of soiling. Human contact and biological growth on bench seating and along rock walls and capstone reflected decades of grime, while concrete surfaces and stair treads left their mark from all that, plus 80 years of heavy foot traffic. A combination of variable pressure hot water, cold water and low-pressure, eco-friendly steam cleaning techniques removed layers of film and buildup — revealing nature's unadulterated beauty once again.

In spots with more stubborn buildup, such as concession areas, Kärcher's degreaser was combined with variable pressure hot water. And keeping in line with sustainable cleaning practices, this wastewater was contained, collected and safely disposed of in the onsite sanitary sewer, avoiding groundwater contamination.

All this was achieved with Kärcher's eco-friendly methods that are both effective and safe for delicate surfaces, while using up to 80% less water than traditional techniques.

Red Rocks stats & background: (sidebar)

• Billboard magazine ranks "Red Rocks" as the most attended outdoor venue in the United States, with nearly 2 million ticketed concert- and event-goers attending during the 2024 alone
  
  
• The naturally occurring venue known for its flagship "red rock" boasts a seating capacity of 9,000, hosting an average of 200 events per year

About Kärcher

Kärcher North America is a leading provider of innovative cleaning solutions for commercial, industrial, and consumer applications. As a subsidiary of Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG, the company brings German-engineered cleaning technology to global markets.

Headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, Kärcher North America employs more than 1,000 people across facilities in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Blackwood, New Jersey; Vancouver, Washington; Monterrey, Mexico; and Mississauga, Ontario. The company manufactures and distributes products under the Kärcher, Landa, Hotsy, Water Maze, and Legacy brands, serving industries such as commercial cleaning, construction, automotive, and agriculture.

Kärcher is dedicated to sustainability, designing energy-efficient and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions that reduce water and chemical usage while maximizing performance.

At Kärcher worldwide, Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG, a team of more than 17,000 people in 85 countries and 170 companies, is working together to make the world a cleaner place, as the market leader in cleaning technology.

For more information, visit: www.karcher.com/us

Press Contact
Valarie Rose Johnson
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SOURCE Kärcher North America