Game on, Durango. It’s SNOWtime!
The 46th annual running of Snowdown, Durango’s midwinter festival, filled with fun and games (real ones this year), is off to another great start with a clever and creative theme: Board Games. Bored Games in Snowdown parlance.
We all know Durango loves to play – and dress up – and fortunately with Snowdown falling just three months on the heels of Halloween, revelers don’t have too long to wait.
After a tumultuous week of what is likely to be a tumultuous year, or four, the celebration of all things great and not so great – like abandoned poop bags the Follies cast has covered – about Durango is a welcome reprieve.
This year, the festival again stretches across two weekends from Jan. 24 – Feb. 2.
Though, with SKA Brewing holding the 2025 Snowdown “Chutes and Lagers” Beer Release party on Dec. 19,” those paying attention were treated to a limited edition Czech Pilsner found around town this week and, last Sunday, Purgatory hosting the official 2025 Snowdown kickoff including a ski parade and 2026 theme announcement, it’s hard to pin down when the festival starts and finishes.
Who cares, right? We’re just glad it’s here. Because with 236(!) events this year, and 88 of them (37%) being family-friendly, there really is something for everyone. The festival went to two weekends a few years ago when the Follies, this year in its 41st year and one of five of the Snowdown Bored of Directors’ sponsored events, lost the Henry Strater Theatre as a venue.
That’s another topic entirely, but lack of venue space remains a huge issue and not just for Snowdown. Something The Sneer (excellent roasts, don’t miss it) and community leaders should pick up.
The Durango Arts Center has accommodated and is to thank for the show going on.
Organizers said that initially, there wasn’t a lot of interest in the first weekend when tradition had Snowdown running strong from Wednesday through Sunday. Although the majority of events happen this week, a festival bookended by two weekends has allowed the steady growth and is also good for commerce.
The origins of the festival date back to when Durango’s business community really struggled financially and many businesses even closed in the winter. And it worked. Though fun and absurdity remain Snowdown’s main goals, businesses benefit, and that’s a goal, too.
This year’s follies, produced by Seat of the Pants Productions under the direction of Thatcher Leavenworth, involved 84 people, 60% of whom have been with the follies five or fewer years which largely corresponds with succeeding in attracting a younger cast. That’s important to the show really going on. An all volunteer event – the whole festival, in fact, only has two paid staff members – relies on succession.
If you missed out on the once again sold out show, one thing that revelers can do is check out the website snowdown.org for how to get tickets and start planning early.
When asked whom to shine a light on, Dave Imming, Snowdown bored member, said DURANGO! Without the community, there would be no festival. He spoke of how satisfying it is to stand back and watch the theme come to life with all the costumes, floats (50-60 this year), and energy. Of course, the hundreds of volunteers, the city of Durango, and fire department, too.
Catch the fever! Have fun and be safe. Friday’s light parade starts at 6 p.m. with free transportation running from 4:30 – 9 p.m. from the La Plata County Fairgrounds to the Durango Transit Center. Visit Magpies, the official Snowdown HQ, for swag, and snowdown.org for the full event schedule.
It’s not too soon to start planning either for Snowdown 2026: local Colorado History. In 2026, Colorado turns 150 and the U.S.A. 250.
