ColorFest 2024 is upon us and, with a hopeful weather pattern, we should have two days of hot air balloons, a delicious and entertaining Passport to Pagosa Wine and Food Festival, a rockin’ Bands and Brews event, and a picturesque Color Run to round out the weekend.
One of the most important additions to the weekend is there will be free shuttle service from the Reservoir Hill parking lot and Mary Fisher Park to the Town Park athletic field both Friday night for the Passport and Saturday for the Brew Festival.
Passport to Pagosa Wine and Food Festival
ColorFest weekend will kick off with the Passport to Pagosa Wine and Food Festival tonight, Friday evening, September 20.
Numerous restaurants, food truck vendors and caterers will be serving up delicious tastes of food to be paired with some fabulous domestic and imported wines. There will be some tasty red wines from Italy, Spain and Argentina, as well as cool rosés and a selection of sparkling wines and refreshing whites. These restaurants really go out of their way to serve up the best of their fare as they also vie for awards throughout the night.
Attendees receive a collectible wine glass, more tickets for food and wine this year than in the past, guaranteed seating, a VIP gift and stellar entertainment.
This year homegrown talent and singing sensation Maxwell Miller will perform for our evening of fun. The event will take place from 6 to 9pm.
Bands and Brews Festival
On Saturday afternoon, Sept. 21, the Bands and Brews Festival will take place in the athletic field from 4pm to 8pm. Two great musical groups, numerous breweries, cideries and distilleries will be on hand to rock the park.
CW Ayon will return after a hiatus of several years. His beautiful voice and uplifting music will get the show started at 4pm. Closing out the day will be Sol Over Luna from Denver. This high-energy band will be entertaining and will engage all those who want to dance.
Spirits and quaffs from around the state will be on hand to quench the thirsts and expand the connoisseurs’ palette. We will also have some nonalcoholic seltzers for tasting. There will also be some new and returning food vendors, as well as some craft and youth-oriented vendors to round out the day.
For those not wanting to partake of the beer tasting, wine by the glass will be available for sale. A general admission ticket is required to enter the event; however, you are not able to taste the beers and ciders unless a beer-tasting ticket is purchase.
Tickets for the Passport to Pagosa and Bands and Brews events may be purchased at the door.
Shuttle service
Running both Friday evening and Saturday afternoon will be the new complimentary shuttle service to better utilize the parking areas along San Juan Street, Mary Fisher Park and the parking are at the base of Reservoir Hill. Continuous shuttles will be running to get you to the event and back to your cars. It will run from 5:30pm to 9pm on Friday night and 3:30pm to 8pm on Saturday. Please make use of this new service. Don’t run the risk of parking illegally on Hermosa Street or the alleyway. Use the shuttle service and be comfortable.
Hot air balloons
The hot air balloons will launch from the downtown area south of The Springs Resort on Saturday, September 21, with balloons starting to inflate at about 7:30am. Spectators will not be allowed on the field where the balloons are launching. On Sunday, the balloons will launch on the west end of town at the same time of day. The balloons will launch around the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association (PLPOA) Recreation Center, PLPOA Clubhouse and Eagle’s Loft area. Spectator parking will not be allowed at the PLPOA Recreation Center or along U.S. 160. There are many locations throughout the west side of town where you can park and view the balloons.
Please do not block roads or highways to take your pictures on either day.
Color Run/Walk
Also on Saturday morning, Aspen House and Aspen House Services will host the annual Color Run/Walk. This event takes place in Yamaguchi Park and begins at 8am with registration opening at 7:30am. Your registration supports an important organization in our community as well as getting you a race T-shirt that will be doused with lots of color all throughout the course. This is a fun and colorful event.