Hi there, so I hear that the weather in Telluride can be pretty dramatic. It is upside down in the seasons for us ( just about to turn hot here). So, I’d like dome advice from the folk who have braved the festival over the years please. Hot? Cold tonight? Shirts and Ts? Sandals? Runners and jeans? Hats? Gotta give my festival wardrobe some thought…I’ve been to Coorado before but only in winter so would appreciate any collective wisdom, many thanks as always folks xx
Come prepared for everything (roasting heat, freezing cold, glaring sun, torrential rain, hail, snow). And be prepared to change several times throughout the day. I like to start the day off in shorts and sandals, but as the sun sets I usually switch to long pants, and if it gets really cold, boots or shoes, and probably a hat. At night in the campgrounds, it usually long pants, shoes, and some type of sweater or fleece or a light jacket. If it’s really cold, the hat and a heavier jacket will come out.
Thank you very much and apologies for my terrible typing! So, basically bring everything huh?
Yep! 
Light, layers and multi-functional for you. If you’re a skier, for instance, bring a decent shell with hood. It’ll give you a warm outer layer and rain protection too. If you’ve got hats that pack, bring 'em, but you can buy big shady hats here too, or some cheap straw ones that will be good for festival and not much else. Bring a comfortable beanie hat to keep your head warm when you sleep. Bring some comfortable ear plugs too, not for the festival, but for sleeping some nights back in camp.
Most shoes can be light, but TP is rocky so some toe protection around camp is a good thing, festival field is grass so just about anything there, you’ll also need one pair that’s good for hiking, cold and rain. Bring a pair of gloves suitable for outdoors.
Temps can range from 31C to 0C and when it rains it’s going to be cool to cold, elevation is 8700 feet (2650m) above sea level so plan for that and when the sun shines in summer, it’s more intense at that elevation.
For Town Park showers, $3 worth of quarters (12) buys you 5 minutes of hot water, so you will need to get a stash of those. Also, if you don’t already have one, find a credit card with zero or the most favorable exchange rate fees you can get.
Great advice and much appreciated xx
In seven years, I’ve been warped by the rain, driven by the snow, baked by the sun, kicked by the wind and robbed by the sleet, but I’m still Willin’ to come back every year. And that’s not mentioning the hail I’ve sat through.
Wait, did I say seven years? I meant seven days. All of that can happen over the course of festival.
And the dust/dirt blowing around can produce
some insane dirt tans and nose boogers. Just sayin.
All part of the fun. :cheers
Ha ha! In Australia we girls are made for crazy weather, we have lived through drought, floods, bushfires and snow not to mention heatwaves for months on end. Ok, I’ve got it, bring everything…I initially thought I could just pack shirts, t shirts and things ( no, no, you call them flip glops ont you? We wear them on our feet). Pack as if I’m going yo UK in summer and Africa. Got it. Xx
Yes, as long as things = thongs, not to be confused with the other type of thongs, which are only rarely worn on the feet :evil
and flip glops = flip flops, which you’ll need as shower shoes
Oops, my typing is hopeless.yes thongs for the feet. Xx
The first year I went to the festival, my buddy and I were woefully under-prepared. I had a rain jacket, but no insulation layers other than that. It was cold that first night, and the first thing I did in the morning was buy a fleece at one of the stores in town!
While it’s certainly true that one needs to be prepared for pretty much anything, in the context of the course of the full festival season in Telluride … and certainly not looking to jinx anything … the TBF clearly has one of (if not the) best slots in terms of the odds of good weather.
Late May and early June can still be very schizophrenic in terms of cold, rain, and snow (I have seen it snow 3 feet on June 6th about 10 years ago) OR just as easily good weather. But by the 2nd or 3rd week of June, warm weather typically roles in and is mostly dry compared to the Monsoons which roll in starting in July and can span through August.
In fact, Telluride Jazz festival traditionally occurs in early August & is normally plagued by the monsoonal rains (although makes for nice rainbows) & they actually moved their date to early July a few years ago to try and escape the weather pattern (but of course it rained).
Blues & Brews fest is always in the middle of Sept and while the weather can still be very nice, the potential for snow and colder temps seems to unload much more frequently vs. summer solstice. I’ve seen some really nasty festival and campground conditions in the past several years.
Obviously, this is not to say that anything can’t happen just about anytime … as we did get snow during the M&S set on Sunday for TBF a few years ago. Still, my suspicion is that if the Town of Telluride were to auction off the slots in the calendar … the summer solstice weekend would clearly go at the highest premium due to the odds of good weather.
Yeah, and be prepared to still be unprepared.
I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of snow in summer…I guess it is a mountain thing. Thank you to everyone for the great advice and insights. At this stage I’m packing bathers, shorts, thongs, sandals, hats, plus jeans, jumpers, runners, and thermals. That’s it for each day, right? 
let’s go hear some great music folks…see you there x
:wave Yep layers work best because the more things you do not have to run back for the better so always stow rain gear near by and :rolleyes Duk Tape. :flower
I like the light weight gear for girls now, they pack light and tight. North Face.
The saying here in Colorado is if you don’t like the weather wait 5 minutes. Up and down but almost always sunny!
Do not forget gloves! :cheers
Nice picture Skubes!
Don’t forget the flip flops too😜 :pirate
Thanks, Pirate! :flower