In just over a year, Kristen Wurth has transformed Java Jams from a zero-budget idea into one of Denver’s most vibrant, community-driven music movements. Reimagining what it means to experience electronic music in the daylight. Built on coffee, connection, and a fiercely collaborative spirit, her events blur the line between party and uplifting local talent while carving out space for something more intentional.
In this exclusive interview with Electric Hawk, Wurth shares how grassroots energy, creative risk-taking, and an unwavering belief in community have fueled Java Jams’ rapid rise, and where it’s headed next.
In Conversation with Kristen Wurth
seradopa: To start off, for our Hawkies community, give a brief introduction to who you are!
Kristen Wurth: Hi, I’m Kristen, founder of Java Jams. I launched the brand just over a year ago, starting with an idea I began shaping on Instagram last January. Creating a space in Denver for music lovers who wanted something different. I was drawn to the idea of daytime events. Something more intentional, more social, where people could actually connect, rather than just exist in a crowded late-night venue.
My background is in digital marketing, branding, and social media, so building the identity of Java Jams and engaging with people, both online and in person, came naturally. From the beginning, it was about curating experiences that felt fun, welcoming, and community-driven. Java Jams and our network of DJs also inspired me to learn to DJ. I am so grateful for our supportive community and my new journey as KrisNova!
A year later, we’ve grown into a vibrant, diverse DJ collective, and it’s incredible to see so many familiar faces returning to our events. At its core, Java Jams is about pop-up day parties, primarily hosted in cafés, but also in restaurants, storefronts, parking lots, or anywhere that aligns with the energy we’re trying to create. We occasionally host earlier evening events, but the daytime focus is what really defines us.
While sustainability matters, the goal has always been bigger than profit. We reinvest back into the brand, supporting our DJs, improving production, and building each event into something even more memorable than the last.
More than anything, Java Jams is about community. Uplifting local artists and intentionally creating space for women in the industry. While we collaborate with and appreciate our male DJs and supporters, we’re thoughtful about building balanced, inclusive lineups. That shared mindset is something everyone involved in Java Jams truly embodies.
seradopa: What originally inspired the creation of Java Jams, and how has that vision evolved over time?
Kristen Wurth: The main purpose of starting Java Jams was to create a 3rd space outside of attending a larger production show and building a community around music, connection, and coffee, of course, versus a bar-forward menu. Java Jams will always feature coffee as the main focus of the event. I started out just wanting to throw free parties and see who would show up. Our first pop-up was at Panda Coffee House near Stanley Market, a huge, repurposed hangar space that gave us room to experiment.
Honestly, I launched Java Jams with almost no budget. I spent about $500 having a friend design the logo and brand, borrowed speakers for the first event, and relied on DJs to bring their own controllers. It was very much a collaborative, grassroots setup. I’d cover what I could, they’d bring what they had, and we made it work. The event was free, and I was literally handing out sprouts to people in the coffee line.
It ended up being a blowout. Around 200 people showed up, and it felt like something new for Denver, even though similar concepts existed in LA and Europe. I kept thinking, why don’t we have this here?
After that, the community showed up for us in a big way. We received about $400 in donations from attendees, which helped me buy our first set of speakers. The same ones we still use for most events today. From there, we just kept saying yes to opportunities.
We experimented a lot—hosting fitness events like Strength in the City, collaborating with national brands, setting up at fitness events, art markets, and cafés. Then we scaled into bigger moments, like throwing a bass party in an alley in January, something that hadn’t really been done in that way before. Denver has this incredible culture of supporting grassroots, renegade-style events, especially around EDM, and you really feel that energy.
What started as small café sets has evolved into bigger productions, while still keeping things accessible. Some events are free, others ticketed, but either way, there’s a lot of time and care behind each one – from marketing to DJ prep to teardown. Everyone involved is hands-on and invested.
Somewhere along the way, it naturally became a collective, which wasn’t the plan. I thought it would be a rotating lineup, but it turned into a core group that gives Java Jams its identity. There’s no formal process; it’s about who shows up, who’s committed, and who aligns with what we’re building. It’s all grown very organically, and that’s what makes it special.
seradopa: Looking back over the past year, how would you describe the journey of Java Jams from its inception to where it is today?
Kristen Wurth: From the beginning, we’ve had a strong core group of DJs, about 12 who have really been there since day one. People ebb and flow, of course, everyone has their own careers and lives, but that core has stayed consistent. That first year really felt like our “founder year,” and while I’ve added a few new members, that foundation is still what drives everything.
We threw our first ticketed event in October. Just using angel numbers like $5.55 or $7.77. Between our first event in April and that moment, we had already done around 10 events, just figuring it out as we went.
That October event was a big milestone. I wanted to create our first femme-forward lineup with the Java ladies, something intentional. We hosted it on October 3rd, Mean Girls Day, and called it Burn the Patriarchy, a play on the “Burn Book.” It was creative, high-energy, and one of the first times we really leaned into storytelling and content. The DJs fully showed up for it, and we produced a lot of fun, collaborative content around the theme.
We broke even, everyone got paid, and it proved something important: people were willing to pay for these experiences. That gave me the confidence to scale.
A few months later, we did Winter Wubzyland, partnering with Amp Artisan Coffee, and charged significantly more. Tickets went up to $35, and people were still buying at the highest tier, even day-of. That felt like a turning point.
Honestly, every event in the first year felt like a milestone. Each one was different: new partners, new formats, new challenges. We were constantly experimenting and building in real time. Now, everything feels more elevated. It’s still the same core concept, but more refined, and each event continues to grow from there.
seradopa: What were some of the biggest obstacles you encountered this year?
Kristen Wurth: Time management has probably been the biggest challenge. I tend to hyper-focus on Java Jams because it’s something I genuinely love and it’s passion-driven. At the same time, I was working a full-time job, staying up late doing marketing, communicating with DJs, and constantly networking and showing up for the community. It’s less of an obstacle and more of an ongoing balance of where I put my energy.
As we started producing bigger events like Winter Wubzyland, new challenges came with that. Mainly coordination and communication. When you’re working with a lot of people at different levels of involvement, things can get lost or misaligned. It becomes about bringing all those moving pieces together into one clear vision.
There’s also a lot of learning in real time. Figuring out what an event actually needs to be successful, and sometimes realizing day-of that you don’t have everything. You just adapt. Whether it’s tracking down an extra cable, dealing with tech issues, or adjusting on the fly, you make it work. That’s where having a strong community really matters – someone always has what you need.
And then there are the bigger logistical hurdles, like permits or unexpected restrictions. Sometimes you have to pivot quickly or rethink the plan altogether.
At the end of the day, there’s always going to be an obstacle with every event, but we figure it out every time. That’s part of the process.
seradopa: In what ways has Java Jams surprised you during this first year?
Kristen Wurth: That people love it as much as I do! Everyone needed that community and that space, that third space to go to, and they want to be a part of it too. Even at our birthday celebration, there were a lot of new and familiar faces. Reminding myself, I need to welcome the new people, and I generally talk to everyone. Go up to them, dance with them, and ask them how they found out.
That’s what’s surprising: people come back, or they share it with everyone, and it means so much. Because I feel I’m creating this little piece of Denver, or this world over here, when there are so many other options to go to, and people are coming to my event. And even though people know about it, I’m still surprised that every event is such a huge success. Probably any event organizer or artist goes through that.
So that’s surprising that people are just showing up and love it too.
seradopa: Can you tell us about the collaboration with Dance Without Borders for their anniversary show?
Kristen Wurth: Spaces like Town Hall Collaborative have been incredible—super flexible and open, really just handing over the space and asking what we need to bring the vision to life.
One of my favorite collaborations has been with Dance Without Borders. From the start, it felt really aligned. We shared the same community-driven mindset and values. I had seen what they were doing early on and reached out because it felt like a natural fit. We both throw events, so it quickly turned into, “Why aren’t we doing something together?”
Community has always been at the heart of Java Jams, and giving back is a big part of that. So for that event, I really wanted to incorporate a fundraising element. They were still growing at the time, but I’m very much about uplifting people around me and creating opportunities where everyone can build together.
Taysha and Taylor were amazing to work with. We each stepped into our strengths, which made the process feel really seamless. I had the lineup, concept, and location ready to go, and they took the lead on things like vendors, raffles, and organizing additional elements. It all came together quickly. We turned the entire event around in about a week and a half.
That experience really reinforced how powerful it is to collaborate with people who are aligned and equally invested. I’d work with them again in a heartbeat. They’re continuing to grow, build partnerships, and throw events centered around human rights causes, which is something I really respect and wanted to support through our event.
seradopa: Why do you think spaces like Java Jams are important for local artists and creatives?
Kristen Wurth: I’m still really new to this industry. Before Java Jams, I was just attending the big shows, now I’m much more rooted in the local scene. I still go to larger events, but I’m a lot more intentional with my time.
There are no big artists without their community, right? Something I’ve been thinking about is how artists always thank their fans, and when you’re in a crowd of 30,000 people, it can feel abstract, like, “How does that even apply to me?” But when you’re actually part of a local scene or a collective, you start to really understand what that means. You see how much community matters on a much more personal level.
Whether someone wants to “make it big” or is just doing this for the love of it, having that kind of support system changes everything. It makes the experience more fun, more motivating, and more meaningful. I see it within Java Jams, and in other collectives too. These core groups of people who genuinely uplift each other while creating spaces and lineups together.
Because without that, you’re kind of just waiting around for opportunities, hoping to play a venue like Red Rocks someday. But the reality is, you get there by building something first. By throwing your own events, experimenting with lineups, and taking advantage of the local scene, especially in a place like Denver, where there’s so much room for grassroots, DIY experiences.
For me, community has been everything. If I hadn’t met the people I did through Java Jams, I don’t think we’d be where we are now. That support system is what’s allowed us to grow and keep building.
I’ve always valued that. I grew up in a small town, and that sense of community really shaped me. You can do things on your own, but it’s a much harder, lonelier path. Having people around you who believe in what you’re building just makes everything stronger, especially in this scene.
seradopa: How can the community better support initiatives like Java Jams moving forward?
Kristen Wurth: Honestly, just showing up to the events. And if you can’t make it, word of mouth, sharing the content, speak about what we’re doing, saying you can’t miss that next event. I think that’s the best that all of us can do. Just really uplift each other and share content.
Social media gets exhausting, right? But it’s such an important part of all of this, and that’s one of the positives of using social media, even if it’s a crappy video, post that artist, tag them. Tag the collective, tag the people involved, other DJs, sharing other people’s content while you’re at shows. Be present for sure, but this is why social media is so important – it helps Java Jams grow!
seradopa: As you look ahead, what can people expect from Java Jams in the next year? How do you plan to continue growing while staying true to your original mission?
Kristen Wurth: We’re definitely doing fewer free events now, simply because of how much work goes into each one. That said, free and family-friendly experiences are still a core part of Java Jams, especially with our daytime focus.
As we grow, we’re moving into larger venues, and some of those come with 21+ restrictions due to licensing. But no matter the space, coffee remains at the heart of what we do. Coffee and mocktails are a true constant. Whether it’s a dedicated coffee setup or integrated into the drink menu. We’re not an alcohol-forward brand. Alcohol may be present, but it’s never the main focus; it’s always about coffee and connection.
That idea is really central to Java Jams, the social, almost European-inspired feeling of gathering, connecting, and being present with people.
At the same time, we are evolving into larger, ticketed events that feel more intentional and curated. The goal is to create something distinct from a typical venue show, something more immersive and community-driven.
So moving forward, it’s a mix: some free events, some paid, but all thoughtfully curated. At the core, we’re staying true to what Java Jams is about—community, inclusivity, and creating spaces where people feel connected and part of something special, and very true to Denver.
Java Jams Enters Its Next Era
As Java Jams continues to evolve, Kristen Wurth remains focused on the same mission that started it all: creating spaces where people feel connected, included, and part of something that feels authentically Denver. What began as intimate café pop-ups has grown into a thriving collective and cultural movement: one rooted in music, creativity, and community. And with even bigger experiences on the horizon, Java Jams shows no signs of slowing down. Keep your hawk eye out for the official announcement of Wubzyland Presents: Summer Sendoff happening August 15th! Mark it on your calendars and save the date now!
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