Here’s a good way to pick one or two or all of the Colorado music festivals to see this summer: First choose a genre (hip-hop, bluegrass, indie, rock, punk, country), then choose the setting (mountains, forests, city, plains, amphitheater, bars, clubs) and you can likely find the festival to suit your needs. To help plan your summer, we put together our Colorado music festival guide, which is your list of music events around the state from the Underground Music Showcase to Summer Jam and Telluride Bluegrass.
May 17: Five Points Jazz Festival with Nelson Rangell quartet and Brad Leali Orchestra at Five Points, Denver
May 23-25: MeadowGrass Music Festival with the Duhks, Elephant Revival and the Mother hips at La Foret, Black Forest
May 24: Denver Day of Rock with the Hold Steady, the Wallflowers and Black Joe Lewis at Skyline Park, Denver
June 6: Summer Jam with Kendrick Lamar, Juicy J and Tech N9ne at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
June 13-15: Palisade Bluegrass & Roots with the Infamous Stringdusters, the Wood Brothers and the Sweetback Sisters at Riverbend Park in Palisade
June 13-15: Snowmass Mammoth Fest with Leftover Salmon, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Xavier Rudd in Snowmass
June 19-22: Sonic Bloom with Tipper, Eoto and the Polish Ambassador in South Park, Colorado
June 19-22: Telluride Bluegrass Festival with Brandie Carlile, Leftover Salmon and Steve Winwood at Town Park in Telluride
June 19-28: Jazz Aspen Snowmass with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Steve Winwood and Diana Krall at Benedict Music tent, Aspen
June 21: Westword Music Showcase with Diplo, 2 Chainz and Cherub at the Golden Triangle neighborhood in Denver
June 27-July 5: Greeley Stampede with Three Days Grace, Martina McBride and Big & Rich in Greeley
July 12-13: Ride Festival with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Spoon and the Hold Steady in Telluride
July 18-20: Global Dance Festival with Adventure Club, Destroid and Zedd at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 24-27: UMS with Real Estate, Blonde Redhead and People Under the Stairs in the South Broadway neighborhood, Denver
July 25-27: RockyGrass with Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs and Sam Bush Bluegrass Band at Planet Bluegrass, Lyons
Aug. 1-3: Telluride Jazz Festival with Lettuce, Dragon Smoke and Snarky Puppy in Telluride
Aug. 3: Vans Warped Tour with Breathe Carolina, Cute is What we Aim For and Air Dubai at Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Aug. 8-10: Arise Festival with Beats Antique, Galactic and the Infamous Stringdusters at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland
Aug. 15-17: Bohemian Nights lineup to be announced in Fort Collins
Aug. 15-17: Rocky Mountain Folks Festival with Brandi Carlile, Randy Newman and Ani DiFranco at Planet Bluegrass, Lyons
Aug. 22-28: Colorado State Fair with Clay Walker, Chris Young and Gabriel Iglesias at the fairgrounds, Pueblo
Aug. 29-31: Jazz Aspen Snowmass with Carrie Underwood, OneRepublic and Fun at Benedict Music tent, Aspen
Sept. 12-14: Telluride Blues & Brews with Peter Frampton, Violent Femmes and George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic at Town Park, Telluride
Sept. 19-21: Riot Fest with lineup TBA and location TBA
Top pick: Now in its 13th year, The Denver Postap Underground Music Showcase has grown to become unlike any festival in the state. On July 24-27 it will bring more than 400 bands to nearly every bar, club, boutique, gallery and parking lot on South Broadway. Itap a celebration of the state’s thriving music scene and a festival Coloradans can call their own.
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