From its inception in 1988, the team behind Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, Planet Bluegrass, has given the highest order of importance to creating a world for festivalgoers free of pomp and circumstance, high ticket fees and costly water bottles, and frankly, the hustle and bustle of modern, everyday life. They’ve curated a world so synonymous with good music, good company, and good adventure that their events historically sell out of tickets, sometimes before the lineups have even been released. And who buys those tickets? Festivarians, of course, dubbed so from a cheekily reinterpreted version of C.P. Cafavy’s poem, “Ithaka,” originally printed in a 1994 Planet Bluegrass brochure.
So, Festivarians, new and long-running, the time has come to return to the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, Colorado, for the 35th annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, the exploration of song that joins us all, on August 8th – 10th 2025. For the uninitiated, picture a deeply red butte framing a permanent, natural wood-clad main stage; the ranch’s beating heart, built by and for Festivarians as the ultimate front-range pilgrimage destination. Feet are in the Saint Vrain River, bending its way from Rocky Mountain National Park down to join the South Platt, and a world-class folksinger, probably Steve Poltz, is on stage sharing in the energy of the crowd and its surroundings.
This year’s lineup is anchored by longtime favorites like NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND, WATCHHOUSE, THE DEVIL MAKES THREE, LEE FIELDS and more, but Folks Fest isn’t just about historically great songs and songwriters. The team at Planet Bluegrass puts just as much effort into showcasing new, diverse musical acts as they do honoring the undisputed greats. There’s an old grain silo on the Planet Bluegrass Ranch inside which a young tree has grown taller year by year. That’s the ethos of Folks Fest. A sturdy shelter provides a home for new roots to grow and new branches to climb. The community reflects the same: Festivarian veterans showing first-timers the ropes, everyone from different places and backgrounds but together in the celebration of song. After all, there are a lot of folk festivals, but only one Folks Festival.
If you are looking for a place to stay for Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, then check out our interactive accommodation map below. Just add in the dates you want to stay and venue and you will be able to see what’s available nearby!
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