Telluride Bluegrass Festival Guide
Telluride is home to many events, but the one iconic party not to miss is the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Now in it’s 46th year, the festival is more popular than ever. With nearly 10,000 people per DAY in attendance, it’s important to know every pro tip to tackle the festival successfully! No rookie mistakes if you keep these Telluride Bluegrass Festival travel guide tips in mind.
Sleep
Camping
As close to the action as your can get, Town Park is for the up-all-nighters, the banjo strummers and the wanna-have-a-good-timers. Town Park campsite is just steps away from the festival grounds and the place to be if you want to be in the action all-weekend-long. Tickets for Town Park campground are coveted and by far the most difficult to acquire. Every year there is a lottery for tickets to this campsite.
Campers at Town Park have access to potable water, coin-operated showers, permanent bathroom structures & port-a-potties.
Warner Field is adjacent to Town Park but doesn’t have the shade that is offered at the Town Park Campsite so bring a screened shade tent or pop-up canopy tent. The campsite is in the outfield of a baseball field. Perks about this site: slightly removed from Town Park, walking distance to town, seconds away from the festival grounds. Campers have access to potable water, coin-operated showers, permanent bathroom structures & port-a-potties available in nearby Town Park campground.
Lawson Hill is where we have camped the past two years of Telluride Bluegrass Festival. This campsite is 4 miles away from the festival grounds but offers many conveniences. Just down the hill from a gas station to refuel with snacks, ice for your campsite cooler, or a breakfast burrito and a cuppa in the morning.
Uphill on the other side of the campsite is Telluride Brewing Company, Steaming Bean coffee shop, and Cindybread Artisan Bakery & Deli — a perfect spot for morning grub.
I love Lawson Hill because there are showers for $5, access to the brewery and other shops. The campsite is set along the San Miguel River by chance you want to dip your toes in or completely submerge yourself. There are often kids playing in the river and collecting rocks. Bring your bike and ride along the bike path to the festival grounds or hop on the bus that runs every 10-15 minutes.
Same location, same amenities as tent camping, but reserved for RV’s only. To camp here, you must have a 4-day Telluride Bluegrass Festival Pass.
Mary E. Illium Tent Camping & Vehicles
For an authentic “camping” experience, Mary E. Illium will offer the most off-the-grid setting. The campgrounds are 9 miles away from downtown Telluride and the festival grounds, but offer a serene and relaxing environment. There is a nearby river and access to potable water and port-a-potties.
Pack These Campground Essentials
To have a well-equipped campsite, you need the essentials. Tents to sleep in and shade to protect you from the high alpine UV rays. A cooler for keeping your food fresh, and of course, trash bags to clean up your messes and be a good campsite neighbor. Here are the basics, to see a full packing list, scroll to the end and save my Telluride Bluegrass Festival Ultimate Packing List!
Any type of rental during the festival should be booked AS SOON AS Telluride Bluegrass Festival Dates are released. Prices skyrocket and any affordable option is booked within hours of date announcements.
There are two main areas to stay:
In directional speak, this would be considered Telluride “proper.” Downtown Telluride is a quaint and charming Victorian mining town. This area is walkable to all shops, restaurants, and festival grounds.
Just a “stone’s” throw from Telluride proper, mountain village is set up on Telluride Mountain and a good lodging option if you want to be more removed from the action. Keep in mind, it can be a pain to plan an entire festival day’s worth of snacks, clothing, etc. Mountain Village is not hard to get to, but it can be tiresome to go back-and-forth to the festival. Don’t worry though, the gondola runs until 2 am so you won’t miss out on the evening bluegrass festivities!
The Festival
Food
Inside the festival grounds there are food options for every palate. Whether you’re in the mood for pizza, BBQ, a hefty hamburger, Asian flare, or looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, the food vendors at Telluride Bluegrass Festival have got you covered.
Drinks
Good news, water is FREE. Telluride Bluegrass Festival is sustainability focused so remember to bring a reusable water bottle and stay hydrated!
Beer, wine and mixed drinks are available for the 21+. Avery Brewing Company (a personal favorite) is the exclusive beer vendor of Telluride Bluegrass Festival. On tap are a few options ranging from hoppy to sessionable.
Buy a reusable memorabilia metal cup and save money on your drink refills. The metal cup can get really cold on your fingertips so I like to bring coozies to save the coldness of my brewskie, but also protect my fingers from getting too chilly!
Craft Vendors
If you’re looking for a trendy wide-brimmed hat, a new silver gemstone ring, scenic photos of Colorado or a new festival skirt you can find all that and more at the vendor tents to the right of the main stage. Don’t forget to stop by the merch tent and grab a classic Telluride Bluegrass Festival tee. Pay close attention to the day-by-day festival event schedule – sometimes artists do merch signings!
Charging Stations & ATMs
At the festival grounds cell service, is well, mediocre. Nonetheless, in order to capture those Kodak moments you’ll want your phone or camera. If you don’t have a portable battery pack on-hand, there are solar-powered charging stations. You can drop your phone off and come back when it’s all juiced up!
Keep in mind beer and food vendors are CASH ONLY. Come prepared each day with cash on-hand to avoid hefty ATM lines in the festival and avoid those bothersome ATM fees.
The Tarp Run
Any festivarian veteran will know the tarp run is an iconic daily event at Telluride Bluegrass. Starting in the wee hours of the morning, you can find hundreds of festival-goers lined up at the gates of the grounds. Tarps, blankets, and chair in-hand, it’s a hectic free-for-all to claim YOUR festival spot for that day. As soon as the gates open, people sprint to secure their territory.
Now, is it worth it? Eh. Personally, we have never participated in the tarp run and have always found kind souls that let us post up on their unused tarps or blankets. When the evening falls, most bluegrassers are up on their feet jammin’ out to the tunes of Sam Bush, Leftover Salmon or Greensky Bluegrass.
Moral of the story, the tarp run is a fun event to experience, but you’ll be just fine if you don’t claim your spot at the crack of dawn.
Restrooms
If you sign yourself up for a festival, you better be comfortable with port-a-potties. At the festival grounds there are dozens and lines are rarely more than a minute or two. I like to bring my biodegradable Stall Mates Wipes and Coconut & Lemon Natural Hand-Sanitizer Spray.
Pack These Festival Grounds Essentials
Get Around
The Gondola
Telluride Gondola is not only a means to hit the peaks during ski season. The gondola is considered a public form of transportation and has a mid-way stop between Telluride and Mountain Village, an area where many festivarians opt to stay during the festival. In the peak summer months of June through September, the Telluride gondola operates between 6:30 am – 2 am. Night owls rejoice, you have a ride home!
Bus
For the festivarians that choose to camp at Mary E. Ilium or Lawson Hill, the bus between the campsites and the festival in town are a saving grace. The buses run approximately every 15-20 minutes and are a grand ole time! Last year, a musician hopped on our bus and busted out the guitar, singing tunes and riling up the crowd. Even if you’re not camping outside of town proper, hop on the bus for a free show and a good time!
Bike
Whether you’re biking around town (which can be hard with crowds) or on the bike path that hugs the San Miguel River, a scenic bike ride through Telluride is never a bad idea. Campers at Lawson hill bring bikes and ride into town, but heads up the elevation can be tough if you’re not used to the high altitude! Biking at Telluride Bluegrass Festival is a perfect way to get around and also work off all those Avery Brewery beers.
What to Do Outside the Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Go to a NightGrass Show then hit Grilled Cheese A La Cart
NightGrass is a coveted post-festival series of events all over town. Bluegrass bands and artists that played on the main stage head to small venues around town for an intimate show. Tickets to NightGrass are through a lottery system. We have had luck though waiting outside of a show and purchasing tickets off people selling extras!
After the NightGrass show is over, indulge in a classic grilled cheese from The Grilled Cheese A La Cart. Diki, the grilled cheese lady serves up the best grilled cheese, ever! Find her in front of Elks Park & open until late!
Hike the Iconic Bridal Veil Falls
Although the town of Telluride ends in a box canyon, that doesn’t mean the adventure does! Bridal Veil Falls Hike is approximately a 4-mile round-trip hike and a great way to see Telluride from above (that’s not on the gondola). The ascent takes approximately 1-hour and at the top you are rewarded with epic views of Colorado’s tallest free-falling waterfalls. For more details on the hike, head to telluride.com to catch the full scoop.
This would be a great hike on the last day of the festival, in-between acts you want to see, or on the first day if you arrive early! Earn those beers!
Grab a Beer at Telluride Brewing Company
Once upon a time when I wrote about beer, I reviewed Telluride Brewing Company’s Fishwater Double IPA. In my post, I mentioned my dream was to visit Telluride Brewing Company in-person and well, dreams do come true! Located just above the Lawson Hill RV & tent campsites, Telluride Brewing Company is a staple of local beer production and a bucket list item for your visit.
Last year, TBC even came out with can art to promote Greensky Bluegrass, a main-stage headliner! Great beer, good times, and supportive of the community, what’s not to love about Telluride Brewing Company?
Walk Around Downtown Telluride
From t-shirt shops, to art galleries, unique gift boutiques and more – Telluride town has quirks and exclusive trinkets you want find elsewhere. In the summertime snap a photo with one of dozens of flower planters brightening up town.
Telluride Bluegrass Festival is the ultimate Colorado bucket list item. Use the checklist below to make your festival the best yet! And of course, if you have any questions at all, I’m here to help!
Telluride Bluegrass Festival Checklist
