Events & festivals

There's almost always something on in the valley. A season-by-season look at what to time your stay around — confirm exact dates each year.

Summer

Sat nights · Jun–Aug

High Country Stampede Rodeo

Saturday-night rodeo just west of Fraser all summer — bull riding, barrel racing and a BBQ under the peaks.

Summer · Resort

Concerts & festival weekends

The resort and town host live-music weekends, a beer festival and arts & food events all season at the base village and Hideaway Park.

Early July · Grand County

Blues & music festivals

Grand County's summer music festivals draw national acts to the high country — a great excuse to plan a long weekend.

Fall

September

Oktoberfest

Beer, brats and oompah at the base village as the aspens turn — one of the prettiest weekends of the year.

Late Sep · Valley-wide

Fall colors

Drive Berthoud Pass or the backroads to Grand Lake for golden aspen at their peak — quiet trails and crisp air.

Off-season calm

The quiet shoulder

Between summer and ski season the valley exhales — a peaceful, value-friendly time to have the trails and the hot tub to yourself.

Winter

Nov–Apr · Resort

Ski season & the holidays

Opening weekend, holiday lights and torchlight parades kick off a long season on the slopes. Book early for Christmas and New Year's.

Jan–Mar · Events

Winter festivals

Mid-winter brings on-mountain festivals, demo days and Mardi Gras-style celebrations at the base — plus the best snow of the year.

Spring · Resort

Spring skiing & closing parties

Bluebird spring days, slush laps and pond-skim closing weekends send the season off in style.

Dates vary each year — check the town and resort calendars when you plan your trip.

← All WP Guide pages

The annual calendar

Things that come round every year

Winter Park's event calendar is heavily weighted to summer, when the town fills the base area and Hideaway Park with music most weeks. These are the recurring fixtures worth planning a trip around — dates move by a week or two each year, so confirm against Play Winter Park's event calendar before you book.

Summer music

Blues from the Top — late June. A long-running blues festival, now well past its twentieth year, and the biggest single music weekend of the summer.
Winter Park Jazz Festival — mid-July. Older still, past its fortieth edition, and the one that draws national names.
High-Note Thursdays — free weekly concerts through the summer, roughly mid-June to late August.
Village Gazebo Summer Music Series — free Saturday concerts, roughly late June through the end of August.

Sport and food

Battle of the Grommets — a junior mountain bike race series at the resort, typically running across late summer weekends.
Rocky Mountain Wine Fest — mid-September, at the tail of the summer season.

A note on what we have left off

You will find blog posts referencing a Winter Park rodeo and a weekly farmers market. We could not confirm either as a current, recurring Winter Park event, so we have not listed them. Grand County does have rodeos in other towns — check locally rather than driving on our say-so.

Planning around them

Whether to aim for a festival week

Two honest considerations. A festival weekend is a genuinely good time to be here — the town is busy in a pleasant way and the free concert series in particular are excellent value. But accommodation across the valley tightens on those weekends, restaurants need reservations, and if you came for quiet you will not find it.

If you want the town at its calmest, aim for early June before the series start, or the first half of September after Labor Day when the weather is often at its best and the crowds have gone.

For what else fills a summer week, see summer in Winter Park.

Keep planning

Summer

The warm season, week by week.

Dining

Where to eat before and after.

Getting around

The free bus runs late.