Summer Festivals

Crested Butte Music Festival: June 30 - August 11
Bluegrass in Paradise: July 6 - 7

The 2013 festival will showcase outstanding performers from all over the world and internationally acclaimed.

The jam-packed schedule of events includes three mini-festivals within a festival: Bluegrass In Paradise, Opera In Paradise and Gypsy Jazz in Paradise. Opera offerings continue to expand as do educational opportunities for rising young professionals in the opera world and youth interested in bluegrass, brass and opera.  For more information and tickets, call (970) 349-0619.

CBMF will host the fourth annual Bluegrass In Paradise, a seven-day festival celebrating one of the most popular musical genres in the American West. This year’s event kicks off with a Bluegrass Kids Camp and culminates with concerts by 10 well-known bluegrass and “newgrass” bands.

For more information visit www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com.  

Crested Butte Wildflower Festival: July 8 - 14
This weeklong botanical celebration honors Crested Butte’s designation as the Wildflower Capital of Colorado.

Walking and hiking tours through mountain meadows, national forests and the narrow alleys of Crested Butte’s old historic district bring you face-to-face with the magnificent native flora that prompted this declaration. The annual festival offers workshops, tours, lectures and slide shows. 

Classes include learning to identify, photograph, paint, draw, cook, plant and heal with wildflowers. For more information, contact the Wildflower Festival office at (970) 349-2571.

For more information, visit www.crestedbuttewildflowerfestival.com.

40th Annual Crested Butte Arts Festival: August 2 - 4

The festival is a summer time favorite of visitors and locals alike, and draws an impressive crowd of more than 12,000 people over the three days. What began as an informal gathering of local crafters has evolved into Crested Butte’s signature cultural event, featuring 175 of the nation’s finest visual artists.  The festival is a true celebration of the visual, performing and culinary arts and all aspects are well represented at this eclectic street festival.

Top chefs from Colorado and beyond participate in free culinary demonstrations and tastings during festival hours, and serve up succulent signature dishes at ticketed events in the evenings. A dozen or so exhibiting artists find time to lead demos inside the Artist Demonstration Tent, and children have ample opportunity to roll up their sleeves and create their own masterpieces inside the children’s Art Alley. Nationally touring musical acts and entertainers perform all weekend inside the Oskar Blues Beer & Cupcake Wine Pavilion. There is a wonderful Art Auction featuring original artwork donated by the exhibiting artists – with proceeds benefiting the CBAF’s ARTREACH programs throughout the valley.  And, this being Crested Butte, mountain biking events are even incorporated into the weekend line up through a series of guided rides and skills stations aptly named the Art of the Ride. 

For more information, visit www.crestedbutteartfestival.com. 

Fall Festival: September 7
Get into the spirit of autumn with Mt. Crested Butte's annual Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-Off at the base of Crested Butte Mountain Resort.  Heat up by sampling great chili prepared by area cook-off contestants, cool off with beers poured by several microbreweries and savor live music all afternoon.  For admission costs and times, contact the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber at (800) 814-8893.

For more information visit www.cbchamber.com.

Vinotok: September 15 - 21
Vinotok, a storytelling festival with ancient roots, is a long-standing annual event in Crested Butte.  A celebration that takes place on the autumnal equinox, which is the Pagan rite of Thanksgiving, is also known as “Harvest Home” or Mabon.  It’s a celebration for the abundance of harvest, a time meant for us to give thanks through song, dance and feasts.  It’s a time when Crested Buttians say goodbye to the old and bring in the new through storytelling.  In ancient times, fall celebrated a time of harvest and thanks, as members of the community would join together through feasting and storytelling.  For more information call (970) 641-4742.