If you see towering, hairy figures wandering through downtown Estes Park this weekend, don’t panic. It’s probably just Bigfoot Days, the annual festival that celebrates the region’s favorite legendary creature with music, films, races, and plenty of squatch-sized curiosity.
Bigfoot Days will take over Estes on Friday and Saturday, April 24-25, attracting thousands of visitors for a weekend of sasquatch-related activities. The festivities include a ticketed barbecue dinner on Friday night, followed by a free outdoor festival in Bond Park on Saturday.
The event began more than 12 years ago when Rob Hinkle, executive director of the Estes Park Events Complex and the town’s visitor services, wanted to bring a quirky community celebration to Colorado.
“He was coming from the East Coast and wanted to bring a really fun, wacky, weird, and community-oriented festival to Colorado,” said Maddie Hodges, special events coordinator for the Town of Estes Park and this year’s organizer. “Colorado is one of the biggest Bigfoot sighting states in the United States, and people love coming here who are really true, tried-and-true Bigfoot believers.”
Since then, the event has grown dramatically. What once began as a small gathering with about 10 vendors has evolved into one of the largest Bigfoot festivals in the country. Thousands now attend each year. Hodges says about 9,000 people came in 2025.
“If you’ve never been to a Bigfoot festival or celebration before, there are a lot across the U.S., but Estes Park is one of the biggest ones,” Hodges said. “And similar to Whiskey Warm Up, people come from all over the United States, as well as internationally, just to come to this festival every year.”
The festivities begin Friday evening, April 24, with the Bigfoot BBQ at the Estes Park Events Complex. The ticketed dinner offers a cocktail hour with appetizers followed by a barbecue meal, music, and the chance to mingle with Bigfoot-themed entertainers and celebrity guests.
Tickets cost $100 for adults and $50 for children ages 6–11, and the event historically sells out. This year the capacity was expanded to 200 tickets to meet demand.
“What that includes is a full plate of barbecue,” Hodges said. “People will get to talk to the celebrities. All the ‘Expedition Bigfoot’ folks are coming, Bigfoot & Jeff will be the MCs, and people will just feel really immersed.”
The main event takes place Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bond Park. Admission is free and designed to appeal to visitors of all ages.
“My goal is to create intentional, multifaceted events,” Hodges said. “Anyone can attend an event that we host, and there’s something for everyone, whether they’re 10 or 70 years old.”
The festival features more than 60 vendors and artisans selling everything from handcrafted goods to Bigfoot-themed merchandise, alongside food trucks, live music, and family activities. A kid zone with inflatables and games adds another layer of entertainment, while a mechanical bull and axe throwing provide outdoor fun.
Several well-known figures from the Bigfoot research world will also appear during the festival. Guests include Dr. Mireya Mayor, Bryce Johnson, and Biko Wright from the television series “Expedition Bigfoot,” who will give talks and interact with attendees at venues including Town Hall and the Historic Park Theatre.
One of the festival’s most popular traditions is the Bigfoot calling contest, where participants compete to produce the most convincing sasquatch howl.
“The Bigfoot calling contests are always a hoot,” Hodges said. “People have practiced for months to try to win our custom trophies. It’s really fun to watch people branch out of their comfort zone and try a Bigfoot call.”
The festival will also include a half marathon and 5K run through the Estes Park area, finishing downtown amid the celebration.
In recent years, film screenings have become another highlight. The 2026 event will feature two movies instead of one, both shown at the Historic Park Theatre.
The afternoon screening will be “The High Strangeness of Colorado’s Bigfoot,” a documentary exploring reports of unusual encounters at a Colorado hotspot known as Church Creek. The evening premiere will showcase “Squatch,” a narrative film about a young man who encounters a legendary creature after visiting his late father’s remote cabin. Both screenings will include red carpet arrivals, comedian sets, Q&A sessions with filmmakers and cast members, and opportunities for photos and autographs.
The festival’s timing in late April also serves as a seasonal turning point for the mountain town. “I wouldn’t say there’s a direct reason as to why it is this April except just shaking off the winter and getting excited for the hiking and adventuring season ahead,” Hodges said.
That connection to the outdoors helps explain why Bigfoot mythology resonates strongly in Estes Park, a gateway community to Rocky Mountain National Park.
“We’re right at the gates,” Hodges said. “People come here and they always have sightings, or they’ve read books or articles about Rocky Mountain National Park Bigfoot. Bailey, Colorado, which is nearby, also has some of the top sightings.”
Whether visitors believe in Bigfoot or simply enjoy the spectacle, Hodges says curiosity keeps the legend alive.
“Believing in something that’s literally bigger than yourself, and being in the outdoors, is so important,” she said. “People are curious. They don’t know what to believe, but they want to learn and hear other people’s stories.”
For Hodges, who is organizing Bigfoot Days for the first time this year, that sense of shared curiosity is what makes the event special.
“I’ve gotten so many phone calls and emails from people all around the U.S. and the world who believe in Bigfoot,” she said. “Being able to share those stories with a community gathering like this is really special.”
And if the towering creature itself remains elusive, the spirit of the festival is easier to find.
“If you’re looking to shake off the winter and come up to Estes Park with a really unique, fun, wacky lens,” Hodges said, “this festival is the place to do it.”
The event takes place Friday and Saturday, April 24–25. For tickets and a full schedule, visit the Bigfoot Days page on the Estes Park Events Complex website.
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