Top 28 Festivals In Colorado, USA

festivals in colorado
Pala
Pala 
Updated
| 13 min read

Colorado is a state like no other with its extensive prairie grasslands, rushing rivers, magnificent mountains, and desert landscapes. It is located at the country’s highest altitude and boasts a vast selection of natural wonders and wildlife. The rich history and cultural heritage of Colorado can be experienced in its mining museums, dinosaur fossils, narrow-gauge railway lines, frontier forts, and other attractions. Irrespective of whether you are an adrenaline junkie and looking forward to skiing at the famous Rocky Mountains, the type who just wants to visit the towns and cities, or someone who likes to marvel at mesmerizing natural beauty, Colorado offers something for all kinds of visitors. Also, the festivities are on throughout the year as the state celebrates so many colorful and vibrant festivals. Check out the top festivals in Colorado, USA, so that you can plan your vacation accordingly.

1. Monte Vista Crane Festival

Monte Vista Crane Festival
Source: Photo by user USFWS Mountain-Pr... used under CC BY 2.0

Monte Vista Crane Festival celebrates the migration of cranes that travel from their southern winter nests to summer residences every year. Monte Vista has been greeting these birds since the eighties. The town celebrates the festival for three days. It is a gathering where experts conduct seminars on wildlife and sandhill crane viewing tours are organized—so bird lovers can get an opportunity to watch these beautiful creatures.

Monte Vista Crane Festival

Address: Monte Vista, Colorado

Website: Monte Vista Crane Festival

Takes place: March

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2. Winter Carnival

TEL_3273
Source: Photo by user Ed Uthman used under CC BY 2.0

Winter Carnival is an annual festival that has been celebrated for more than nine decades now. This colorful festival includes a string of events such as ski jumping, tubing party, soda pop slalom, chariot racing, snowboarding jam session, an outdoor slideshow series and film festival, a pancake breakfast, international muzzleloading biathlon, and telemark revival, among others. The key highlights of Winter Carnival in Steamboat Springs are the model of a man set alight (Lighted Man) and a fascinating fireworks display.

Winter Carnival

Address: Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Website: Winter Carnival

Takes place: February

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3. Santa Fe Trail Festival [Last event in 2019]

Posted by Trinidad & Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, 3 July 2019

The Santa Fe Trail boasts a rich history when pioneers belonging to the 19th century used it to stop in Trinidad to get their supplies and rest. Celebrated as a tribute to this crucial pioneer route, Santa Fe Trail Festival features live entertainment, a recap of historical events, food, and a designated area for children where they can enjoy carnival and pony rides. The festival lasts for two days and features fun, dancing, music, games, a beer garden, a string of demonstrations, and vendors selling interesting pieces of arts and crafts. It is a family-centric gathering for all household members to participate with joy and enthusiasm.

Santa Fe Trail Festival

Address: Trinidad, Colorado

Website: Santa Fe Trail Festival

Takes place: June

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4. Greeley Independence Stampede

Greeley Stampede Carnival
Source: Photo by user City of Greeley used under PUBLIC DOMAIN

The is one of the most popular festivals in the state of Colorado and is more than a hundred years old. The event initially started as a way to honor the local potato farmers. Today, the festival is an internationally recognized gathering that draws the participation of thousands of tourists from different parts of the world—those who’d love to take part in the Greeley Rodeo classical and country music concerts, as well as other entertainment events on the stage, art shows, carnivals, and more.

Greeley Independence Stampede

Address: Greeley, Colorado

Website: Greeley Independence Stampede

Takes place: June - July

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Colorado Tour Guide

Stephanie Eley

Stephanie Eley

I'm a graduate of ITMI, International Tour Management Institute and 17 years as a licensed Tour Director and Program Director. My expertise began in NYC and Washington, DC where I'm a licensed guide and has expanded to Europe, South America, Cuba and the Western / Southwestern National Parks of the US. I'd love to introduce you for a day or a week to Denver, Colorado and the 4 corners region of the US: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona! Let's GO!! stepheley@gmail.com

Tours by Stephanie

5. Crested Butte Festival of the Arts

Our community is full of amazing locally owned businesses! Want to get the word out to 12,000+ patrons on your...

Posted by Crested Butte Arts Festival on Thursday, 7 November 2019

Crested Butte Festival of the Arts is one of the state’s oldest events and attracts crafts enthusiasts, photographers, and artists from different parts of the country. It is one of the largest weekend events in the summer, and here visitors will get a chance to admire open-air crafts, art, and live music. You can also enjoy exploring National Historic District of Crested Butte with its art galleries, shops, restaurants, and boutiques—and you can do so in the company of loved ones.

Crested Butte Festival of the Arts

Address:Crested Butte, Colorado

Website: Crested Butte Festival of the Arts

Takes place: August

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6. Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off

labor day lift off day 3, memorial park, colorado springs, co
Source: Photo by user cathy andersen used under CC BY-ND 2.0

Colorado Springs welcomes the advent of fall every year with a big hot-air balloon festival. Participants can go up in any one of the balloons while local vendors sell refreshments in the form of drinks and breakfast to further enhance the charm of the event. Other activities to mark the occasion include wakeboarding, skydiving demonstrations, donut-eating competitions, chainsaw carving, and paddleboarding. Also, there are lots of live entertainment and music to keep the atmosphere vibrant.

Labor Day Lift Off

Address: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Website: Labor Day Lift Off

Takes place: September

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7. Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival and Parade

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Posted by Long's Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival on Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival happens to be the West’s biggest Scottish festival. Celebrated in a town called Estes Park, the festival celebrates Scottish traditions and heritage. Estes Park is surrounded by forests and hosts the celebrations on the weekend that follows Labor Day. The event features a host of activities including folk dancing, different types of competitions, concerts, a parade, a tattoo show, and participation of some of the world’s finest pipe brands.

Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival and Parade

Address: Estes Park, Colorado

Website: Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival and Parade

Takes place: September

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8. Cowboys’ Roundup Days and Fourth of July Celebration

Posted by Visit Steamboat Springs on Wednesday, 27 April 2016

This festival has been celebrated for more than a century now and commemorates the Independence Day of the country, and it is held along with Cowboys’ Roundup Days. The popular event is marked by different kinds of festivities, including the cattle drive—apart from a stunning firework display, fairs, concerts, a parade, a ranch rodeo, different cowboy shows, and more. Scheduled in the month of June or July every year, the gathering is done in Western fashion in various localities around the city of Steamboat Springs. It is a family-friendly festival where people from various age-groups can participate and have fun.

Cowboy Roundup Days and Fourth of July Celebration

Address: Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Website: Cowboy Roundup Days and Fourth of July Celebration

Takes place: Usually held in July

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9. Colorado State Fair

Colorado State Fair Pig Races
Source: Photo by user PEO ACWA used under CC BY 2.0

If you wish to participate in Colorado State Fair, visit Pueblo in the months of August and September. Many refer to the festival as the finest family-friendly party in the region. Get ready to participate in a string of festivities, including livestock competitions such as contests for milking cows, pig racing, shows of exotic and wild birds, classic rodeo exhibitions, and more. Your kids will love to participate in the immensely popular competition called Mutton Busting, a game meant for children who are 7 years old and below. The little ones try to balance themselves on sheep that are moving. Other events include a fireworks display, a fiesta day parade, a carnival, and participation of rodeo clowns.

Colorado State Fair

Address: Pueblo, Colorado

Website: Colorado State Fair

Takes place: August - September

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10. Denver Oktoberfest


Denver Oktoberfest is regarded as one of America’s biggest Oktoberfests. This version in Denver also has the distinction of being the longest-running and most popular festival. Held at the end of September every year, the event is celebrated across two different weekends—when the city transforms into its most enchanting self with so many festivities, such as different kinds of cultural performances, German music, and dance, as well as delicious German food that includes delightful strudel desserts, bratwurst, and German beer.

Denver Oktoberfest

Address: Denver, Colorado

Website: Denver Oktoberfest

Takes place: September

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11. Great American Beer Festival

Great American Beer Festival [GABF] 2014-34
Source: Photo by user Four Brewers used under CC BY-SA 2.0

According to Guinness Book of World Records, Great American Beer Festival offers more beer compared to any of the other beer festivals in the world. A gathering of great fun and excitement, this festival in the state of Colorado includes over 2,700 different types of beer—starting from schwarzbier and German dunkel, English bitters, American-style lagers, Belgian ales, as well as some flavored and experimental beers. Some of the event’s highlights are a competition of more than 84 distinct beer types, cuisine competitions, top-food tasting, as well as a silent disco with dancers wearing headphones and jiving to popular music.

Great American Beer Festival

Address: Denver, Colorado

Website: Great American Beer Festival

Takes place: October

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12. Aspen Film


For more than three decades, Aspen Film has been an immensely popular movie event in the state of Colorado. This film festival is an annual gathering held in the month of September every year and attracts over 30,000 people. Aspen Film showcases more than 200 movies—which might not be available in other places—for the audiences of the locality. It hosts over 100 movie artists as well as distinguished guests each year.

Aspen Film

Address: Aspen. Colorado

Website: Aspen Film

Takes place: Usually held in September

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13. Colorado Mountain Winefest

Grape Stomping Colorado Mountain Winefest
Source: Photo by user WineCountryInn used under PUBLIC DOMAIN

This is the largest and most ancient wine festival in the Centennial State and features 48 wineries, apart from lip-smacking food, foot-tapping music, golf, and bike rides—with enchanting fall colors as the backdrop. The annual spectacle sees thousands of people who are passionate about wines flocking to Palisade so that they can choose from and savor the wide array of exotic wines and take part in different types of festivities—like events that pair food and wine, hands-on workshops, grape stomps, dueling chefs, winemaker competitions, wine and chocolate tasting, and winery tours. Other activities include touring the vineyards on a bicycle, wining and dining, jazz concerts, and shopping.

Colorado Mountain Winefest

Address: Palisade, Colorado

Website: Colorado Mountain Winefest

Takes place: September

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14. Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Colorado Shakespeare Festival banner
Source: Photo by user Xnatedawgx used under CC BY-SA 3.0

Colorado Shakespeare Festival has been spreading joy among its audiences for more than 60 decades now by showcasing outdoor classic theater. Planned by a professional theater organization, it is held in association with University of Colorado in Boulder. The festival started in 1958 and has been exploring and celebrating Shakespeare, as well as his relevance and influence, through various superior productions, community engagement, and education.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Address: Boulder, Colorado

Website: Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Takes place: June to August

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15. Summer BrewFest


The festival is celebrated in the month of July every year at Mile High Station—both indoors as well as outdoors and spreading out up to the parking area. You can relish some of the best brews in a funky festival environment. Once you enter the venue, sample unlimited tastes while relaxing in an intimate ambiance. The brewery representatives will be more than willing to interact with you and share seasonal brews or special releases. Discover and explore some fantastic craft beer from national as well as local breweries and listen to some interesting live music. Try out some mouthwatering delicacies from one of the food trucks when you are famished.

Summer BrewFest

Address: Mile High Station, Denver, Colorado

Website: Summer BrewFest

Takes place: July

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16. Leadville Boom Days

Box 141-0052, Summer, 2012 Colorado, Leadville Boom Days
Source: Photo by user George Stephan used under CC BY 2.0

A mountain festival in the state of Colorado, Leadville Boom Days celebrates the Old West and features highlights such as burro races, gunslingers, competitions that test mining skills, along with a street fair with more than 100 stalls selling crafts and food items. The event is celebrated annually in the month of August, and here you can have unlimited fun and great food, participate in a host of activities, and purchase art and crafts for three days. It is a family-friendly affair and is suitable for the entire household. The festival includes different burro-and-runner teams competing against one another while racing through the mountains. There is a parade where men and women are seen donning Victorian costumes and mingling with the crowd. Some of the other festivities include a car show, motorcycle games, a gun show, Boom Days dances that last for two nights, and more. Participate in an egg toss or a pie-eating contest, relish live music, enjoy pancake breakfasts, and just have fun with your family.

Leadville Boom Days

Address: Leadville, Colorado

Website: Leadville Boom Days

Takes place: August

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17. Telluride Jazz Festival


Celebrated for three days, Telluride Jazz Festival is an event for live jazz music and is held every year in the month of August. It’s an engrossing musical experience hosted in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. The event features among the country’s most picturesque music festivals and offers recreation activities in abundance. Telluride Jazz Festival aims to pay tribute to the best talented artists who specialize in jazz while also creating a platform for all those new musicians who wish to create a niche for themselves. The gathering has garnered immense international and national focus for hosting Latin, Cajun, African, blues, mainstream, and classic jazz music.

Telluride Jazz Festival

Address: Telluride, Colorado

Website: Telluride Jazz Festival

Takes place: August

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18. Palisade Peach Fest

Greeley's Farmer's Market
Source: Photo by user City of Greeley used under PUBLIC DOMAIN

One of Colorado’s original agricultural festivals, Palisade Peach Fest honors the rich history of the state. An annual event, the gathering is a celebration of peaches through social activities, entertainment, and food. It is celebrated every year in August, and during such time, the small town comes alive when the fuzzy and juicy peaches become the major attraction—drawing swarms of visitors that are keen to attend this wonderful festival. Carnival rides have become new and fun additions with the usual attractions—which include peach-infused delicacies such as ice cream, pie, salsa, preserves, wine, and brandy, among others. Every year, the event includes a contest for peach eating and several exciting cooking demos. The competitions help in facilitating the consumption of the maximum number of peaches while they are still fresh and most tasty.

Palisade Peach Fest

Address: Pallisade, Colorado

Website: Palisade Peach Fest

Takes place: August

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19. A Taste of Colorado

Taste of Colorado
Source: Photo by user Andrew Magill used under CC BY 2.0

This is a free-admission outdoor festival that is held at Civic Center Park in Downtown Denver every year. A Taste of Colorado is celebrated on the weekend of Labor Day. Enjoy performances on a bigger main stage, a VIP experience, and delicious food and beverage. There is a special Kids Zone to keep your young ones enthralled and engaged. A Taste of Colorado attracts more than 500,000 participants over the long three-day weekend. It offers something for all—with more than 175 marketplace vendors and as many as 50 food vendors. The Kids Zone features crafts, arts, and an entertainment stage for children. Enjoy an exhilarating musical experience by watching more than 25 regional and national musical acts on the main stage. The festival is a treat for your taste buds and ears, with its fantastic selection of delicious food and great live music.

A Taste of Colorado

Address: Denver, Colorado

Website: A Taste of Colorado

Takes place: September

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20. The Ride Festival


The Ride Festival started only in 2012 but has garnered immense popularity within a short span of time, especially among music fans. You will love the fabulous rock-and-roll music played at one of the world’s most fantastic venues. The festival carefully chooses the music artists whose talent perfectly complements the stunning setting. Some of the past performers at the event are renowned names like Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, The Wood Brothers, and more.

The Ride Festival

Address: Telluride, Colorado

Website: The Ride Festival

Takes place: July

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21. Apogaea [Last event in 2019]


A regional counterpart of the Burning Man event in Colorado, Apogaea is held every year. This collaborative music and arts festival is usually held in the month of June in southern Colorado. The organizers set up an autonomous zone on a temporary basis, where the participants are encouraged to practice self-reliance and self-expression. The gathering offers a chance to contribute and create, accept and experience, as well as play and work. Festivities such as performance art, art installations, theme camps, and live-music camps are just some of the inclusions at this annual festival, making it a much-awaited happening in the state.

Apogaea

Address: Valdez, Colorado

Website: Apogaea

Takes place: June

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22. Nourished Festival

festivals in colorado | nourished festival
Source: instagram

Nourished Festival is one of the most celebrated events for people who believe in following a specialty diet—particularly an allergen-friendly or gluten-free lifestyle. The festival travels to nine different cities every year, and Denver is one of them. The gathering enables the participants to savor and buy new products, receive coupons, see the brand ambassadors, and take part in educational classes. There are five different zones at the event—Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Plant-Based, Keto, and Paleo. All the zones sell only gluten-free products to celebrate a healthy lifestyle.

Nourished Festival

Address: Denver, Colorado

Website: Nourished Festival

Takes place: May

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23. The Big Eat


Denver’s The Big Eat showcases delicacies offered by restaurants and annually celebrates the fabulous dining scene of the city. You can get a chance to enjoy sips and bites from over 60 of Denver’s finest restaurants at Denver Performing Arts Complex’s The Galleria. There are 15 distinct sections into which entertainment and restaurants are organized. Tickets help the efforts of EatDenver to promote and support the community of independent restaurants and enhance the city’s food scene.

The Big Eat

Address: Denver, Colorado

Website: The Big Eat

Takes place: July

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24. Taste of Durango [Last event in 2019]


Taste of Durango is a leading food festival as well as the finest party to kick off summer in Durango. The event features craft breweries in the locality, unlimited samples of fabulous cuisine offered by the restaurants in the city, and artisan cocktails. The festival also includes a superb music selection and dance so that you can have unlimited fun with your friends. The historic downtown of Durango transforms into a bustling and colorful street fair where you can relish gourmet delicacies, with the city’s eateries bringing in their culinary delights. The fair is open for the entire day, and the food bazaar is complemented by entertainers and music.

Taste of Durango

Address: Durango, Colorado

Website: Taste of Durango

Takes place: May

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25. Colorado Chocolate Festival


Started by Dana Cain Events, Colorado Chocolate Festival in the city of Denver is a celebration of not only chocolates but also the many other tidbits that will woo your heart. The festival features a wide variety of chocolate candies, cakes, chocolate martinis, coffees, toffees, brownies, fudge, truffles, and cookies, among others. The event includes more than 80 booths featuring delicious and sinful chocolates, along with a wide variety of gifts for Mother’s Day—like clothes, jewelry, crafts, and imports. There are also contests for Best Wedding Cake, Best Fudge, Best Cupcake, Best Chocolate Design, Best Toffee, and much more.

Colorado Chocolate Festival

Address: Denver, Colorado

Website: Colorado Chocolate Festival

Takes place: May

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26. Global Dance Festival

Kid Cudi Global Dance Fest 2011 @ Red Rocks 2011 (5982913505)
Source: Photo by user Julio Enriquez used under CC BY 2.0

Since the beginning of 2000, Global Dance Festival has been celebrating the beauty of dance music. It has come up as a premier performing arts festival and was even held at one of the world’s best venues—Red Rocks Amphitheater. The event is the biggest summer music festival celebrated annually in the Rocky Mountains. The new home of the festival is Mile High’s Sports Authority Field, which is just as interesting as its predecessor. Going forward, the gathering is now being celebrated on multiple stages and includes other events like carnival rides, a VIP village, food trucks, and state-of-the-art productions, among others.

Global Dance Festival

Address: Denver, Colorado

Website: Global Dance Festival

Takes place: July

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27. Hanuman Festival


Hanuman Festival is celebrated in Boulder, Colorado, every year and is considered to be one of the finest yoga events in the country. The year 2020 will celebrate the 10th anniversary of this gathering. The festival is held for four days and includes world-class yoga sessions, motivational experiences, and some fantastic music. Hanuman Festival has emerged as a powerful movement for yoga in the state, where yoga practice is revered and celebrated.

Hanuman Festival

Address: Boulder, Colorado

Website: Hanuman Festival

Takes place: June

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28. Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest [Event has passed]

2009_08-FilthyChildren 007
Source: Photo by user Jester Jay Goldman used under CC BY-SA 2.0

Welcome to Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest—an event that introduces the members of the community to renowned, emerging, and fresh artists from the state of Colorado. It is held in Fort Collins, which is regarded as a music city that loves sharing magical live music with the vibrant community. This gathering is free for all and lasts for three days. The venue is the city’s historic downtown, and it is scheduled every year in the month of August. This lively music festival hosts artists from different popular genres and also features a family-friendly music adventure for the kids.

Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest

Address: Fort Collins, Colorado

Website: Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest

Takes place: August

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Enjoy the most happening festivals in Colorado

The state of Colorado is blessed with a diverse and beautiful landscape, including snow-covered peaks of the Rocky Mountains, gorgeous river canyons, and an arid desert. It is also a state that celebrates a string of vibrant festivals throughout the year. We have put together the top festivals in Colorado, USA, here so that you can plan your travel itinerary accordingly.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
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Pala Sen is an avid follower of travel and health updates, current affairs and entertainment news from all across the world and writing is a passion for her. She had been previously associated...Read more

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