It’s summertime in Colorado, and that means live music is everywhere.
But 2025 has been a strange year for music festivals. Early on, it seemed like Colorado might be suffering from some festival fatigue as the increasing number of single-night shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and other venues vied for people’s money and attention.
But then came the announcement of several new festivals, including the Sky Festival Aug. 8-9 at Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen and the Fancy Spider Music Festival in Trinidad in October, along with the Indiewood Street Festival, which took place in Englewood in June, and Unhinged, a heavy metal festival that had been scheduled for July in Denver — before being canceled.
And finally, The Underground Music Showcase announced that this year’s run, July 25-27, will be its last, as the 25-year-old Denver mainstay is closing down.
So if you are looking to try something new this year, here are two dramatically different weekend experiences worth checking out: one in Boulder showcases the vibrant musical traditions of Brazil, the other is a uniquely Colorado tradition with a whimsical mix of activities and nearly non-stop local band performances in downtown Carbondale. (And both feature drumming. Intriguing, right?)
Mountain Fair
As a lifelong suburbanite, the thought of heading to the high country to party with locals at the Carbondale Mountain Fair is enchanting. How have I never attended this eclectic gathering that sprouted like a wildflower back in 1971 and blooms again every last weekend of July? The fair was created by the people for the small town once populated by a mix of coal miners, ranchers, ski bums and hippies, and all are welcome — which has been the vibe from the start.
The small town near Aspen has grown exponentially since the 1970s, but retains a spirit of harmony through Mountain Fair with what its artfully designed website describes as a “music, art, pie-bakin’, wood-splittin’, fly-castin’, belly-dancin’, fun-lovin’ festival.” This year, 25 acts with names like “The Nude Party,” “Diggin Dirt” and “La Luz” are scheduled to entertain fair-goers. There’s also a limbo competition, a relay pottery challenge, horseshoe-throwing competitions, plus local food vendors who all abide by a zero-waste policy.
Most impressively, Mountain Fair is put on by roughly 500 volunteers each year, part and parcel of the original vision of collaboration and inclusivity. A few years back, community radio station KDNK interviewed Carbondale’s legendary Laurie Loeb, aka “Mother of the Fair,” about the special alchemy that has persisted despite countless worldly waves of discord.
“The essence of the fair has not changed,” Loeb told the station. “There’s that magnetic quality of the mountain and the confluence of the rivers and the lifestyle here that everybody is here for, and that is what we celebrate. We also celebrate the coming together and the working together to create what this incredible community is.”
Mountain Fair’s beloved opening drum circle began on impulse 30 years ago when a flaming ball of electricity traveled the power lines surrounding Sopris Park, knocking out power to the town. Loeb, a percussionist, ran home and returned with armloads of drums, starting an impromptu drum circle that now kicks off the event each year, setting the tone for crowd participation and a break from division. What more could you want?
Colorado Mountain Fair is July 25-27 in Sopris Park and downtown Carbondale. For the schedule of events and hours, go to carbondalearts.com/mountain-fair.
Freelance writer Kristen Kidd is the marketing and development director at Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison.
Brazil Fest
Fifty-seven years ago, Sérgio Mendes and his band Brasil ‘66 introduced Colorado music lovers to the rhythm of samba and bossa nova in two high-energy performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The genre’s popularity has only amplified since those 1968 concerts.
Colorado is now home to a small but thriving ex-pat community of Brazilians, according to organizer Márcio De Sousa. Boulder is the scene of a growing reunion every summer since 2013 to celebrate the music and introduce more people to Brazilian arts.
The pulsing sounds of Rio and Salvador will fill the streets of Boulder Aug. 7-10 as the annual Colorado Brazil Fest returns, one of the largest such festivals in the United States. Boulder Samba School hosts the four-day festa of live musical performances by local and international artists, dance and drum classes, martial arts demonstrations, and a selection of Brazilian food and drink.
Festivities kick off the evening of Aug. 7 at Roots Music Project with a set from the Gabriel Santiago Project. The Brazil-born Santiago is deft with the seven-string guitar. He posts performances and lessons on his YouTube channel. Gisele Duquè, the group’s singer, offers newcomers an exciting introduction to Brazilian music.
On Aug. 8, Brazil Fest moves to the Pearl Street Mall, where a lineup of artists led by master dancer and Bahia native Dandha da Hora will perform. Boulder Samba School’s drum ensemble, Bateria Alegria, will perform alongside dancers from Escola de Samba Denver and Samba Colorado, and a martial arts show from the United Capoeira Association of Colorado.
Capoeira (pronounced ”kap-oo-WAY-da”) is a playful mix of combat, music, and dance with roots in the traditions of the African people who were enslaved for three centuries in Brazil — the same communities that created samba with drumming and singing in the late 19th century.
Da Hora will entertain again that night, with the Dexter Paine Quintet in a Choro and Forró Dance Night hosted at Junkyard Social Club.
The Boulder Bandshell will be the focal point of the festival on Saturday with a ticketed concert lineup that includes Bateria Alegria and the samba school dancers, the Michele Castro Band, and Colorado Brazil Fest mainstay Ginga. Be on the lookout for Brazilian barbecue and bean stews, sodas made with guaraná, and Caipirinha rum and lime cocktails.
The festival wraps up on Sunday, Aug. 10, with a series of workshops at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder.
Colorado Brazil Fest is Aug. 7-10 in locations around Boulder. For tickets and the full schedule, go to coloradobrazilfest.org. Junkyard Social Club is at 2525 Frontier Ave.; the Dairy Arts Center is at 2590 Walnut Street.
Freelance writer Ryan Tubbs is a music aficionado and former alt-music DJ at KCSU-FM in Fort Collins.