Snowdown in Durango to be a sesquicentennial celebration

Snowdown, Durango’s favorite winter festival that kicks off today, will be a sesquicentennial celebration.

The theme, “Uniquely Colorado – Then and Wow,” acknowledges Colorado’s 150 years of statehood. Durango artist Shan Wells, who designed the poster representing Snowdown 2026, said the theme inspired him to capture Durango’s history in his artwork.

The poster features caricatures of Snowdown board members in old fashioned Victorian garb, which Wells said is a visual cue for jolly Snowdowners about how to design their costumes.

The artwork shows the board members within a frame decorated with icons of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, the Colorado flag and a hand holding a Fort Lewis College diploma with traditional beaded bracelets on the wrist.

“It was more important to me to make sure that the history referenced included an acknowledgment of our Indigenous sisters and brothers in a way that was respectful, rejected tokenism, and spoke to the distance traveled in our shared history,” Wells said.

He said “history is always fraught,” but including references to historic and contemporary Indigenous and women leaders in official Snowdown artwork is a small step toward reconciling darker aspects of Durango’s history – “even though it is just silly art for a gloriously goofy winter festival,” he said.

Snowdown in a nutshell

Snowdown 2026 will feature 221 events over 10 days starting Friday and going through Feb. 1.

There are 40 new events this year and 71 “kid-friendly” events, according to a Snowdown fact sheet.

The theme this year is “Uniquely Colorado – Then and Wow,” acknowledging Colorado’s 150 years of statehood.

The theme changes every year and is chosen through a contest where people submit their ideas. Chris Lile, Snowdown president of the board of directors, said some years are stronger than others. But a good theme is one that can be represented in events and costumes.

He said one of the most well-received themes in recent years was “Steampunk” in 2015.

Each theme is preserved in a list on Snowdown’s website.

Lile said the winter festival began in 1979 as an effort to bolster businesses during what was the slowest week of the year. It has grown into a full-on celebration of Durango.

He said hundreds of volunteers participate every year to make Snowdown a success. Businesses, nonprofits and community members all pitch in to make the event memorable.

Popular events include the Follies, Light Parade, Chili Cook-Off and the Fashion Do’s and Don’ts.

The annual Snowdown Fashion Do’s and Don’ts was created in response to a 1990s USA Today article labeling Durango the “worst-dressed community” in the United States.

Bed races were a highly anticipated event that for years were held on Goeglein Gulch Road. The races were founded by Fort Lewis College students. It morphed into different formats over the years, Lile said, and was eventually moved to Main Avenue.

The races haven’t been held the past few years, but if somebody wanted to revive them, Snowdown organizers would work them to secure road space, he said.

He said Snowdown is made possible by the people who create and host events, and he’s grateful for everyone involved year after year.

“It’s a really eclectic mix of volunteers at every level, but it’s people that really love Durango and love having fun,” he said.

Having grown up in Durango, Snowdown is a part of him, Wells said. He remembers the first Snowdown in 1979 and the artwork that promoted it – a snow-covered cowboy hat. Ever since, he felt inspired to design artwork for Snowdown.

He’s lent his artistic hand to Snowdown 10 times since he became a professional illustrator in 1992. The first theme he worked on was Snowdown’s 1999 “Can You Dig It?” celebration.

“In my work at FLC, I studied a lot of Durango history, and I’ve learned how the school inspired the zaniness of Snowdown with its Heart Drive events during the 1960s, like bed racing and snow sculptures, while building on the already extant celebration of Fiesta Days which started in 1935,” he said. “Snowdown represents a deeply felt need for the community to see and celebrate itself that goes back over a century. Snowdown is Durango distilled into a bracing shot of laughter with a giggle chaser.”

Some themes are easier to illustrate than others, he said. His process typically begins with exploring visually striking imagery and “surreal interpretation that blends snow, the town and the theme” through conceptual sketches.

He said one of his best examples is his works for “Surf’s Up Snowdown,” which reimagined Main Avenue as the Pacific Ocean. “Board Games,” the theme for Snowdown 2025, is another strong example. He said he enjoyed turning Main Avenue into Monopoly pieces – a reference to the titular board game and a satirical stab at Durango’s “sky-high rents.”

Well’s artwork this year has a hyper-local focus, he said. He worked with Snowdown organizers to come up with the idea of featuring the board as caricatures, to include the train that is responsible for Durango’s existence, and to acknowledge the Indigenous community with a legacy far longer than the city’s or the state’s.

“Snowdown, like all things in a community, is about the people who show up to make it happen and they are usually all volunteers. The artwork primarily celebrates that selfless dedication,” he said.

Snowdown staples such as the follies, Light Parade and Fashion Do’s and Don’ts make a return this year, according to the event schedule:

Wells said he loves the Light Parade, and he always watches the follies when he can manage to get tickets.

“As a theatre guy, I am always so impressed with people's wit and willingness to risk themselves artistically, not to mention their talent. My family used to act in the follies, and both my aunties MC’d one year. They were the best ever,” he said in a written statement to The Durango Herald.

The follies, Light Parade and cook-off are standout events, but as is evident in Snowdown’s 47-page schedule, there are plenty of other activities in which celebrants can partake.

Chip Lile, Snowdown board president, said McDonald’s has been a huge supporter since day one. The Snowdown King and Queen contest and pet fashion shows are held in its parking lot every year.

He said Snowdown is partnering with the Southwest Colorado 250-150 Local Organizing Committee to host a drone show during the Light Parade to celebrate Colorado’s 150th anniversary.

He added a similar show is scheduled to be held this weekend in Ouray.

Snowdown’s mission statement is “fun, fun, fun,” he said, but the Snowdown Board of Directors takes its role in organizing the winter festival quite seriously.

Snowdown was founded in 1979 by John Murrah. It was intended to bolster businesses during what was one of if not the slowest week of the year in the heart of winter.

Since then, it has grown into a glorious celebration of all things Durango.

Lile said the annual Light Parade is likely the biggest annual gathering in Southwest Colorado, drawing as many as 12,000 people to the heart of Durango.

Planning for Snowdown has become a yearlong affair, he said.

He said Snowdown started with a handful of volunteers. Now, over 100 volunteers help pull the event off every year.

“People are counting on us to really pull off our end of the deal. If they’re going to be hosting events, they expect us to be set up and marketed and themed correctly,” he said.

cburney@durangoherald.com