In our experience, Colorado summers are all about festivals!

Whether you’re a curious newbie or a seasoned vet, mountain summer festivals are always full of surprises. Read our Summer Festival Survival Guide and you are sure to be fully prepared and ready for the mountain party that awaits you at Keystone this summer!

Planning and Purchasing

The first steps to a successful summer festival experience start even before you enter the grounds. Our most important Local’s Tip is to purchase tickets in advance! This gets you into the festival faster and you’ll even save money that can be put toward delicious food, drink and local festival merchandise. Colorado festivals like Keystone Wine & Jazz and Keystone Bluegrass & Beer also have specialty educational seminars you can attend throughout the day. These specialty seminars fill up fast so an advance purchase is a must if you want to take part.

Snuggle Up Mountain Side

After a long day of dancing, drinking, eating and shopping you’ll want a comfortable place to crash for the night. Keystone Resort offers many different lodging options to suit all guests’ needs. There are condos available mere steps from the festival. Imagine waking up in the morning and being right there, in the heart of the action, ensuring you don’t miss a thing! Want a getaway that is more secluded, where you can decompress Saturday night before another day of festival activity? Keystone offers that too!  We’ve even got a special Local’s Tip for you. Visit Keystone Festivals Lodging and you’ll find all the best deals on hospitality over festival weekends.

Keystone Resort offers exclusive festival ticket pricing and Play for Free amenities through their reservations. SummitCove.com lodging provides customizable festival packages that include fun activities like complimentary bike rentals when you spend your weekend with them. Vacasa also gives premium lodging in prime festival locations. After one day enjoying the event you’ll definitely want to come back for more fun, be sure to take advantage of these deals and make the most out of a weekend at Keystone.

Mountain Musts

It takes a lot of trial and error to discover what items are necessary to bring along and what you can leave at home for a summer festival weekend. That’s why we’ve rounded up all the essentials you’ll need for your ideal mountain festival. A typical festival day in the Rocky Mountains is sunny and warm. We suggest shorts and a t-shirt to stay cool as you walk around the River Run Village. Sunscreen and a fun festival hat is also a must! Nothing is longer lasting than your festival memories and a sunburn to go along with it. If you’re joining us for Mountain Town Music Festival don’t forget a light jacket so you’re nice and warm for those spectacular nighttime fireworks, layers are a must in the high country! Here’s a Local’s Tip for you that will help you travel lighter at our Keystone Festivals. We have plenty of a-la-carte food and drinks along with free water so leave those snacks and water bottles at home; we’ve got you covered! Don’t forget to leave your chairs at home too. We provide plenty of chairs and seating throughout the village to watch bands or drink your favorite brew.

Route it Out

So the day of the festival finally arrives and you visit Day of Sales and Will Call to pick up or purchase your package. Between beverages, food, music, specialty seminars, shopping and more, you might find yourself asking, “Where do I start?” We suggest not waiting until the day of the festival, plan your experience before it even begins! Local’s Tip: the Keystone Festivals website includes all participating booths, a schedule of events and even a map for each festival! Visit the website beforehand, and come festival day, you’ll know exactly which route to take and you’ll never miss out on an exciting seminar like the free class about Berkwood Farms Berkshire Bacon at the Bacon and Bourbon Festival’s Bacon Education Center! Here’s another Local’s Tip for you, Food Ticket Booths at every festival have a list of all the participating restaurants, their menus and their locations. Take a look so you can taste every delicious dish you desire!

Fun and Philanthropy

We’ve got the ultimate Local’s Tip for you. Completely immerse yourself in a Keystone Festival and volunteer! In conjunction with our three main festivals of the summer the KNC partners with local, Summit County beneficiaries. Take your pick of volunteering for Friends of the Dillon Ranger District at the Bacon and Bourbon Festival, the Lake Dillon Theatre Company at the Wine and Jazz Festival, or High Country Conservation at the Bluegrass and Beer Festival. You’ll take part in behind the scenes action, support great organizations, and of course have time to enjoy the festival yourself. Translate your festival passion to the teams that make it all happen all for a good cause!

Enjoy this summer and pick your passion from one or all of our six signature Keystone festivals. Keep in mind these survival guide tips from us and you’ll be guaranteed the perfect festival weekend in the mountains. Just ask the locals!