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MusicFest in town for its 30th year

Audrey Dwyer
Sean Crowley, who works for Event Rents, sets up a tent for the Steamboat Springs MusicFest, which kicks off Tuesday at the Steamboat Ski Area. The Festival will take place Monday through Jan. 10 and will include 60 bands.
John F. Russell

If you go

What: MusicFest free concerts

When: Each show starts at 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Turnpike Troubadours, followed by Jack Ingram and the Beat Up Ford Band

Wednesday: Jonathan Tyler

Thursday: Dirty River Boys

Friday: Bri Bagwell

Where: Steamboat Stage in Gondola Square

— It’s that time of year when more than 60 bands with Texan roots will perform more than 100 hours of live music throughout six days.

Known as one of the largest group ski trips of its kind bringing Texas and Americana music to Steamboat Springs, the Steamboat Springs MusicFest will have a mix of country, rock, blues, bluegrass, folk and Western swing.

For those who were unable to get tickets to the sold-out MusicFest, there is the opportunity to attend four free shows at Gondola Square next week.



The ticketed and free MusicFest concerts begin Tuesday.

“The MusicFest at Steamboat combines a cross of musicians and musical styles that incorporates country, rock and blues in a beautiful Rocky Mountain setting,” said John Dickson, president of Dickson Productions that puts on MusicFest. “The free concerts are a fantastic way for fans to share great music with their favorite performers, who genuinely love playing music and having a great time in Steamboat.”



The free concerts will kick off with the Turnpike Troubadours followed by Jack Ingram and the Beat Up Ford Band on Tuesday. Next up will be Jonathan Tyler on Wednesday, The Dirty River Boys on Thursday and Bri Bagwell will take the stage Friday. Each of the shows will start at about 1 p.m. on the Steamboat Stage in Gondola Square.

Outside of the festival, there will be a few performances across town, including Kev Russell, of Shinyribs, and Kevin Galloway, of Uncle Lucius, who will share the stage for a performance at 7 p.m. Monday at the Chief Theater.

The theater also will be hosting a “Welcome to Steamboat” event for the visitors traveling to town for the festival. For the rest of the week, “Texas Red Dirt Roads” and “Lone Star Roads” will be filming live every night from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chief Theater. Admission prices range from $10 to $15, and it will be hosted by Justin Frazell.

According to the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association’s lodging barometer, the expected occupancy this year will be higher by about 5 percent.

Carter Allen, group sales manager for Wyndham Vacation Rentals, said the rough total number of guests in correlation to MusicFest is 2,600, which is a similar number to last year, he said. Director of Guest Services at Resort Group Ryan Fleming said their estimated number of guests for the festival this year is at about 1,400.

Starting Saturday, the 18,000-square-foot concert tent for MusicFest will be erected in the north portion of the ski area’s Knoll Parking Lot, located on Mount Werner Circle, across from the Gondola Transportation Center.

The tent will remain in the Knoll Parking Lot through Jan. 12, meaning the area will be closed to parking during that time. In addition, the Lower Knoll lot also will be closed for event purposes.

Steamboat Ski Area will continue to offer free parking in the south half of the Knoll and Meadows parking lots. The Gondola Square parking structure also will be available, but it does involve a fee.

To reach Audrey Dwyer, call 970-871-4229, email adwyer@ExploreSteamboat.com or follow her on Twitter @Audrey_Dwyer1


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