Colorado’s federal trial court held its first-ever naturalization ceremony for nearly 300 new citizens on Thursday at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre.

“We’re doing it to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the United States. Red Rocks is a particularly fitting location for this. It’s a place that, of course, reminds us of the incredible natural gifts that we have been endowed with in this country and on this earth,” said U.S. District Court Chief Judge Daniel D. Domenico, who administered the oath of allegiance.

With citizenship, “you can associate with anyone you like. You can get a passport. You can run for office. You can, apparently, do your morning workout here on the steps of Red Rocks during a naturalization ceremony,” he added to laughter, referring to members of the public exercising on the steps above the roughly 1,400 people in attendance.

People from 70 nations took part in the ceremony, which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Acting Field Office Director Eva Rupp described as the largest contingent of countries represented at a Colorado naturalization to date.

The federal district court typically holds naturalization ceremonies at its courthouse, but it has occasionally arranged for events to happen at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction, and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Jeffrey P. Colwell, the court’s clerk, said Domenico had the idea to travel to Red Rocks.

“He was like, ‘How about Red Rocks?’ And I told him I wouldn’t know where to start with that. But if he were able to get me a point of contact, I could make some calls. And he did. And I did,” said Colwell.

He added that the planning took about 1.5 months. While he did not disclose how much Denver, which owns the venue, charged the court, he said the city was “gracious.”

“The special parameter was, ‘We need you off the stage by 10:30 because the band that’s coming in at night needs to set up’,” Colwell said. “But otherwise, the Red Rocks people were fantastic.”

Andrea Carranza, who came to the United States from Honduras seven years ago and is pursuing a medical career, said she learned three weeks ago that her naturalization ceremony would be at Red Rocks.

“I was shocked, I was very excited,” she said. “I feel very proud. I feel like I belong to the country where I live, where I built my family.”

Carranza added that “my culture and everything about Honduras, I have it right now and will always have it in my heart.”

Kevin Mendoza, who is from El Salvador, said he moved to the United States in 2015 for opportunity and to escape gang violence. He is pursuing an electrician apprenticeship, and said the ceremony was his first time visiting Red Rocks.

“It’s been a great experience, just getting more opportunities by the day. And being able to be here and have a great family, great friends that I met throughout the years,” Mendoza said.

Domenico, after listing the rights that new citizens could exercise, clarified that he was being “a bit inaccurate.”

“Under our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, it’s more accurate to say that you — and every human being — have always had those rights,” he said. “The genius of America is not that it grants you those rights, but that it commits to protecting your ability to exercise those rights that any person should have.”

Attendees responded enthusiastically to Deputy Clerk Joseph Berrios, who sang the national anthem and “America the Beautiful.” Colwell said he did not force Berrios to sing, but he told Berrios he “might be able to get you a gig at Red Rocks.”

“I think he started with us in March. I knew he was a musician and singer. I didn’t know how darn good he was, but I suspected he was probably pretty good,” said Colwell. “He was cool as a cucumber today.”