While the Northern Colorado area is teeming with activity all year long, things tend to pick up in the summer. There are lots of annual festivals on the schedule that celebrate community features we’re proud of — including local cuisine, musicians, craft beer, and more!
Attending one of these summer festivals is one of the best ways to fully immerse yourself in the exciting things happening in the community this summer.
Taste of Fort Collins
June 10–12, 2016 | Fort Collins, CO
Sample Fort Collins’ flavor at the Taste of Fort Collins, an annual festival celebrating all things local. Enjoy food from a variety of food vendors and food trucks, sip on brews from Odell Brewing Co. and New Belgium Brewing, or sample wines from Wilbur’s Wine Pavilion.
Photos courtesy of Taste of Fort Collins
To top off the weekend experience, listen to live musical performances at the Pedersen Toyota Stage at Civic Center Park and the Pedersen Scion Stage at Washington Park.
Buy your 1-day, 3-day, or VIP tickets in advance, keeping in mind that gate admission changes from $5 to $10 each day of the festival at 3 p.m.
Greeley Blues Jam
June 10 & 11, 2016 | Greeley, CO
The Greeley Blues Jam is a two-day festival flooding the streets of Greeley with foot-stomping blues music. Enjoy the family-friendly atmosphere filled with food and drink vendors, lots of free parking, and of course — some of the best blues music around!
Photos courtesy of Greeley Blues Jam
Take part in the pre-festival activities in the historic downtown Greeley on Friday, June 10. Listen to Jason Ricci & Bad Kind on the 9th Street Plaza at 5 p.m., then head to over 14 bars and restaurants to hear blues musicians perform live — with no cover charge!
Return to Greeley — Island Grove Regional Park, more specifically — for another day of blues on Saturday, June 11. The Colorado Blues Society is sponsoring the “Blues 101 Stage” to teach kids of all ages about blues music and its role in shaping modern music. The party in the park lasts from 10:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., providing 12 hours of continuous music! Get your tickets in advance to ensure admission to this fun festival.
Greeley Stampede
June 23–July 4, 2016 | Greeley, CO
After you’ve recovered from an action-packed weekend at the Greeley Blues Jam, return to Island Grove Regional Park for the 95th annual Greeley Stampede! This 12-day festival has quite the lineup of events scheduled, including concerts, rodeos, a demolition derby, a bull fight, a bull ride, and more. The festival concludes on July 4 with an Independence Day celebration starting with a parade in the morning and fireworks at night!
Make sure you don’t miss out on this exciting celebration of our nation’s independence and the preservation of our western heritage by buying your tickets in advance!
Photo courtesy of Greeley Stampede
Colorado Brewers’ Festival
June 25 & 26, 2016 | Fort Collins, CO
Head to downtown Fort Collins for the award-winning Colorado Brewers’ Festival, featuring 90+ Colorado beers, 40+ Colorado breweries, and an interactive Beer School with tastings and demonstrations. You can enter the festival grounds for free and listen to some of NoCo’s finest musicians, and enjoy food from local vendors and food trucks.
However, to get the full festival experience, you’ll need to purchase a tasting package to sample beer, which comes with a 16-ounce beer glass and 10 Taster Tickets redeemable for food and beer. Buy your tickets for $25 in person in advance, $30 online, or $35 the day of the festival.
Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest
August 12–14, 2016 | Fort Collins, CO
Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest is a free, three-day music festival held in downtown Fort Collins each August. You can hear live performances from Colorado musicians in addition to three renowned headliners throughout the festival. This is the perfect activity for all ages and preferences, as there will be a wide variety of music genres and even a Kids’ Music Adventure. Stay tuned for the 2016 lineup and show up for a jam-packed weekend in August (no tickets required)!
Photo courtesy of Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest
Thunder in the Rockies
September 2–5, 2016 | Loveland, CO
Thunder in the Rockies is a four-day bike rally taking place at Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson over Labor Day weekend in Loveland. Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts and bikers from all over the country gather at this exciting rally to experience live music from local and national bands, participate in competitions, and visit with over 100 vendors. And perhaps most importantly of all, this is a unique opportunity to get together and celebrate their shared interest in a picturesque setting!
Tour de Fat
September 3, 2016 | Fort Collins, CO
What would a Northern Colorado summer festival roundup be without mention of New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat. The festivities will be exciting at each of the nine cities the Tour de Fat is gracing. However, Fort Collins is perhaps the most happening location, since the brewery is in fact located here and the festival began in Fort Collins.
This is a traveling celebration of all things bicycle, with the intention of honoring humankind’s greatest invention. The Tour de Fat aims to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, through fun activities such as a 1,000-person dance contest to win a bike, a Slow Ride competition, and the Car-for-Bike swapper series in which people hand over their car keys and commit to commute by bike.
Register for free in advance (with or without a donation), and show up at Civic Center Park for bikes, beer, and bemusement.
Happy Summer!
Let us know which of these festivals you plan on attending in Northern Colorado, or any we may have missed on our list!
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