SIX OVERLOOKED ART FESTIVALS YOU NEED TO ATTEND
The six best Colorado art festivals you’re not going to
Unknown, overlooked or off-the-radar, some Colorado art festivals don’t get all of the love they deserve — or enough visits from folks across the state. Events like the Trinidaddio Blues Fest, the Harvest Fest in Paonia, Boulder’s Colorado Music Festival are all world-class in their own unique way, even though they tend to draw mostly locals.
But everyone is invited, and the annual events offer an opportunity to enjoy top-quality art, music, dance and revelry while getting to know some out-of-the-way cities and towns.
Here’s a list of our favorite festivals you are likely missing out on.
Fest with the best name Folk art with a buzz
Trinidad, Aug. 24
The Trinidaddio Blues Fest wraps so many good things together: art, architecture, history, music and serious hospitality from people in Trinidad who come together in big numbers for this yearly concert. The fest is completely integrated into Trinidad’s preserved downtown, where streets are blocked off and stages set up.
The 2019 lineup has seven notable acts, led by the Sugaray Rayford Band, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats and Jimmy Thackery. There’s also a Friday night preparty, making the fest an actionpacked weekend in Southern Colorado, where affordable hotels and campgrounds are plentiful.
Chainsaws and Chuckwagons defines art and eating on its own terms. Essentially, it’s a competition between chainsaw artists who each get a seriously big tree trunkandfourdaystoworkit into something magical. This year’s contestants are all masters of the medium and include Nate Hall from Lincoln, Neb., FernandoDulnuanJr.fromNorman, Okla., and Boulder’s own Justine Park. (Apparently, there aren’t a lot of chainsaw artists in New York.)
The carving is accompanied by music, a beer garden and a bounty of food trucks. Thursday night there’s a fun and frantic “quick carve” face off, though the finished products are best viewed on the final Saturday afternoon when the judging takes place. It’s free and right downtown on Main Street. More info: frederickco.gov.
Just a bounce from The Springs
Green Mountain Falls, July 1 -13.
It’s hard to believe the Green Box Arts Festival manages to fly under the radar, considering how interesting the lineup can be and how close it is to Colorado Springs — just a half hour west on scenic Highway 24. Green Box has an unusual — and sort of wacky — mix of offerings: big art installations, dance, concerts and odd things like classes in pie-making, yoga and silversmithing. It’s all spread out over two weeks in July.
The art is always on the spectacular side, and this year’s star attraction will be a large-scale piece from artist Janet Echelman, which will be suspended over Gazebo Lake. There are dance performances from Vail Dance Festival favorite, KEIGWIN + COMPANY, and various clinics. Most of it is free. But it’s wise to check out the schedule and sign up for things in advance to guarantee a spot. Info: greenboxarts.org.
The cleverest fest in Colorado
The Breckenridge International Festival of Arts is, quite simply, the most ambitious visual arts festival in Colorado and, year after year, it puts on one of the best multimedia extravaganzas of summer. There are jawdropping installations downtown, interactive performance art for kids, and super mellow pop-up concerts along the wilderness trails on the hamlet’s outskirts. The event is truly international, with 2019 bringing in Rotterdam-based Sicilian artist Giuseppe Licari, the American art collective known as The Canary Project, and Danish artist and designer Thomas Dambo. There also will be performances from DJ Spooky and DeVotchKa, and the ultra-unique Tree-O, a string trio that performs while suspended high off the ground in the trees. More info: breckcreate.org/bifa.
Close classical
Boulder, through Aug. 3
Plenty of classical fests set up shop in our state’s hilly landscapes each summer, but the Colorado Music Festival stands out for a few good reasons: It’s close, a little more casual than the others, and it’s got renowned conductor Peter Oundjian as its music director. The guy is talented — and connected — enough to lure 96 top-tier musicians from around the country to perform as part of the fest’s month-long program.
This year, the CMF presents a random lineup of events on various evenings through Aug. 3. Particularly notable: an appearance by fab pianist Gabriela Montero (July 18-19); solos from cellist Kian Soltani,(July 25-26); and “Magnificent Mozart MiniFestival,” (July 28). Most events take place at the 1898 Chautauqua Auditorium. Info: https://
The most organic celebration of food and art
Paonia, Sept. 26-29
Harvest festivals have been going on for as long as there have been farms, and they’ve followed the same path over millennia: the crops come in, the work is done and the party starts. The Mountain Harvest Festival, held each year in Paonia, offers a rural Colorado version of the tradition in the state’s most fertile region. It’s a celebration of fruits, veggies and flowers, but also painting, crafts and music — lots of music.
The organizers haven’t yet announced the lineup, but last year’s schedule featured more than 25 acts appearing over three days, plus unusual attractions, like Jaecey Adams, a performance artist and “hula-hoopologist.” With the Mountain Harvest Festival, you don’t just get food and fun, you also get an intimate moment with Paonia, an organic farming hotspot and maybe the cutest small town in all of Colorado. Info: mountainharvestfestival.org