2 Best Performing Arts Venues in Boulder and North Central Colorado, Colorado

Fort Collins's largest community festival, this music-centered event is a proud showing of the bustling Colorado music community, which has produced the Fray, Tennis, 3OH!3, OneRepublic, Nathaniel Rateliff, and others. Dozens of bands play on multiple stages during the free event on a Saturday in September. Bohemian Nights also hosts Thursday night concerts downtown during the summer.

Held each Memorial Day weekend since 1987, the Boulder Creek Festival converts a stretch along Boulder Creek into a giant party, complete with carnival rides, live music, hundreds of vendors, food, and multiple beer gardens. The free festival (a beer festival for those over 21 is offered concurrently for a fee) runs between Arapahoe Avenue and Canyon Boulevard between 9th and 14th Streets.