Are skiing and snowboarding not your thing? There are plenty of things to do in the mountains during the winter including lots and lots of festivals. If skiing and snowboarding are your thing, though, check out my "Beginners Guide to Colorado's Resorts" and find which mountain is best for you!
From November to March, there are events for every type of mountain goer in every town around the state. You'll see everything from Nordic-themed ice celebrations to Christmas markets and even one festival that parades decorated caskets down the street. Here is a guide to the 2021-2022 winter festival season around Colorado by date and then alphabetical order:  WinterWonderGrass 2019 in Steamboat Springs. 2021:Creede Chocolate Festival - November 26th & 27th - Creede Enjoy chocolates from all the local vendors, and you may enjoy a bite with Mr. and Mrs. Claus Read more here! Snowsation - November 26th & 27th - Copper Mountain Jam out to Leftover Salmon and DJ Benjue before seeing fireworks and a snowcat parade! See more here! Vail Snow Days - December 2nd - 5th - Vail See Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats and Dierks Bentley perform at the base of the mountain during this four-day kickoff festival. Get tickets here! Candlelight Nights - December 3rd & 11th - Golden Enjoy caroling by candlelight on December 3rd and a holiday parade on December 11th. Shop any time and see local artists' stands in every store. See more here! Olde Fashion Christmas - December 3rd & 4th - Palisade Compete in a gingerbread making competition and shop local vendors in Colorado's Wine Country the first weekend of December. Sign up to compete here! Telluride Fire Festival - December 3rd - 5th - Telluride Watch performances of dancers, stilt walkers, and fire dancers throughout the weekend at Telluride's Fire Festival before it all burns down during the final "Resurrection". Checkout the schedule here! WinterFest - December 4th - Evergreen Kickoff the Christmas season right with hot chocolate from the bar and local choir performances. Read more here! Lighting of Breckenridge and The Racing of Santas - December 4th - Breckenridge It's more than just adult Santas racing down Main Street! There's also a "children's moose march" and a puppy parade! See the details here! Berthoud Snowfest - December 6th - 11th - Berthoud Judge snow carvings from local amateurs and see Berthoud's main street parade in this year's Snowfest. Read more here! Powabunga Music Festival - December 9th - 12th - Vail Boogey down with Rufus Du Sol and other DJs at Vail's annual Powabunga throwdown. Purchase your tickets for the shows and afterparties here!
Wassailfest - December 9th - 11th - Eagle "In Old English, the word meant 'be you healthy'; it came to be known as hot mulled cider, traditionally drunk during wassailing, a medieval ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year." Learn more here! A Grand Holiday - December 10th - Glenwood Springs See Santa and his real-life reindeer while sipping hot cocoa in downtown Glenwood Springs. Learn about all of Glenwood Springs events here! Dew Tour - December 16th - 19th - Copper Mountain See some of the world's best skiers and snowboarders compete in halfpipe and freestyle competitions during this four-day event. See more from Mountain Dew here! 2022:Wintersköl - January 13th - 16th - Aspen Celebrate the snow and see the newly crowned Winterskol Royalty at the bonfire on main street followed by a fireworks show. Plan a trip to Aspen here! Full Moon Bonfire and Ski Tour - January 15th - Grand Mesa More details coming soon for this fun Nordic event. Stay up to date on details here! Ouray Ice Festival- January 20th - 23rd - Durango Ever wondered how mountaineers climb up a huge sheet of ice? Look no further than Ouray's Ice Festival. It's the largest Ice Climbing event in Colorado! Discover more here! Pagosa Springs Winterfest - January 21st - 23rd - Pagosa Springs See hot air balloons take off in the morning then "Sled Races, Cross Country Ski Clinic, Fat Bike Race, BB Gun Biathlon, [and] the ever popular Penguin Plunge" in the afternoon! See more from Pagosa Springs here!
International Snow Sculpture Championships - January 24th - February 2nd - Breckenridge Watch 12 teams from around the world compete in to build the most beautiful gigantic snow sculptures without powertools. Learn more about the competition and viewing times here! Snowdown Durango - January 26th - 30th - Durango Join the 43rd annual celebration down in The Four Corners region. This year's theme is Magical and Mystical. See more information here! UllrGrass - January 28th - 30th - Golden Jam out to local bands during this three-day festival whose namesake is the Nordic god of Winter. Checkout the schedule of events here! Rio Frio Ice Fest - January 28th - 30th - Alamosa When the Rio Grande River freezes over, some knuckleheads run a marathon down it or ride their fat-tire bikes on a course of frozen ice. Register for yourself here! Steamboat Winter Carnival - February 9th - 13th - Steamboat Springs This event has been listed as one of the Top Ten Winter Carnivals in the world by National Geographic. Not only will horses be pulling people on skis around town, there will also be the Lighted Man wearing a pyrotechnic suit and shooting fireworks off his body! See more for yourself here!
Leadville Ski Jorning and Crystal Carnival - March 5th - 6th - Leadville Watch people on skis be pulled by horse through an exhilarating course down Main Street of Leadville. Discover more here! Frozen Dead Guy Days - March 18th - 20th - Nederland The festival has the most interesting backstory about a cryogenically frozen guy, and he is a celebrated hero. Teams race decorated coffins down the street to help bring in the spring and say goodbye to winter. Read more of the story of Bredo Morstoel here! This is by no means a complete list of Colorado festivals. If there are any festivals we missed, please let us know in the comments! Read some of our other Colorado Guides:
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Talkin' 'bout Tacos
I'm Taylor, aka Tacos! I am sharing my journeys and experiences from across the world hoping to inspire travel and adventure in all who read! Archives
January 2023
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