Got a love for festivals of all sorts? Then add Telluride to your list of places to go. The Colorado town is known as the Festival Capital of Colorado, giving travelers reason to visit outside its popular ski season. From music and food to yoga and balloons, there’s a festival for it here. Check out the highlights of this year’s lineup with something every month from now through the fall.
Music
45th Annual Bluegrass Festival, June 21-24: Known for it’s dedicated “festivarian” attendees that make the pilgrimage to Telluride annually, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival commences for the 45th installment in 2018. Headliners include GreenSky Bluegrass, Emmylou Harris, and Tedeschi Trucks Band.
RIDE Festival, July 14-15: Since 2012, the RIDE Festival has secured a reputation among music aficionados for its rocking lineup that compliment Telluride’s majestic setting. This year, headliners include the String Cheese Incident, Grace Potter, Sheryl Crow and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.
25th Annual Blues & Brews, September 14-16: Telluride’s beloved blues festival is a three-day celebration of quality music and craft brews from around the country. With genres ranging from blues, funk, indie, rock, gospel, and soul, Blues & Brews delivers on quality food and craft vendors, all within one of the most scenic and intimate music venues in the country. The 2018 festival will be headlined by Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters.
Film
40th Annual Mountainfilm, May 25-28: Founded in 1979, Telluride Mountainfilm is a documentary film festival that showcases nonfiction stories about issues that matter. One of America’s longest-running film festivals, Mountainfilm brings together world-class athletes, international change makers, and visionary artists for a multi-dimensional celebration which includes interactive talks, free community events, a gallery walk, and outdoor programming and presentations.
44th Annual Telluride Film Festival, September 1-4: Each Labor Day weekend, The Telluride Film Festival draws actors, film buffs, directors, historians, and more to view more than 50 programs screened across ten venues. Lively discussions and workshops with the film’s creators take place between screenings. Notable debuts include LA LA Land, Juno, and Slumdog Millionaire, with eight of the last nine Oscar winners for Best Picture having premiered in Telluride.
Food & Wine
37th Annual Telluride Wine Festival, June 28-July 1: Each year, the Telluride Wine Festival welcomes wineries and wine connoisseurs from around the world. This year will continue the tradition of gathering the “Best in the Business” for a schedule which includes events like the Toast of Telluride, Winemaker Dinners, and The Highest Grand Tasting in North America.
37th Annual Mushroom Festival, August 16-19: One of Telluride’s more eclectic celebrations, the annual Mushroom Festival is the largest wild mushroom festival in North America, attracting mushroom experts, enthusiasts and scientists from around the country. This year’s itinerary includes foraging excursions, a parade, live music, and the annual Mushroom Cook-Off.
Fun
35th Annual Telluride Balloon Festival, June 1-3: Telluride’s annual hot air balloon festival is a site to see, with over a dozen hot air balloons launching at sunrise from the east end of town and sailing down the valley. On the last night of the festival, the balloon pilots inflate their balloons along Main Street and fire up the propane for the “Glow,” a beautiful final display of the balloons.
Telluride Yoga Festival, July 19-22: Telluride’s annual yoga festival is attended by yogis from around the world. This year’s lineup features a robust list of presenters, with over 100 offerings including yoga, meditation, music, hiking, dining, SUP yoga, social gatherings and more, with classes, talks, and workshops led by prominent figures in the yoga community.
The 2018 Telluride Art + Architecture Weekend, July 21-22: An unexpected design experience, Telluride’s Art + Architecture Weekend draws talented artists, chefs, architects, and designers for self-guided tours of art exhibits, performances, and food and wine tastings. This year’s tours will include sneak peeks inside new and historic Telluride homes and one creative venue daily, with designated rooms featuring the works of local artists.
Telluride Festival of Cars & Colors, September 27-30: The 4th annual Cars & Colors Festival celebrates world-class vintage automobiles set against the stunning September foliage of the San Juan Mountains. Exhibits include a showcase of antique vehicles staged on the golf course in Mountain Village, a motorcycle exhibit, vintage snowmobiles, and eye-catching cars showcased right along Main Street.
Telluride Horror Show, October 12-14: Colorado’s first and longest running horror film festival returns for its 9th installment, showcasing an eclectic mix of horror, suspense, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi and dark comedy in Telluride’s historic New Sheridan Opera House. The line-up includes over 20 feature films, more than 50 short films, surprise screenings of highly-anticipated films at the “Secret Sunday Shows”, with many of the films showing for the first time in the US.
For more information, visit: visittelluride.com
