“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Wolf
Recently. we’ve listed the Most Unique Summer Festivals, Summer Music Festivals, Free Summer Concerts and Where to Watch Outdoor Movies. Now it’s time to list the Food, Wine & Beer Festivals taking place this Summer 2016 in Colorado!
Food, Wine & Beer Festivals Summer 2016 Colorado
Festivals listed in chronological order
DENVER’S BIERGARTEN FESTIVAL
When: Friday, July 8th through Sunday, July 10th, 2016
Where: 17832 CO-8, Morrison, CO 80465
Cost: $5 Adults Daily Pass, $3 Children (12–5), Free for Children 5 and Under
Denver’s Biergarten Festival is family-friendly cultural event that offers traditional German food, entertainment, live music, dance groups and of course, beer. The event is open to the public and provides an atmosphere of German summer family time together, reminiscent of the times families spent in the Biergartens throughout Germany. The event will offer several games and activities for the children.
MILE HIGH WINE FEST
When: Saturday, July 9th, 2016
Where: The Shops at Northfield Stapleton, 8340 Northfield Blvd, Denver, CO 80238
Cost: $30 online, $40 at the event
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/MileHighWineFest or at any King Soopers location
Enjoy Colorado wine in the Mile High city! The Mile High Wine Fest will feature Colorado produced wines, live music and vendors. Over 20 wineries and vendors, four food vendors and three local music acts will participate.
TEQUILA & TACOS
When: Saturday, July 9th, 2016
Where: Hideaway Park, 78786 US-40, Winter Park, CO 80482
Cost: General Admission $20, VIP $35, Music Tickets $7
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/TequilaTacos
Tequila & Tacos, presented by Winter Park & Fraser Chamber of Commerce, will feature a morning bike ride, Tequila & Tacos tastings, a festival, live music, dinners and happy hour!
COLORADO’S BREWERS RENDEZVOUS
When: Saturday, July 9th, 2016
Where: Riverside Park, E Sackett Ave & N E St, Salida, CO 81201
Cost: General Admission $40, VIP $120, Designated Driver $120
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/SalidaColoradoBrewers
The 20th Annual Colorado Brewers Rendezvous takes place at Riverside Park in historic downtown Salida, Colorado, in partnership between the Salida Chamber of Commerce & Two Parts. Salida, surrounded by soaring mountains and hugged by the Arkansas River will feature live music throughout the event with great food vendors offering up tasty concoctions to pair with your favorite beers! The event features over 80 Colorado Breweries with over 300 samplings of beer offered. Sorry, no dogs allowed in park.
KYLE’S BREW FEST
When: Thursday, July 14th, 2016
Where: Great Divide Brewing Co., 1812 35th St, Denver, CO 80216
Cost: $30
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/KylesBrewFestRiNo
Kyle’s Brew Fest is a special pre-Red Rocks crafted beer festival with a performance by the Kyle Hollingsworth Band at Great Divide Brewing Co. RiNo location. This Brew Fest benefits Conscious Alliance and will feature beer tasting from over 30 breweries and over 60 craft beers!
THE DENVER DELUXE
When: Saturday, July 16th, 2016
Where: Park Burger RiNo, 2615 Walnut St, Denver, CO 80205
Cost: Festival Pass $20, Deluxe Pass $30, Entry Only Music Pass: $15
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/TheDenverDeluxe
Park Burger presents The Denver Deluxe, a summertime festival featuring live music, craft beer, and gourmet burgers. Park Burger will shut down an entire block across Walnut St., where attendees can enjoy a beer garden, burger stations and bands from the main stage!
CASTLE ROCK WINEFEST
When: Saturday, July 16th, 2016
Where: The Grange in the Meadows, 3692 Meadows Blvd, Castle Rock, CO 80109
Cost: Grand Tasting Ticket $29, VIP $99, Designated Driver $17
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/CastleRockWineFest
The Castle Rock WineFest, presented by the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, is an outdoor tasting event that will offer more than 24 wineries and over 180 varieties of Colorado wine. This event draws wine aficionados for its tastings, cooking demonstrations, fabulous food trucks, and an amazing local band to dance into the night.
KEYSTONE WINE & JAZZ FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, July 16th & Sunday, July 17th, 2016
Where: River Run Village, 120 Ida Belle Dr, Keystone, CO 80435
Cost: One Day Package $60, Weekend Package $100
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/KeystoneWineJazz
Keystone’s Wine & Jazz Festival, presented by Keystone Festivals and produced by the Keystone Neighbourhood Company, will take place at River Run Village will feature hundreds of wines, wine seminars and deluxe jazz ensembles! Learn about different regions and the delicate nuance of flavors that evolve the finest vineyard blends, enrich your knowledge by attending the professional wine seminars and discover which wines and foods harmonize with your favorite selections and enjoy live music from national Jazz musicians.
BUFFALO BARBECUE WEEKEND
When: Saturday, July 16th & Sunday, July 17th, 2016
Where: Town Park, Grand Lake, CO 80447
Cost: Free
Join Grand Lake in its 69th Annual Buffalo Barbecue Weekend! This summer’s can’t miss event will host a weekend stuffed full of fun and excitement. See the biggest parade of the summer with an all-bets-are-off water zone, the 33rd annual Buffalo Stampede 5K, Live entertainment, community events, and of course, many delicious varieties of barbecued buffalo.
SUMMER BREW FEST
When: Friday, July 22nd & Sunday, July 23rd, 2016
Where: Mile High Station, 2027 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80204
Cost: General Admission $35, VIP $45
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/SummerBrewFest2016
Denver Brew Fest’s Summer Brew Fest edition is an indoor/outdoor event which hosts 100+ brews, food vendors, live music and more! This event benefits Swallow Hill Music Association.
ARVADA ON TAP: A CRAFT BEER & BBQ FEST
When: Saturday, July 23rd, 2016
Where: Ralston Park Addition, 11200 Ralston Rd, Arvada, CO 80004
Cost: Adults $5, Children 12 and under free
Arvada on Tap – A Craft Beer & BBQ Fest, presented by City of Arvada and produced by Arvada Festivals Commission, features a variety of ales, lagers, pilsners and other unique offerings from local and regional craft breweries as well as Kansas City Barbecue food.
SAN LUIS VALLEY BEAT THE HEAT: BBQ, BREWS & CHILI
When: Friday, July 29th & Saturday, July 30th, 2016
Where: Cole Park, 505 First St, Alamosa, CO 81101
Cost: Free Admission, Steak Cook-Off Competitor $100.
Register for the competition at: bit.ly/BeatTheHeatCookOff
The San Luis Valley Beat the Heat: BBQ, Brews & Chili festival is presented by the sanctioned Kansas City Barbecue Society and Rocky Mountain BBQ Association. Like any good BBQ competition, cookers will compete for prizes in chicken, pork, ribs, and brisket, steak, and the People’s Choice categories. The public is encouraged to come on down to Cole Park & sample some of the best BBQ from around the US.
COLORADO BURGER SUMMIT
When: Saturday, July 30th, 2016
Where: Copper Mountain Resort, 0509 Copper road, Copper Mountain, CO 80443
Cost: Free
The Annual Colorado Burger Summit, presented by All American Food Fights, features 20 of Colorado’s greatest chefs competing hopes of winning the title of Colorado’s Best Burger. That title wins them a spot on the nationally televised World Food Championships in Orange Beach, AL.
DENVER BURGER BATTLE
When: Thursday, August 4th, 2016
Where: City Park, 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205
Cost: General Admission $69.99, VIP $124.99
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/DenverBurgerBattle
The Denver Burger Battle is a Burger Cook-Off event where you get to taste the top 15 burgers in Denver and vote for a winner! Net proceeds go to event non-profit, Kossler Foundation, and will be distributed to charities in Denver helping hunger, economic development, & child welfare. The Denver Burger Battle will also feature beer and spirits with special guest judges Ben Higgins & Lauren Bushnell (“The Bachelor”), Tommy Lee (Uncle, Hop Alley) & Dana Rodriguez (Work & Class).
DENVER BEER OLYMPICS
When: Saturday, August 6th, 2016
Where: Civic Center Park, 101 W 14th Ave, Denver, CO 80204
Cost: $75 per person or $300 for the team. Register at: www.denverbeerolympics.org/registration
The Denver Beer Olympics is a non-profit organization that raises money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The main event will host fun, but fierce beer-drinking events to test the skill and drinking ability of any who are willing to take the challenge. The teams are co-ed and participation is mandatory. Points are awarded to your team based upon how well you do in each event. There will be a bit of strategy in picking your events, some events require all four team members to participate, others are just two. There will be a prize for the first, second, and third place teams.
SESH FEST
When: Saturday, August 6th, 2016
Where: Highland Masonic Events Center, 3550 Federal Blvd, Denver, CO 80211
Cost: $30
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/SeshFest2016
The 3rd Annual Sesh Fest, presented by Two Parts, features dozens of breweries paying homage to session-style beers at the Highlands Masonic Events Center. With a new location comes plenty of food, lawn games, and music to complement Colorado craft beer! Sesh Fest invites breweries to pour beers of the lighter, more sessionable variety, which means they are all under 5% ABV — all of them designed with your day drinking pleasure in mind.
VINO & NOTES
When: Saturday, August 6th, 2016
Where: 151 Panther Way, Woodland Park, CO 80863
Cost: $35
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/VinoAndNotes
Vino & Notes in Woodland Park, Colorado, brings together some of Colorado’s finest wineries, with great jazz and food to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Teller County. Over 20 Colorado wineries will showcase their wine along with numerous vendors and musical performances.
OLATHE SWEET CORN FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, August 6th, 2016
Where: Olathe Community Park, 1300 Park Place Olathe, CO 81425
Cost: Family Pack 2 Adults + 4 Children $30, Adults $10, Children (2-11) $5, Children 2 and under Free
The Olathe Sweet Corn Festival includes all the sweet corn you can eat as well as Beer and Wine Garden, featuring beer and wine made from local ingredients, live entertainment, non-profit booths, corn and corn dog eating contests for adults and kids and food, art and craft vendors.
WINTER PARK BEER FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, August 6th, 2016
Where: Hideaway Park, 78786 US-40, Winter Park, CO 80482
Cost: General Admission $15, Unlimited Tasting $30, VIP $70, VIP Designated Driver $30
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/WinterParkBeerFestival
The Winter Park Beer Festival features unlimited craft beer tastings by over 40 breweries and over 100 types of beers, local food & retail vendors, live music from Colorado bands and more!
KEYSTONE BLUEGRASS & BEER FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, August 6th & Sunday, August 7th, 2016
Where: River Run Village, 120 Ida Belle Dr, Keystone, CO 80435
Cost: One Day Beer Glass Pass $40, Weekend Beer Glass Pass $75
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/KeystoneBluegrassBeer
Keystone’s Bluegrass & Beer Festival will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year! Join Keystone Festivals for their 20th Annual Bluegrass & Beer Festival which will feature over 40 breweries pouring their craft beers along with 16 of the best bluegrass bands playing on three stages.
STEAMBOAT WINE FESTIVAL
When: Wednesday, August 10th through Sunday, August 14th, 2016
Where: 2250 Apres Ski Way, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Cost: $65–$160
Tickets are sold per event. View event prices and purchase tickets at: bit.ly/SteamboatWineFestival
The 13th Annual Steamboat Wine Festival offers a variety of experiences on the mountain, in restaurants, classrooms, and around town, which can increase your knowledge, and enjoyment of food and wine as well as the experiences Steamboat Springs has to offer, with nearly 600 wines, spirits, beer & some of the region’s finest restaurants showcasing their talents.
HOPS IN THE HANGAR
When: Saturday, August 13th, 2016
Where: Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E Academy Blvd, Denver, CO 80230
Cost: General Admission $45 online / $55 at the door, VIP $95
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/HopsHangar
Celebrate the end of summer with the Hops in the Hangar event at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum! Event highlights include: 40 breweries, BBQ, live Music and classic cars.
ESTES PARK WINE FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, August 13th & Sunday, August 14th, 2016
Where: Bond Park, MacGregor Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517
Cost: $30 online, $40 at door
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/EstesParkWineFestival or at any King Soopers location
Enjoy Colorado wine in the mountains of Colorado, the Estes Park Wine Festival will feature Colorado produced wines, music, vendors, and more!
LOVELAND OLD FASHIONED CORN ROAST FESTIVAL
When: Friday, August 19th & Saturday, August 20th, 2016
Where: Downtown Loveland, W 4th St & Railroad Ave, Loveland, CO 80537
Cost: Free
The Loveland Old Fashioned Corn Roast Festival will include a parade, corn shucking contest, delicious boiled and roasted corn and live entertainment for all ages. “May the Corn Be With You” is this year’s theme that will be tied throughout event festivities including the Corn Roast Festival parade. The Old Fashioned Corn Roast Festival offers family fun, adventure, entertainment and interactive activities.
PALISADE PEACH FESTIVAL
When: Friday, August 19th & Saturday August 20th, 2016
Where: Palisade, CO 81526
Cost: Free
The Palisade Peach Festival, presented by the Palisade Chamber of Commerce, is one of the original agricultural festivals in Colorado honoring rich bounty and history. It’s Peach Mania! Plenty of great food, entertainment, contests, activities for kids, and opportunities to explore Palisade via outdoor recreation.
LAFAYETTE PEACH FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, August 20th, 2016
Where: Old Town Lafayette, Public Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026
Cost: Free
The Lafayette Peach Festival, presented by Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, centers around world-famous all natural Palisade, Colorado peaches. Enjoy peach pies, peach cobbler and peach smoothies. Food vendors, crafters, antique dealers along with some of the finest artists from the Front Range and Western States will be showcased. Children’s activities, live entertainment and music throughout the day.
BOULDER CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, August 20th, 2016
Where: West Central Park, 1000 Canyon Blvd, Boulder, CO 80302
Cost: General Admission $35 online/$45 day of event, VIP $50 online/$60 day of event, Designated Driver $10
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/BoulderCraftBeerFestival
The 3rd Annual Boulder Craft Beer Festival, produced by Downtown Boulder, brings together the best craft breweries from Boulder County and beyond for a tasting festival, offering attendees samples of Boulder’s best beer. The festival includes music, lawn games and food for purchase.
POLISH FOOD FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, August 20th & Sunday, August 21st, 2016
Where: 517 E 46th Ave, Denver, CO 80218
Cost: Free
The Polish Food Festival in Denver is an annual celebration of Polish culture, food and ethnicity.
COLORADO CIDER & BEER CIRCUS
When: Friday, August 26th & Sunday, August 27th, 2016
Where: Copper Mountain Resort, 209 Ten Mile Cir, Frisco, CO 80443
Cost: Big Top Cheese Pairing $25, Colorado Cider & Beer Circus $35 and Up, Circus Sunset 5K $25.
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/CiderCircus2016
The Colorado Cider & Beer Circus brings a unique element to a cider and beer tasting with amazing entertainers including jugglers, aerial arts and more. Family Entertainment can be found at the ‘Cider Circus’. They’ll have cider-making demonstrations, kids crafts and great food provided by Copper Mountain’s incredible selection of restaurants. This festival will also include the Big Top Cheese Pairing event and a Circus Sunset 5K event.
TASTE OF COLORADO
When: Friday, September 2nd through Monday, September 5th, 2016
Where: Civic Center Park, 101 W 14th Ave, Denver, CO 80204
Cost: Free
A Taste of Colorado, taking place at Civic Center Park over Labor Day Weekend, will feature more than 50 of Colorado’s favorite restaurants and food establishments that will gather at the Festival, featuring small portions to full meals. Discover ethnic specialties or indulge in your traditional favorites. An elegant Fine Dining Area is showcased, highlighting gourmet cuisine from renowned chefs and offering daily cooking demonstrations.
Live music will be available on six different stages, arts, crafts, carnival rides, games, play equipment, a great variety of free, hands-on craft activities, plus plenty of music, magic, clowns and puppets on the KidzStage.
DENVER FOOD + WINE FESTIVAL
When: Tuesday, September 6th through Sunday, September 11th, 2016
Where: Metropolitan State University of Denver, 890 Auraria Pkwy #410, Denver, CO 80204
Cost: From $55 (varies depends on event)
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/DenverFoodandWineFestival
The Denver Food + Wine Festival is a six-day extravaganza of food, wine and spirits events. Festival events feature the best in Colorado’s restaurants paired with the finest wine and spirits, dinners, tastings and culminating with the festival’s signature event, The Grand Tasting.
LAFAYETTE BREW FEST
When: Saturday, September 10th, 2016
Where: Lafayette Florist Parking Lot, 600 S Public Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026
Cost: Free admission, price per pour
The Lafayette Brew Fest will feature 25+ participating breweries and cideries are from all within 75 miles of Lafayette. They bring great beer, cider and meads for you to taste.
BRECKENRIDGE WINE CLASSIC
When: Thursday, September 15th through Sunday, September 18th, 2016
Where: Breckenridge, Colorado 80424
Cost: Varies per event.
Purchase tickets and view complete schedule at: bit.ly/BreckenridgeWineClassic
The Breckenridge Wine Classic features more than 100 food artisans, wineries, breweries, distilleries, epicurean purveyors, and locally made products in a festival that is an ultimate food and wine experience.
TELLURIDE BLUES & BREWS FESTIVAL
When: Friday, September 16th through Sunday, September 18th, 2016
Where: Telluride Town Park, Wasatch Trail, Telluride, CO 81435
Cost: Day Pass $70–$75, 4 Day Camping $50, 3 Day Pass $199, Juke Joint Pass $25
Purchase tickets at: bit.ly/TellurideBluesBrews2016
The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival is a three-day celebration of live music and microbrews held at Telluride Town Park. The festival offers an eclectic mix of live blues, funk, jam band, rock, gospel and soul performances, and some of the best microbreweries in the country, with a wide variety of food and craft vendors, children’s activities, late night shows, and much more.
COPPER MOUNTAIN CHUBBY CHILI PEPPER AND WHISKEY FEST
When: Saturday, September 17th, 2016
Where: Copper Mountain Resort, 0509 Copper road, Copper Mountain, CO 80443
Cost: $1 per ticket, vendors ticket amounts per sample vary
The Copper Mountain Chubby Chili Pepper and Whiskey Fest is a festival that allows you to sample a variety of chili concoctions with whiskey pairings that will get your taste buds fired up! Take a scenic ride while the Aspens are aglow and finish your day at Copper Mountain with free live music.