The first day of school is next week, several free summer music festivals have already played their last tunes, and Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest has come and gone. 

Now, to be honest, fall is my favorite. I love the pumpkin patches, eating everything pumpkin, apple or cinnamon, and wearing flannel pretty much every day. But I also wonder if I missed out on some of the things I had planned to do at the start of summer. 

If you’re feeling the same, don’t fret! There are still plenty of Northern Colorado festivals to enjoy before summer officially ends Sept. 23, including this weekend’s Fort Collins Peach Festival. 

Over summer already and craving the twinkling magic of fall or Old Town’s holiday lights? Read on to the end: I’ve included some teasers in there for you, too.

The last of Summer Festivals

Fort Collins Peach Festival 

When: Aug. 17

Things are just peachy whenever the Fort Collins Peach Festival rolls around. In its ninth year, the family-friendly festival boasts a 5K race, kids fun run, peach pancake breakfast, live music, kids activities, food trucks, vendor booths and your fair share of peach pie, cobbler, beer, wine and margaritas. The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 17 in Civic Center Park. No dogs are allowed. 

Well-O-Rama Music Festival

When: Aug. 17

Nearby Wellington is hosting a free throwback event featuring local bluegrass, country and folk bands — and it all kicks off with a pancake breakfast. “Well-O-Rama” is a tribute to an event that started in 1968 to celebrate the completion of Colorado Highway 1, according to the event’s Facebook page, which said the original “Well-O-Rama” included “a parade, bike races, sack races, a pie-eating contest and a slipper-kicking contest” as well as variety shows and antique vehicles. The event lasted for about a decade, eventually including a Miss Well-O-Rama pageant, a beard-growing contest and more, before ending in 1980.

Old Fashioned Corn Roast Festival 

When: Aug. 23-24

Loveland’s annual Old Fashioned Corn Festival will bring roasted corn, live music and family-friendly fun to Downtown Loveland from 5-10 p.m. Aug. 23 and 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 24.

Watch people flex their muscles in a corn shucking contest and listen to event headliner Soul School Aug. 23. Festivities on Aug. 24 start bright and early with the Elks Lodge Pancake Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and the parade kicking of from Fairgrounds Park at 9:30 a.m. Roasted corn, other food, vendors, Kids Zone activities and entertainment will be available throughout both days of the festival. The Loveland Rotary Duck Race is 4 p.m. Aug. 24.

Learn more at www.loveland.org.

Tour de Fat

When: Aug. 31

It’s never too early to start planning your Tour de Fat costume. The annual event — part bike parade, part festival, part quirky hometown tradition — will return to Fort Collins’ streets Aug. 31. This year’s bike parade will push off at 10 a.m. Aug. 31 from the intersections of Howes Street and Mountain Avenue in Old Town. 

New Belgium will open its festival gates at the brewery at 11 a.m., with live music, comedians, cirque performances and freshly-tapped beer flowing through 6 p.m.

Rist Canyon Mountain Festival

When: Sept. 7

Stop by Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department Station 1, 11835 Rist Canyon Road, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sept. 7 for family-friendly fun that supports the 100% donation-based fire department. The event will include book, plant and bake sales, live music and entertainment, arts and crafts from local artisans, a silent auction, an old-fashioned dunk tank and food and drink vendors. Highlights for kids include tractor hay rides, the opportunity to meet Smokey Bear, farm animals, fire trucks and a life-flight helicopter. Parking, admission and ice cream are free. 

Learn more about how you can support the department at www.RCVFD.org

Fortoberfest

When: Sept. 21

Get your final fill of free summertime jams with Fortoberfest, a Fort Collins-style family-friendly Oktoberfest celebration and the city’s last outdoor music festival of the year. Fortoberfest takes place in Old Town Square and will go from 1-10 p.m. Sept. 21. 

Event organizers haven’t announced the 2019 music lineup yet, but they have promised seasonal microbrews from Odell and High Country Beverage, wine from Wilbur’s Total Beverage and German-themed food. 

Learn more at downtownfortcollins.com/event/fortoberfest.

You can also look forward to Art of the Garage on October 12th!

Article courtesy of Sarah Kyle, the Coloradoan
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