Why wait for summer to have a music festival? Wondergrass kicks off its first year at Steamboat with a weekend of live bluegrass, microbrew beer and more.
Music festivals happen almost every weekend in mountain towns all over Colorado during the summer. But in winter? Introducing Wondergrass, five action-packed days of bluegrass, handcrafted beer, and (of course) plenty of time on the slopes!
You can’t get more Colorado than bluegrass, microbrew beer, and skiing.
While most ski resorts reserve summers for music festivals, leave it to Ski Country USA to host a major on-mountain music festival when its tight-knit, champagne powder-loving community is feeling the most festive, during ski season. Steamboat is welcoming the Wondergrass Festival for the first time this year, featuring over 25 bands and 20 different Colorado breweries over four days, February 23-27, 2017.
The festival, now in its fifth year, has been hosted in Edwards, Avon and Squaw Valley, California. It’s basically what wine tasting is to Napa Valley but with beer, and what bluegrass is to Telluride, only it’s all going to be combined in one big weekend-long party. The cool thing about the event is the variety of venues and activities, whether it’s a mountain top dinner or a live concert at the base of the mountain. The best part? The Porches is in the base area of Mt. Werner (Steamboat ski area) and our personal shuttle service is happy to drive you there, or you can take a 5 minute stroll to the event. Contact our Concierge to arrange transportation.
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Here’s the lowdown on the weekend festivities:
MUSIC
Check out over 25 bluegrass, roots, and acoustic artists in a variety of different venues from free concerts at the base of the mountain and small, intimate venues on the mountain to headliners at the top of the mountain. (In case you didn’t get the theme, the mountain and the music goes hand-in-hand, as long as you keep one hand free for drinking beer!). The lineup includes Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, the Sam Bush Band, Elephant Revival, the Infamous Stringdusters and more.
The WinterWonderGrass Allstars will play a FREE concert at the base of the gondola to kick things off on Thursday, February 23. Pop-up bluegrass jams surrounded by outdoor fire pits and barbecues will take place all weekend at different on-mountain locations. Stay warm with one of the workshops and bluegrass picks while sipping whiskey and hot cocoa in the base area. And after the festival each night at 9,100 feet headliners and special guests will play at the top of the gondola.
THE BEER
Sample over 20 varieties of craft beer and hard cider featuring local Colorado labels rooted in Colorado that align with the festival’s core values of community, sustainability and environmental stewardship.
FESTIVAL WITH A CONSCIENCE (and a kid’s zone)
Each year, WinterWonderGrass supports local Colorado nonprofits with a focus on music education, environmental protection and disaster relief. The festival boasts a strong environmental program diverting over 80 percent of festival waste from landfills. A Klean Kanteen stainless steel commemorative festival mug is included with each three-day festival ticket, dramatically reducing single-use plastics. WinterWonderGrass is a community and family-friendly event with a colorful kid’s zone including face painting, hula-hooping and crafts.
For more information on the festival, lodging and ski passes, please visit www.winterwondergrass.com. To arrange transportation to and from the Porches, please contact our Concierge.