Head out across the state for peachy events celebrating wine, adventures, tacos, jazz, flamingos and Colorado fruit

By the Thirst Team

Welcome to our roundup of the best events across Colorado this month. Check out our August performing arts preview here, and read on for other happenings all over the state. For more, check out our events calendar.

THIS WEEK

Breckenridge International Festival of Arts Thursday to Sunday

Summit County presents a wide range of global artists for 10 days of multidisciplinary events. Each day has a theme and a wide variety of events, shows and interactive experiences. Click here to read our story from last year and learn more about the festival.

Palisade Peach Festival Friday and Saturday

The town of Palisade also will celebrate its most famous export at its annual peach festival in Riverbend Park. The event includes peach drinks, food trucks, vendors, live music, a peach cuisine showdown, peach eating contest, paddleboarding for peaches and more.

Tickets start at $10, with additional options available for farm tours and feast in the field dinners.

Overland Expo Friday to Sunday

The Overland Expo Mountain West returns to Loveland. It’s billed as the world’s largest trade show, education fair and community event for overlanding motorcyclists, RVers, campers and more.

Camping is available at the event, which takes over The Ranch complex Friday through Sunday.

Nederland Jazz & Wine Saturday

The fifth annual Nederland Jazz & Wine Festival is likely to sell out, just as it did in each other incarnation. It's a day of music and libations in a beautiful mountain town. The event delivers six hours of diverse live jazz and unlimited samples from wineries, distilleries, breweries and non-alcoholic drink makers, plus food trucks and food and crafts vendors.

Proceeds support Teens Inc. outdoor leadership programs in the Nederland area.

Boulder Taco Fest Saturday

In addition to the namesake tacos from acclaimed local restaurants, Boulder Taco Fest on Saturday includes live music, authentic lucha libre wrestling, tequila and family activities.

Sixteen restaurants will showcase tacos and compete for prizes. The event opens with a 5K run to build up a titanic taco appetite. GA and VIP tickets are available, starting at $38, and kids wristbands are free with a paying adult.

Denver Zoo flock party Saturday

Tickets are still available for the sixth Flock Party at the Denver Zoo. The adult event pairs animal experiences and live music with craft cocktails and bites from some of the Denver area’s best restaurants and bars.

Belgian Brew Fest in Denver Saturday

Bruz Beers in northwest Denver will host 10 Colorado breweries and three coveted out-of-state breweries, all pouring Belgian-style brews. The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m., but festivities continue after-hours at Bruz. The event also includes food trucks and live music.

Evergreen Fine Arts Festival Saturday and Sunday

The lake town of Evergreen is not just a great mountain escape close to Denver. It also inspires great art, and attracts other wonderful Colorado artists from around the state for its festival.

This juried fine art show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Buchanan Fields. The event is free, and also includes varied kids’ activities, live music and more.

Americana festival at Museum of Outdoor Art Sunday

Beloved folk duo Shovels & Rope will headline the Echoes of Americana music festival at Marjorie Park. The venue is connected with the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Greenwood Village. The lineup also includes Langhorne Slim, The Band Loula, Gasoline Lollipops and High Lonesome.

PLAN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Denver Food and Wine Festival Aug. 26 to 29

The Colorado Restaurant Foundation hosts four days of food, wines and spirits, educational tasting seminars and more. The main event is the grand tasting on Saturday at the Auraria campus, including appearances by local chefs who starred in the “Top Chef” TV series. The other fan favorite is the Shake + Brake Showdown at Auraria on Thursday night, with some of Denver’s best food trucks and bartenders competing for prizes.

Fairplay concert series closes Aug. 28

Fairplay hosts a free summer concert series on Fifth Street. Blues-rockers Chris Daniels and the Kings close out the series on Aug. 28.

Hogfest in Breckenridge Aug. 28 to 30

The indulgent annual celebration of bacon and bourbon comes to Main Street Station and The Village at Breckenridge. Events include a Friday bourbon pairing dinner, a grand tasting festival and guided bourbon tastings on Saturday, and Sunday Brunch. For guests who want every major moment in one elevated experience, All-Access is the ultimate way in.

Pints in the Park in Louisville Aug. 29

Louisville’s Community Park hosts the Pints in the Park festival. The event includes more than 150 craft tastings from Colorado breweries, wineries and distilleries, as well as live entertainment, silent disco, artisan vendors and food.

Affordable Arts Festival in Littleton Aug. 30

Artists across the nation eagerly sign up to sell their work at a deep discount at the Affordable Arts Festival, a renowned and unique event at Arapahoe Community College.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but be warned that the most coveted work sells out early, and patrons line up before doors open. Tickets cost $12.

To learn about the festival and get to know the organizer and some of the artists, read our story here.

Beaver Creek Oktoberfest Sept 4 to 6

The annual fall celebration of Bavarian food and beer also promises Colorado’s largest drone show on Friday and both German music and classic rock cover bands through the weekend. There also will be a kids’ zone, pretzel toss, hammering and fashion contests.

Keystone Oktoberfest Sept. 5

The Bavarian-inspired celebration returns to the beautiful mountain town, with German beer, brats and music. Stein-hoisting contests, chicken dances and polka lessons are scheduled. And Kinderfest will keep the kids hopping all day.

Break the Silence Festival in Fort Morgan Sept.5

The Break The Silence Festival is an all-day music and suicide prevention awareness festival with guest speakers and community engagement around prevention of suicide.

There also is a memory wall full of loved ones who have lost their life to suicide, a live auction and local vendors from across Colorado.

Sheepdog championships in Meeker Sept. 9 to 13

The Meeker Classic sheepherding competition draws national and international competitors.

Dogs are sent 600 yards to fetch sheep and bring them into a controlled area while working them quietly and safely through a set of obstacles. Handlers guide the dogs with a series of commands, demonstrating practical working skills for a farm or ranch.

The festival also includes a culinary and cultural lamb festival, art show, craft fair, dog agility contests, demonstrations and more.

Tomato Festival in Fort Lupton Sept. 11 and 12

Fort Lupton celebrates harvest season with a tomato festival and Trapper Days. The event opens Friday with a street dance and live music. Saturday events include a pancake breakfast, parade, live lucha libre wrestling and music, car show and petting zoo.

Frisco fall festival and art show Sept.11 and 12

Local and regional artists will showcase and sell a wide variety of work at the Arts at Altitude show and sale in Frisco on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday also brings the Frisco Fall Fest, with live music from Denver’s Thirsty 5 oompah band, food trucks, art projects, kids activities, food trucks and German beer.

Potato Festival in Monte Vista Sept. 12

The San Luis Valley Potato Festival celebrates the Colorado spud harvest, with the 5K Tater Trot, craft and food vendors, guided agriculture tours, chef demonstrations, the mashed potato dunk tank and, of course, potatoes.

OktoberWest in Steamboat Sept. 11 and 12

The Yampa Valley welcomes fall with the OktoberWest each year. In addition to the beer, there is an annual beef cook-off, lawn game competitions and a vendor market. Friday brings a downtown beer stroll, which raises money for the Young Professionals Network.

On Saturday, the beer garden opens at 2 p.m. (or 1 p.m. for VIPs). Games packages also are available for $250 for four teammates for all four games.

Highland Festival in Estes Park Sept. 11 to 13

The 50th annual Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival (aka Scotfest) is the largest celebration of Scottish and Irish communities in North America.

The event includes live music on five stages, plus the international “tattoo,” a ceremonial performance of military music with more than 200 musicians from around the world.

Another highlight is the highland sports competition, drawing professional athletes for caber tossing, hammer throwing and other events. The canine herding, agility, disc-catching and freestyle contests also are popular, as are the guided whiskey tastings.

Non-alcoholic drinks festival in Denver Sept. 12

The Dry Hop Fest returns to the Phoenix in downtown Denver from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. More than 30 NA libations vendors will pour samples. There also will be food and a N/A product raffle.

The Phoenix is a sober community center with workout facilities and regular events.

Chili and beer festival in Superior Sept. 12

The 25th Superior Chili & Beer Fest comes to Superior Community Park from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. Chili samples, family activities and live music from Erica Brown (one of Denver’s best voices and performers) and Mono Verde Collective are all free. Tickets are available for beer fest access, including unlimited samples from a variety of Colorado beer, cider, wine and spirits vendors.

Colorado Wine Walk in Denver Sept. 13

Blanchard Family Wines hosts another Colorado Wine Walk next Saturday at Denver’s Dairy Block.

GA tickets include unlimited samples of a wide variety of Colorado wines, a commemorative wine glass, wine tote, opportunities for wine purchases, and conversations with winemakers. The event also includes an optional ticketed seminar about wine glasses at 5, 6 or 7 p.m.

Colorado Wine Week in Palisade Sept. 14 to 20

Grand Valley wineries and restaurants will host events all week to celebrate the Colorado wine industry, culminating in the Colorado Mountain Winefest on Saturday, Sept. 19.

There will be tastings, dinners, seminars and other community activities from Monday through Sunday. The Saturday festival was reimagined and will be more upscale and intimate this year. Learn more from our festival preview.

As always, please send us your events and announcements. We’re happy to share them. If they don’t fit in this events roundup, we will add them to our events calendar.