Plenty of bluegrass, beer and a massive local music showcase all coming to Colorado this week

By the Thirst Team

It sure feels like summer out here in Colorado. And not just because of the temperatures. The bluegrass festivals and drinks events are popping off, trails are opening and the sasquatches are coming out of hibernation (do they hibernate?). Check out the best of Colorado events beyond Denver in this week’s Get out of Town roundup.

Colorado’s own Wood Belly is among the headliners for the Palisade Bluegrass Bash

Palisade bluegrass festival

The Palisade Bluegrass Bash is a free celebration of bluegrass music from Colorado and beyond. It takes over four stages at four separate venues from Thursday through Sunday. Stray Grass and Arkansauce headline on Friday before an all-star jam on the Livery Saloon stage. Wood Belly and River Arkansas headline Saturday before another Livery all-star jam.

More bluegrass in Longmont

Arkansauce performs again on Saturday at the Dank Grass IPA & Bluegrass Fest at the Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont. The show is free, and also includes sets from Ghost Town Drifters, Clay Street Unit and Pixie & the Partygrass Boys. There will also be cannabis vendors and dank IPAs on tap.

Bigfoot afoot!

A herd of Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch, will invade downtown Estes Park this weekend. The Bigfoot Days festival begins Friday with the ticketed Bigfood BBQ dinner at 6 p.m., with appearances from Russell Acord and Ronny LeBlanc of the Travel Channel’s “Expedition Bigfoot” and Ranae Holland of the “Finding Bigfoot” documentary series. On Saturday, a free festival takes over Bond Park, with expert talks, film screenings, live music, activities and more.

420 festival in Trinidad

It’s hard to miss the hype around the Mile High 420 Festival in Denver, but Trinidad hosts its own celebration of cannabis culture from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday in Central Park, with cannabis and food vendors, and live music from Local Extract, Selasee and the Fafa Family, Goat Hill Rebels and Paul Robison.

Destination of the week: Fort Collins

FoCoMX returns to Fort Collins this Friday and Saturday. With more than 350 local bands playing on at least 35 stages, it is Colorado’s answer to Austin’s SXSW, minus the huge crowds and corporate hype. This is a homegrown festival with all homegrown talent.

Stay at the Elizabeth Hotel, and catch five shows each day right in the hotel’s Magic Rat bar, including Kayla Marque of Denver supergroup the Grand Alliance, globe-trotting Fort Collins singer-songwriter Elise Wunder. And every other festival venue is within easy walking distance from the hotel.

Save the date for a Manitou beer fest

Tickets are on sale now for the Manitou Springs Heritage Brew Festival on Saturday, Aug. 17, with samples from more than 20 breweries, as well as local live music, yard games and more.

As always, please send us your events and announcements. We’re happy to share them. And enjoy your Colorado craft libations responsibly.