Hi Y’all! Heading to TBF with my husband, and our 2 and 6 year olds, driving in from STL, MO. We aren’t new to festivals, as we’ve taken the kids to many…but being new to TBF, I have a few specific questions. Hoping you can help!
We are staying in Mtn Village, and I was told we will need to take the Gondola over to the festival. We plan to have a wagon, couple hiking packs, chairs and a small stroller. Is this going to be allowed/feasible on the Gondola? I was told yes by the lodge we made reservations at, but wanted to ask those that have done this before…can the wagon just be wheeled right on?
We are a family of 4. I just planned on bringing a small beach shade tent, (and NOT bringing the huge shade tent as travel won’t allow for it) along with blankets to sit on. Now I’m reading about this Tarp Run and people lining up overnight and hours before, etc. That won’t work for us. Should I be concerned about having a place to sit down if we arrive for the gates to open? With the kids we don’t plan to be up front, but I’m getting nervous about just having a home base. Are blankets allowed or only Tarps?
What type of beer is sold at TBF? New to the Mtns, I don’t know if I can drink Craft beer all day long. Also, we can bring Water and food for the kids/us in a cooler, is that correct?
Can anyone give me an idea of what the layout is like? I hear Town Park, and then the campground names, and I’m wondering if I’m confusing it all. Not that it affects us, but I just wanted to be knowledgable of the surrounding areas.
Is it odd that I was able to buy two 4-day passes this weekend…being so close to the date of the festival I thought for sure it would have been sold out! I’m not complaining though! Also, the kids did NOT need a purchased ticket, but will they get a wristband?
You’ll have no problem finding a spot. There’s a specific area for sunshades. You won’t be right in the prime spots, but you’ll have no issue finding space for your homebase. It’s a big area. Blankets are definitely OK.
New Belgium is the only beer sold inside the festival. They will have at least one light beer. I’ve tasted their new very-light beer, and it drinks like a Coors Light. Guessing that will be at fest this year. There’s also wine and cocktails, and lots of free, filtered water. You can bring a water bottle and refill it as many times as needed. Food and other non-alcoholic beverages are allowed, just no glass.
The festival is in Telluride Town Park. There are two campgrounds directly adjacent to the festival grounds, Warner Field and Town Park (which is distinct from the festival grounds). You’ll need a specific pass to access those campgrounds after Wednesday.
Kinda weird, kinda not. Telluride is not easy to get to from really anywhere, and there’s some sentiment that the lineup has been less than stellar the past few years. While the music is secondary for a lot of us, it may be keeping others away who are spending their time and money at other festivals. Just my $0.02. Pretty sure the kiddos get a wristband, even though there’s no ticket purchase involved.
Your wagon will work fine on the gondola. People in wheelchairs can make it, so a wagon is not a problem.
The daily land rush is more or less for people that want to be up front or have shade tents along the side of the field where the view is better. You shouldn’t have any trouble setting up your shade tent if you go in with the crowd when the gates open. There are areas toward the back for shade tents, but you still may be able to see the stage. Blankets will be fine or you can sit on the grass under your shade tent.
The beer is provided by New Belgium Brewing and they have some nice light varieties for those that are not craft beer drinkers. Wine and mixed drinks are also available next to the beer tent, and you can get lemonade or fill you water bottle for free at the water station.
Town Park is a huge grassy area with the stage at one end and baseball fields at the other (Warner Field is for camping) and the Town Park campground is adjacent to the main venue.
Kids 12 and under are free with attending adult and will get a children’s wristband. There is a special area for kids as well for them to be involved in all sorts of games and planning for the children’s parade.
Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of fun and will be amazed by the people and the scenery.
Guys!! Thank you so much. I really appreciate your informative/quick responses. I was getting nervous…I just wanna sit out and hear some music…the tarp run was giving me anxiety! HAHAHA. Looking forward to it so much! :cheers
This will give you a better idea of what Town Park is like.
The campground is to the right side, and Warner Field is next to the swimming pool.
The rest of the area (where is says Blues and Brews Festival) is where the Bluegrass festival is.
The stage is at the bottom left.
:wave There’s a really sweet path alongside the San Miguel that takes you directly to the Festivaaaal! gate, too!
Much more fun, and scenic than walking thru the condos, IMHO.
And there is the Telluride BottleWorks Trail that crosses that path at South Pine. Very handy if you want to sit in the shade and soak your feet in the cold water while enjoying a cool drink. :evil
And cooler…it’s in the shade and that cold river usually has a nice breeze running down the little valley which is imho preferable to being sunbaked on heated asphalt at the end of a bright festival day… Plus, the occasional kids tubing the river…the inevitable dogs jumping in and out after things…and the opportunity to stop and dip your own hot feets into the river after a long day of dancin’!
Oh man my wagon broke on the return loop of the Bottleworks trail two years ago. It was harrowing.
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We can sympathize with you about that. It could have been a disaster. Hopefully none of the cargo was damaged or lost.
Last year I noticed that another store opened up on E. Colorado to give them some competition. But the Bottleworks trail is a much nicer walk if you take the river route. Plus, you never know who you may run into there. Over the years, I have seen Sammy, Bela, and Johnny C shopping there at different times. Maybe we should build a Telluride walk of fame there, with stars on the sidewalk?
And Weakleg, the trailhead to Bear Creek Falls starts in town right at the end of South Pine. That’s a real trail, where you can take your family on a nice fairly easy hike up to the falls and see some beautiful scenery.
We can sympathize with you about that. It could have been a disaster. Hopefully none of the cargo was damaged or lost.
Last year I noticed that another store opened up on E. Colorado to give them some competition. But the Bottleworks trail is a much nicer walk if you take the river route. Plus, you never know who you may run into there. Over the years, I have seen Sammy, Bela, and Johnny C shopping there at different times. Maybe we should build a Telluride walk of fame there, with stars on the sidewalk?
And Weakleg, the trailhead to Bear Creek Falls starts in town right at the end of South Pine. That’s a real trail, where you can take your family on a nice fairly easy hike up to the falls and see some beautiful scenery.
Me again…Traveling from the STL Tuesday AM, heading through Colorado Springs and hoping to make it to Canon City to crash for the night. Finishing the 17 hour trek Wed AM. Looks like the last leg is about 5 hours. We’re hoping to check in and hit the ground running Wed afternoon.
I know there’s FirstGrass at 5pm that night in MTN Village, where we are staying…but anyone have suggestions for site-seeing for us? Family of 4…maybe head in to Telluride and walk around to visit shops, restuarants, breweries…? Can we crash TP with a cooler and check it out? Any cool, safe trails we could check out? Any suggestions are welcome. I don’t want to waste any time in this beautiful town!
I’m not sure, with a 2 yo, that we will spend 12 hours at the festival grounds each day. If we have to trek back and forth from MTN village, is there a place within the festival to check items in, to come back for a couple hours later? (chairs/wagon, for example)
You can check out TP until Thursday morning when wristbands are required.
Quite a few trails (one that goes up the mountain right behind the stage).
2 waterfalls at the end of the canyon (only 1 is visible from town)
Gondola is a fun ride.
Plenty of shops and restaurants (one called the Cornerhouse Grill has awesome tater tots).
No check-in for festival items but if you get friendly with your tarp neighbors you can ask them to watch your stuff. It’s rare that things are “misplaced” except at the end of the night when someone may grab the wrong chair in the dark.
You’ll have fun no matter what!!!
Also, we can bring Water and food for the kids/us in a cooler, is that correct?
Plus, the occasional kids tubing the river…the inevitable dogs jumping in and out after things…and the opportunity to stop and dip your own hot feets into the river after a long day of dancin’!
Funny, I was wondering which trail this was… :cheers