Summit County, Colorado, is home to a wide array of activities and events year-round!

Annual Summit County events have a significant impact on the community and bring together people from all over the country to celebrate and enjoy the mountains together. Not only are these events fun, but many of them benefit nonprofits and local causes that matter. 

Each town in Summit County brings fantastic events to our community. Breckenridge features unique festivals, concerts, and events. Frisco offers up some favorite local events, while Keystone hosts amazing well-known festivals and fun concerts as well. Additionally, Silverthorne, Dillon, and Copper Mountain are up and coming event hubs. 

Here’s our list of our top 10 Annual Summit County Events not to miss! Whether you are visiting here on a part-time basis, or a full-fledged Summit County local, these events and festivals are sure to amaze and entertain!

Top 10 Annual Summit County Events:

1. Ullr Fest
2. Frisco BBQ Challenge
3. Keystone Bluegrass and Beer
4. Great Rubber Duck Race
5. International Snow Sculptures
6. Wine in the Pines
7. Keystone Bacon and Bourbon
8. Dillon Beer Fest
9. Silverthorne’s Pumpkinfest
10. Dew Tour 

Here’s some more information on each event or festival: 

1 Ullr Fest in Breckenridge

If you haven’t heard of Ullr Fest, it’s time you learned all about it! 2021 will mark 57 years of Ullr Fest in Breckenridge, a festival that honors the Norse God of Snow, Ullr. During this festival, we celebrate snow and ask for more snow for the winter. There is a bonfire, parade, crowning of the Ullr King and Queen, and Breckenridge Distillery’s annual breaking of the Shotski® “unofficial” World Record. Check it out every year in December or January! 

2 Frisco BBQ Challenge

One of our favorite (and everyone else’s) events each summer is the Frisco BBQ Challenge. Not only does this event bring some of the best BBQ in the country to Frisco’s main street, but it is also an annual event you cannot miss! There are concerts, a Bacon Burner 6k, a fire fighter cook-off, pig rides for the kiddos, and much more! The BBQ Challenge celebrates 27 years this year and annually occurs in June on Father’s Day.

3 Keystone Bluegrass and Beer Festival

This festival combines everything about Colorado in August that we love in Keystone, Colorado. Bluegrass and Beer Festival is a two-day annual Summit County event, celebrating it’s 24th Anniversary this year. This weekend event brings together fun bluegrass music with upcoming bands and well-known favorites, with craft beer from some of the best breweries throughout the country. There’s beer tasting, sunshine, and dancing, what else could you want? 

4 Summit Foundation’s Great Rubber Duck Race in Breckenridge 

Shoulder seasons, aka spring and fall, are not always the most popular event times, but the Summit Foundation’s Great Rubber Duck Race in Breckenridge happens every September, usually along with Labor Day Weekend. In the past, proceeds from the Great Rubber Duck Race raised over $130,000 for our grant and scholarship programs. This event is a weekend-long and now is joined by the Breckenridge Annual Sidewalk Sale, the Great Divide Art Festival, and the Breckenridge Yoga Festival.

5 International Snow Sculptures in Breckenridge

January brings the International Snow Sculptures to Breckenridge and 2021 marks their 31st Anniversary as well! The snow sculpture championships consist of 16 teams from all over the world coming together to hand-carve snow sculptures. The original blocks of snow are 20-tons, and they are transformed over 5 days into amazing works of art. This is a fun event to attend at night as well because they add beautiful lights to the sculptures! 

6 Keystone Resort’s Wine in the Pines 

Another annual Summit County event with a long history of 37 years is Wine in the Pines each October in Keystone, Colorado. This event includes a Winemaker’s Dinner at the Keystone Ranch, delicious international food tasting, a silent auction, and a night to remember. Like so many of the events we love, the proceeds go to a good cause of Ability Connection Colorado.

7 Keystone Bacon and Bourbon Festival in River Run

For the past 10 years, Summit County locals and visitors have had the joy of eating bacon and drinking Bourbon surrounded by the mountains of Keystone in June. Bacon and Bourbon features amazing Colorado restaurants showcasing their skills by creating unique and delicious bacon focused meals. There is also fun music to rock out to, Camp Bacon for the kiddos to learn all they can about bacon, and most importantly tons of different kinds of Bourbon to taste.

8 Dillon Beer Fest

For the 10th year in a row, Dillon celebrates it’s Beer Fest right at the base of Lake Dillon. This event has incredible views of the 10 Mile Range and a portion of all proceeds goes to Colorado Brewers Guild, a nonprofit that supports all the breweries in Colorado we know and love so much. World-class beer in the summer on the lake? Yes, please!

9 Silverthorne’s Pumpkinfest

Another autumn-themed annual event (can you smell the pumpkin spice already?) is the Town of Silverthorne’s Pumpkinfest. This event is a kid-friendly fall extravaganza. There are bounce houses, crafts, face painting, the most prominent pumpkin patch you’ve ever seen in the mountains, and even lattes from Red Buffalo Cafe. 

10 Dew Tour in Copper 

Last but not least is the Dew Tour! For the first time ever in 2020, Dew Tour was held at Copper Mountain. This annual event used to take place in Breckenridge but we will see what happens in the future! Regardless of location, Dew Tour features 4 whole days of snowboard competitions, concerts, giveaways, and chances to meet amazing athletes. This one is a winter event not to be missed!

Summit County Events & Festivals

Our community throws some fantastic festivals and events! Here at Keystone Festivals, we are thankful to partake and attend Annual Summit County events right in our backyard. If you have any other activities or events that occur in Summit and should be added to the list, let us know!