Monday, December 14, 2015

Newcomer's Guide to Popular Colorado Concerts and Events

 

Welcome to Colorado. There are many people who loathe new residents to CO because of increased cost of living and traffic. I understand them, however I realize you are here to stay. So enjoy your time here and by the end of this guide you will know which events and concerts are the most sought after each year here in good ol’ ColoRADo. Note- Events are not ranked by preference or any sort of organizational system. Additionally, the author is neither a fan of all of these events, nor NOT not a fan.

Decadence
This two night non-camping(I believe?) festival held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver is every hard-partyer’s dream. From what I can tell the music selection is mostly electronic and dance. The event is always on December 30th and 31st (aka New Year’s Eve.) This event has potential to sell out quick resulting in expensive tickets in secondary markets like Craigslist.

Red Rocks
You have probably heard of Red Rocks and it is one of the reasons you moved here. Fair enough. Make sure to check out the event schedule when Red Rocks releases it so you can snag tickets early. Some examples of shows you want to get the jump on are Colorado’s own Pretty Lights and Atmosphere.

Arise Music and Arts Festival
This is a relatively newer festival that is the first camp onsite festival in Northern Colorado. Located in Loveland, you can expect to see folk and electronic type music played here, along with a variety of hippie activities like yoga and stuff. Being a newer festival, it is still pretty affordable when compared with Bonnaroo, Coachella, and the like.
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
For over forty years this high-altitude festival has brought together people of all ages and locations in a beautiful setting just outside the main downtown area of the mountain town of Telluride. You can get a 4 day pass, or get each day pass a la carte. Don’t hesitate too long after they release the tickets.

Rocky Mountain Showdown
Growing up in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Showdown is pretty much the most popular college football game in a state where college football is not especially huge. Colorado State in Fort Collins takes on Colorado University from Boulder in the stadium where the Denver Broncos play every year. These tickets have a tendency to be sought after.

Country Jam

 In the western part of the state lies Grand Junction, home of the Country Jam country music festival. This multi-day, camp onsite festival has a ton of good country and the tickets are pretty affordable when again, comparing to Lollapalooza-size events. Yee-Haw.