The Summer Mountain Festivals You Can't Miss
There’s a saying in the mountains: You come for the winter; you stay for the summer. One big reason is the epic happenings known as summer festivals. From art to beer to flora and fauna to music to … beer, mountain resorts know how to throw a summer party. There is one for every mood, and usually one close enough for anyone to make a trip and take it in. Many are worth traveling the distance for as well. Consider these festivals your invitation to finding out why summer rocks at mountain resorts.
Do you like beer and wings? Well, then, you’re going to want to head to Okemo this August. (Photo: Okemo Mountain Resort/Facebook)
Beer, beer, beer … and wings: All winter long, Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vermont, is a family ski mecca. With exceptional snowmaking and the perfect slope-side lodging, it just works. But come the first weekend of August each year, Okemo is all about the beer. Craft beer, that is.
The Hops in the Hills Beer & Wine Festival and Chicken Wing Championship takes place at Okemo this year August 7-9. Centered in the Jackson Gore courtyard, the festival draws dozens of regional craft beer brewers, from the well known to the new, offering guests tastes of all sorts of brew. Live music fills the air, and barbecue rules when it comes to food.
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About 5,000 are expected to attend this year. And since the festival is at Okemo, guests can also live it up on the mountain and try the zip line, mountain coaster, and other slope-side activities offered there.
Eat, drink, and peruse art at the Boston Mills Artfest. (Photo: Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resort/Facebook)
Art for art’s sake: All winter long, Boston Mills and Brandywine Ski areas pump hundreds of thousands of skiers through lessons and into the world of skiing. Come summer, they are all about the stroke of the brush and more. The Boston Mills Artfest, now in its 44th year, is known as one of the largest, most prestigious art shows in the nation. Tens of thousands come through the event, slated this year for the weekends of June 26-28 and July 2-5, and they don’t just browse. Last year alone, over $2 million worth of artwork was purchased at the festival. The event starts with a VIP preview event on Friday night where, for a price, guests can see the juried show, bid on items, sip wine, and nosh with the artists themselves. Then, through the weekend, artwork is on display and for sale, foods of all kinds are cooking, and music fills the air. Love art, partying, and the backdrop of the hills? This is where to be.
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Food, drinks, and lovely mountain scenery abound at the Beaver Creek Wine and Spirits Festival. (Photo: Beaver Creek Mountain/Facebook)
Cheers to the great outdoors: Beaver Creek Colorado is known for offering an upscale experience all winter long. Summer is no different, with the annual Beaver Creek Wine and Spirits Festival set for Aug. 7-9 this summer. The weekend is filled with wine tastings and seminars, as well as the study of cocktails (don’t you want to apply yourself to that?). Opening night features “Manhattans and Margaritas,” a lesson in all that is the cocktail. The adventurous can also take a wine hike that brings you up the mountain and then settles you into a farm-to-table wine-paired dinner.
Because brews and the blues just go together. (Photo: Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza/Facebook)
Take in the blues: Sure, the colors of summer in the mountains are usually greens. But at Mammoth Mountain in California, it’s all about the blues. The annual Bluesapalooza (this is its 20th year) fills stages for three days of music, all while featuring local brews. This year, from July 30-Aug. 2, you can kick back in the Mammoth setting and take in the music of Robert Cray, Jonny Lang, Ruthie Foster, and countless more big names. The days also are filled with brew tastings, including a grand tasting with close to 100 breweries on site on Aug. 1, as well as food choices from every walk of cuisine. And since they want you to go big, it all wraps with a “Hangover concert and party” on closing day.
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Mountain bike races and plenty of other exciting activities will keep you entertained at Bretton Woodstock. (Photo: Bretton Woods/Facebook)
Bretton Woodstock: Tucked into Twin Peaks, New Hampshire, Bretton Woods offers an incredible weekend of bike races, live music, kids’ cycling challenges, outdoor food events, and more. In the two days of the event (July 18-19), you can enjoy a brew fest, take part in road and mountain biking races, compete in family-friendly games (and win lots of prizes), and even earn the praise of all by completing the “All-Mountain Enduro,” a combination XC, downhill, and adventure race. You can glam it up and stay at the posh Mount Washington Hotel at night or choose from other options. The best part? Camping on site is free for the entire event.
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