Events in Breckenridge. Breckenridge events include the Spring Festival and Octoberfest. We have five major annual events not including smaller events at the ski resorts like the qualifier for the U.S. Snowboarding...
We have five major annual events not including smaller events at the ski resorts like the qualifier for the U.S. Snowboarding Team.
The first one is usually the second week in January and it called Ullr-Fest. It's a week long celebration where we pay homage to the mythical God of winter, Ullr. The Main Street parade has become legendary. We have a Nordic event, a bonfire, and an ice skating party. We usually have about 10,000-15,000 people show up for the parade wearing their Nordic horns, spiking outfits, and best Norwegian sweaters. It's been going on for over 40 years and is on the wild side of our events.
The second event is the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championship. It's also a week long event. Snow sculpting teams from around the world come here to turn 20 ton blocks of snow into works of art. The blocks are basically 12 x 12 x 12 foot. It's a pretty amazing sight, because you can interact with the artists as they sculpt during the week. The sculptures are revealed on Saturday and usually stay up for 4-5 days after that.
The third event is Spring Masses or Spring Festival that runs from April Fools Day until the close of the ski resort. We have barbeque and the crowning of the town fool, as well as a buffet which is the longstanding spring skiing tradition combining talent and spirit. Skiers tackle, bump, run, and always wear a crazy costume.
In summer the key events is the 4th of July celebration. We have an awesome and colorful parade, and what is unique about our parade is that we have a mountain biking race as the shot gun start to our parade. There are about 600 mountain bikers that come down Main Street to start the parade. The organizer of the event always says its the only time in the history of mountain biking where bikers get cheered by 20,000 people. I was struck by the number of kids on Main Street last year who put their hands out to high-five the bikers. It was really sweet.
The last event of the year is Octoberfest. It lasts two days and is usually held during the third week of September. It's just a huge street party on Main Street. We've got an 80 year old Polka Hall of Fame dancer who's been coming for years. We go through more beer per day than any other Octoberfest in Colorado, so it's a very well put on event. There's a lot of fun and food for kids, as well as costumed girls dancing while the guys play accordions. It's all very authentic and very fun.
