How are we coping with the constant barrage of terrible news? Turning to our community, of course – and to the spirited and generous people who live and work here, who year after year roll up their sleeves and volunteer to turn out snowtactular events like Snowdown. More than 200 volunteers contribute hundreds of hours, without whom the show quite literally would not go on.
And this year – hooray! – it finally snowed.
The best part of Snowdown? All of it! 10 days of events – 221, 71 of them kid-friendly – and the Uniquely Colorado, Then and Wow!-themed costumes (and the look on tourists’ faces who arrive in town with no knowledge of what’s going on). It’s the 47th year of Durango’s favorite cure for cabin fever, and once again the community has delivered.
Snowdown began in 1979 as a “cabin fever reliever” to help downtown businesses through slow January weeks, and today it continues to boost commerce and community. Looking ahead, the 50th anniversary planning committee is forming – volunteers can sign up at Snowdown.org, Volunteer tab – to help make 2029 just as memorable as the first 47 years.
A little history: 2025 marked 30 years of SKA Brewing partnering with Snowdown. Thirty years ago they weren’t bottling yet – the first time they ever bottled a beer, it was a Snowdown beer!
The Bored (not a typo) of Directors Big 5 events:
The Follies, now in their 45th year, are always sold out – hundreds of volunteers bring the shows to life, from cast to crew to core bored members. (Fun fact: Gala tickets cannot be willed and have been divvied up in divorce proceedings.)
Fashion Do’s & Don’ts, also sold out, delivers laughs and spectacle at the La Plata County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
The Light Parade, hosted by Purgatory Resort on Friday, Jan. 30, starts at 6 p.m. and features a special Colorado Sesquicentennial drone show – thank History Colorado for the show (and a new word in your vocabulary: sesquicentennial, which means 150, as our fine state turns this year). Free shuttles run 3–9 p.m. from the Fairgrounds to the Transit Center.
Outlaw Josie-Pete’s Snowdown Golf Tournament, one of the oldest events, begins at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, spanning 20 downtown watering holes. Spectators love the costumes – apparently the best at Snowdown every year.
Chili Cook-Off & Bloody Mary Contest, also on Jan. 31 at the Fairgrounds, opens at noon. Tasting tickets available at the door or pre-parade Friday, 3:30–4:30 p.m. at El Rancho Tavern.
The Sneer, “annoying Southwest Colorado since 1993,” is back, spot on in both topic choice and wit. Headlines this year include kangaroos on the lam, pickleball (“which courts are dill and which are bread and butter?”), TABOR – with refunds payable in pot (yes, that kind), a combo dog park and child care center, historic horoscopes, puzzles, and more. We won’t give it all away, so pick one up – and enjoy more than a few laughs – at Magpies or the Durango Welcome Center.
A special Snowdown tradition: 3,000 envelopes arrived for a chance at Follies tickets this year. The Secret Picker, who is blindfolded and buried under the envelopes, digs themselves out picking lucky winners as they go. The Secret Picker is always a contest winner – never someone affiliated with Snowdown – and never the same person twice.
New this year, in addition to 40 new events, is the Snowdown App – the most accurate and up-to-date way to keep track of everything. Search Apple and Google for SnowdownDurango.
Snowdown runs through Feb. 1, with free bus service, shuttles, costumes ranging from suffrage-era to who-knows-what, and a whole lot of joy packed into 10 winter days. It’s loud, silly, heartfelt, and completely community-powered.
Snowdown proves again and again that creativity, community, and fun can fill our hearts and light up our souls. Thanks to the volunteers, the Bored, and everyone who shows up to laugh, cheer, and play.
Happy Snowdown!
