Summer festivals in Colorado | Arts & Entertainment
From wacky to downright weird, Colorado is full of unique summer festival traditions. While some celebrate the state’s Old West heritage, others stem from stranger histories. Here are some of Colorado’s most colorful summer festivals.
Denver Chalk Art Festival
June 7-8
Watch as blocks of pavement are transformed into colorful masterpieces. More than 200 artists will hit the streets with chalk in hand, hoping to take home the “People’s Choice Award.” Stroll around, see the works and chow down some eats.
Ashe Bentley, left, and Jake Nissalke, work on a chalk bear alongside more than 200 other chalk artists creating original works in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood for this year’s Chalk Art Festival on Saturday, June 1, 2024. The pair and Jake’s mother Cindy traveled from Utah to participate, something they had done as a family pre-pandemic but not since.
More than 200 chalk artists created original works in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood for this year’s Chalk Art Festival on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
FIBArk
June 12-15, Salida
Since 1949, whitewater enthusiasts have gathered in Chaffee County to race on the Arkansas River. “First in Boating on the Arkansas” is the nation’s oldest whitewater festival. Beyond the river, there’s a mountain bike race, parade and more.
Pro-kayakers go head to head for the Colorado Cup preliminaries during the FIBArk Whitewater Festival in Salida, Co., on Friday, June 16, 2023. The Colorado Cup is to be held the next day, Saturday, June 17, 2023.
Whittle the Wood Rendezvous
June 19-21, Craig
This festival was born in 1999 as a solution to diseased trees that plagued Craig City Park. Instead of tossing out the wood, the town started an event where carvers use chainsaws to transform logs into unique art. There’s also food and beer.
Strawberry Days
June 20-22, Glenwood Springs
As one of Colorado’s oldest festivals — this is its 128th anniversary — Strawberry Days is all about the summer harvest. The event lasts three days, but the favorite remains Saturday, when attendees delight in free strawberries and ice cream.
Keystone Bacon & Bourbon Festival
June 21-22
It’s all in the name: bacon-themed food with plenty of bourbon to wash it down. Bacon Bill will host Camp Bacon, teaching bacon songs, testing bacon knowledge and crowning bacon princes and princesses. Did we mention there’ll be bacon?
Country Jam
June 26-28, Grand Junction
Luke Bryan. Bailey Zimmerman. Cody Johnson. Those are the top acts in a lineup of 20-plus country music artists. All told, it’s three days jam-packed with cowboys, cowgirls and guitars. Interested in roughin’ it? There’s a campground on-site.
Jazz Aspen Snowmass
June 26-29
Instead of layers of fresh powder, you’ll find green slopes teeming with wildflowers. Enjoy the summer scenery with smooth jazz across 12 venues downtown. Now in its 32nd year, you can attend single shows or splurge on a VIP festival pass.
Telluride Yoga Festival
June 26-29
Stretch and connect at this event just a gondola ride away from downtown. Imagine four days of yoga, meditation, music and hiking in the San Juans. Learn from teachers or visit the vendor’s village to find books and gear from the experts.
Breckenridge Agave Festival
June 27-29
Tequila lovers, rejoice. Come celebrate the succulent responsible for fun nights out (and rough mornings after). This event spotlights Mexican culture and cuisine, with tequila and mezcal tastings plus plenty of tasty tacos made by local chefs.
Donkey Derby Days
A volunteer guides one of the Cripple Creek Donkeys down Main Street during the parade on Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Cripple Creek, Colo. (Parker Seibold, The Gazette)
June 27-29, Cripple Creek
For more than 90 years, Cripple Creek has hosted this festival to celebrate the resident donkey herd (yes, the town has its own donkeys). There will be races — meaning runners will try to get the donkeys moving on a lead with mixed success.
Green Box Arts Festival
June 27-July 12, Green Mountain Falls
For creatives, this is a chance to connect with other artists, learn from masters and be inspired. The festival showcases dance, music, and visual and performing arts. The Colorado Ballet will headline, and four art installations will be unveiled.
A Theatreworks ACT OUT community performance at the 2022 Green Box Arts Festival. Photo by Jeff Kearney
Paonia Cherry Days
July 4-5
There’s nothing like sweet cherries on a hot summer day. And Paonia takes its cherries seriously, saluting the crop with activities such as the Cherry Pit Spit and a baking contest. There’s also a cornhole tournament, talent show and parade.
Cherry Creek Arts Festival
July 4-6, Denver
Forget about fireworks. This holiday weekend, enjoy other sights and sounds as more than 250 artists line the streets of Cherry Creek neighborhood. Find everything from ceramics to mixed media at the festival, which also hosts musicians.
The 2024 Cherry Creek Arts Festival
High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival
July 10-13, Westcliffe
The Wet Mountain Valley provides the setting. A banjo, fiddle and mandolin provide the tunes. Rhonda Vincent & The Rage headline a lineup that features more than a dozen bluegrass musicians, including traditional and contemporary artists.
Crested Butte Wildflower Festival
July 11-20
This festival, which began in 1986, displays the beauty of the Gunnison Valley. In July, the area is sprawling with wildflowers. Register for guided hikes and garden tours to see the flora. There also will be more than 150 educational workshops.
Silver lupine bloom in a field near the Deer Creek trailhead, with Gothic Mountain in the background, last week outside Crested Butte.
Sunflowers reach toward the sun Thursday, July 9, 2015 in Crested Butte. The 2015 Crested Butte Wildflower Festival begins Monday, July 13 and runs through July 19. Visit www.crestedbuttewildflowerfestival.com (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival
July 18-19, Cañon City
It’s another celebration on the Arkansas, with water-based competitions from a raft rodeo to a build-your-own boat race. Hoping to stay dry? Attend as a spectator or take part in the land activities. A highlight for many is the weenie dog race.
Vail Dance Festival
July 25-Aug. 5
This festival brings performers from around the world to venues in the Vail Valley. That means dancers from the New York City Ballet and dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet. There will be 14 performances and more than 30 related events.
Leadville Boom Days
Aug. 1-3
With burro races and mining contests, this street fair pays tribute to the town’s storied past. Visitors can expect loads of vendors, and guests can watch competitions that date to the 1880s such as hand mucking and single-hand steel drilling.
Eagle Mushroom & Wild Food Festival
Aug. 8-10
Mycophiles, gather ’round. This nature festival returns for its 16th year, educating people on Rocky Mountain mushrooms and wild food found in Colorado. It includes a variety of activities, from mushroom foraging to culinary classes and hikes.
Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
Aug. 8-10, Lyons
Where better to listen to folk music than along the St. Vrain River in the heart of the Rockies? Attendees also can camp out at Planet Bluegrass Ranch for the true “Summit of Song” experience, a Lyons’ tradition for more than 30 years now.
Chris Wood sings during the Wood Brothers’ performance at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colo. on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Tom Hellauer, Denver Gazette)
Estes Park Wine Festival
Aug. 9-10
For the 10th year, this event outside Rocky Mountain National Park will bring together dozens of Colorado wineries and meaderies. In addition to sampling the wines, there will be plenty of wine-themed goods from vendors and some chocolate.
Palisade Peach Festival
Aug. 15-16
Who says that Georgia grows the best peaches? Taste and celebrate the sweetness of Colorado peaches at this event. Complete with a peach-eating contest, a peach pit bar and peach cuisine demos, you’ll find everything’s peachy in Palisade.
Buffalo Days
Aug. 15-17, Grand Lake
Cowboy paint and sip, Western line dancing and an Old West jail photo booth are three of the events planned for the 78th edition of this festival, where the town recalls its heritage with cowboy games, a parade and a buffalo barbecue feast.
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