There’s one thing that everyone you know has mentioned probably at least once.  And no, it isn’t the back-to-school season (congrats Poudre School District and local universities), and it isn’t the abundance of construction almost constantly around town.

It’s the 2018 Fort Collins Peach Festival this weekend on August 18th! This 8th annual event takes place in Downtown Fort Collins from 9 AM to 5 PM.

The most important thing about this festival is that it is a fundraising event! The idea is to promote community interaction and service, and allow for local businesses to give back to their community. The Festival will donate the money back to the Rotary Clubs of Fort Collins and the STEM Education Fund.

The first thing you need to know is that many of the booths and activities don’t take cash, but rather, take festival tickets. You have $5 admission to get in, unless you’re under 15 (then you’re free!), and then you need to stop by one of the five ticket booths around the festival. And if you’re part of the 21+ crew and plan on sampling 21+ goods, you need to stop by the I.D. check zones next to the ticket booths. They’ll give you a wrist band so you can sample away!

The particular areas that require tickets are: peach margaritas, peach beer, peach cobbler, peach pie, peach pancake breakfast, all kids zone activities, Ninja Nation and mini golf. That sounds quite peachy.

But don’t worry, not all the food stuffs require tickets! The food trucks, restaurant booths, and vendors do take cash, and some take card. There will be ATMs around if you need them.

The activities at the festival take place from 9 AM to 5 PM.  Early in the morning (8:30), you can expect that peach pancake breakfast, as well as a 5k run/walk at 8, a healthy kids fun run at 9, and yoga in the park at 9:30. In the afternoon (4:00) you can enjoy the peach pie eating contest.

There’s even going to be live music! At 10:00 AM, you should go see the Blind Alley Troubadours. They’ll be followed by GOATZ! (probably my favorite band name ever) at noon, and then to finish it off, Gasoline Lollipops wraps the live music up at 2PM.

Don’t forget while you’re there to visit Ninja Nation and the two Kids Zone areas!

This event is outdoors. Please do not forget a hat, sunscreen or a water bottle. There are water bottle refilling stations across the festival. It’s ok to use them. In fact, please use them. Or your day may not end so peachy.

For more information, including location details, parking details and schedule: http://fortcollinspeachfestival.com

For historical information about the festival: http://fortcollinspeachfestival.com/history/

Crystal Angevine

Crystal Angevine is a CSU Alum, who dreams big and works hard. She loves being in the outdoors, lives for her family, and tries hard to be the change she wishes to see in the world. On any given Saturday, she might be found knitting, doing other handcrafted arts, or playing video games. She grew up in Northern Colorado, but still loves exploring Fort Collins and the surrounding areas. What better way to do that than by telling the world about the plethora of events dear old FoCo has to offer?