Estes Park Wine Festival pours into Bond Park for 11th year

Months before the wine begins flowing in Bond Park, Tim Bowers hears from visitors planning their Estes Park vacations around the annual festival.

“Obviously, since it’s in Estes Park, we get a lot of people who plan their summer trip around being in town,” Bowers said. “I get a lot of calls from people who want to know the dates for the next year because they want to make sure they are around for the event.”

Those returning visitors will join vacationers who happen upon the festivities when the 11th annual Estes Park Wine Festival takes over Bond Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9.

The 21-and-older festival brings together 27 wineries, cideries, and meaderies alongside live music, food trucks, and dozens of artisan and retail vendors. Admission includes unlimited tastings, a commemorative wine glass, and a wine tote.

Bowers, the festival’s lead organizer, estimates approximately 30 percent of attendees travel from outside Colorado. The town’s popularity as a summer destination gives the Estes Park event a different character from the seven or eight wine festivals his company, the Bowers Group, produces each year.

“We get a lot of walk-ups from people in town visiting,” Bowers said. “It’s different from some of the other wine festivals we do because Estes is a destination on its own.”

Bowers began producing wine festivals about 15 years ago after attending the Colorado Mountain Winefest in Palisade. Although many of Colorado’s wineries are concentrated around Palisade and Grand Junction, he saw an opportunity to create similar tasting events closer to his home in Windsor.

The Windsor Wine and Food Festival became the company’s first event and is now in its 14th year. The Bowers Group has produced approximately 60 wine festivals over the years.

“Colorado is becoming a wine destination,” Bowers said. “I attended Palisade a couple of times and decided we wanted to do one of these a little bit closer to home.”

Estes Park’s festival has always been held in Bond Park, a location Bowers values for its visibility and easy access to the rest of downtown. The park’s size limits how many booths can fit inside the grounds, and vendor spaces sell out each year.

The 2026 festival will feature approximately 60 total vendors. Participating beverage producers include Bookcliff Vineyards, Deep Roots Winery, Purgatory Cellars, Snowy Peaks Winery, Sweetheart Winery, Vinnie Fera Winery, Climb Hard Cider, Dragon Meadery, and Hunters Moon Meadery.

“We obviously try to have a good selection; this year we have 27 wineries participating,” Bowers said. “We try not to have a lot of commercial vendors and instead have more artist vendors.”

Retail vendors will sell products ranging from artwork, blankets, jewelry, hats, and embroidered goods to seasonings, baked goods, and wine accessories. Food will be available from Bigs Meat Wagon, Brighton Boards and Bubbles, Crepe’s on Wheels, It’s a Delicious World, Marchios Grill, and Rory’s Blue Collar Catering.

Crowds, chairs, and a quieter Sunday

Saturday typically attracts between 800 and 1,000 attendees, while Sunday draws approximately 400 to 500 people. Bowers said most guests attend for only one day.

Bond Park generally becomes busiest between 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday. Bowers recommends arriving by noon for shorter tasting lines and more time to settle into the park. Guests may bring chairs, blankets, wagons, and their own snacks, although re-entry is not permitted.

“A lot of people are allowed to bring their chairs and blankets, and people make a spot in the grass and make camp,” Bowers said.

Visitors who prefer fewer crowds may find Sunday more appealing. The same beverage and retail vendors participate both days, and the second day offers its own full music schedule.

“On Saturday, you’ll wait in line for 20 to 30 minutes to get a taste, so it’s more laid back on Sunday,” Bowers said. “Sunday is better for the consumer, unless you enjoy being in big crowds.”

Chuck Sitero will open Saturday’s music lineup from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by Christopher Morse from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Grey Madderz will close the day from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday’s performers are Samantha Erin, Alexa Kilgore, and Nick Critchlow & the Genuine Articles.

Advance general admission costs $50 for Saturday and $40 for Sunday. Gate admission is $60 Saturday and $50 Sunday. Saturday VIP tickets have sold out, although Sunday VIP admission remained available as of Bowers’ interview. The VIP package includes access to a separate tent, a wine bar, and food catered by Claire’s Restaurant.

Designated-driver and nondrinking tickets will be available at the gate for $10. Those tickets do not include tastings, and all guests must still be 21 or older.

An event facing changing habits

Entering the festival’s second decade feels significant to Bowers, even as producing the events has become more difficult.

“It feels good to be on the 11th anniversary,” Bowers said. “They are getting tougher to do. Attendance has been dropping off a little bit.”

He is uncertain whether the decline is driven by a crowded summer event calendar, economic pressures, or changes in alcohol consumption.

“I don’t know if it’s because of competition because there is so much going on around that time or the economy,” Bowers said. “I also know people just aren’t drinking as much, so maybe it’s that, but even so, it’s still one of my favorites that we do.”

Bowers handles approximately 90 percent of the festival’s year-round planning himself. During the event, he relies on about six staff members, hired security, friends, family members, and volunteers, including participants from Estes Park Newcomers Club.

The weekend also serves as an important sales opportunity for participating wineries. Guests may purchase wine by the glass during the festival or buy bottles to take home. A complimentary wine-check service allows visitors to store purchases rather than carry bottles through the park.

“If people aren’t buying wine, it wouldn’t work,” Bowers said. “A lot of the wineries are small and family-owned, and they make a lot of their revenue from these festivals.”