Telluride, Colorado is a destination celebrated globally for its dramatic mountain landscapes and a vibrant calendar packed with world-class telluride festival. From renowned film festivals to challenging endurance races, this charming town thrives on bringing people together for unique experiences. However, a recent decision regarding the town’s bustling event schedule has sparked considerable discussion and debate among locals and event organizers. The company behind the iconic Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a cornerstone of the summer season, planet bluegrass telluride recently secured approval for a new two-night concert event planned for late summer, prompting a closer look at the dynamics of managing tourism and community life in this coveted mountain locale.
The Latest Development: A New Planet Bluegrass Telluride Concert
In a move that unfolded swiftly for a town known for its tightly scheduled summer months, the Telluride town council gave its approval for a significant new two-night concert event. Proposed by Planet Bluegrass, the Lyons-based promoter synonymous with the beloved Telluride Bluegrass Festival, this new concert is slated for August 22-23 in Town Park.
While Telluride boasts a well-earned reputation as a hub for major cultural and musical gatherings, news of the additional concert was not met with universal enthusiasm within pockets of this remote community. The timing of the proposed concerts directly conflicts with the established Telluride Mountain Run, an event that has utilized Town Park as its starting and finishing point since 2019.
At the town council meeting on February 25, where the concert received its final nod, the race organizer, Jared Vilhauer, voiced significant concerns. He argued that sharing the weekend and the critical space within the park with potentially thousands of concert-goers “would make it impossible to produce the race which has made our event popular.” Despite these clear concerns, the council proceeded to approve the concert in a 4-1 vote, granting an exception to their own May 2024 deadline for submitting applications for 2025 events. Planet Bluegrass had reportedly announced their intention for the event back in December.
Zach Tucker, vice president of Planet Bluegrass, presented the event – temporarily dubbed “The Two Night Concert in Town Park” pending the signing of a headlining act – as an opportunity to introduce “different bands, a different genre and branch out from what we currently offer … in Telluride.” He referenced successful concert series Planet Bluegrass produced in Town Park in late August 2015 and 2016, which featured Colorado-based electronic dance music band Pretty Lights. The approval allows Planet Bluegrass to sell nearly 8,000 tickets per night for the event.
The Telluride Mountain Run: More Than Just a Race
The Telluride Mountain Run has cultivated a dedicated following since its current organizers took the helm in 2017. It has seen substantial growth, expanding from 75 participants to 450, drawn to its challenging yet stunning courses. The race offers three distances, ranging from 13 to 40 miles, traversing terrain that has long been sacred to hikers, visitors and residents of the San Juan Mountains. Runners climb through iconic areas like Bear Creek, cross Wasatch Pass, navigate the Sneffels Highline Trail, descend via the abandoned Tomboy Mine Camp, and finish along the town’s picturesque Valley Floor.
Isabella Poulos, a three-time participant and local Telluride runner, described the event as far more than a competition. “it’s not even really a race. It’s like this mountain experience,” she stated. This unique quality resonates deeply with attendees. “You get to see all your friends out there. It highlights why I live here and the community dynamic I feel is so important to Telluride,” Poulos added, emphasizing the strong sense of local connection the run fosters.
Like many runners and residents, Poulos expressed her “disappointment” at the news that the race would be sharing Telluride’s often-strained tourist infrastructure – including streets, lodging, and the beloved Town Park along the scenic San Miguel River – with thousands of additional concert attendees. Vilhauer, who co-organizes the race with Fischer Hazen, told The Colorado Sun that they have “always imagined ourselves as an alternative to those large, corporate, festival-type events which have become quite popular.”
Following Vilhauer’s vocal concerns, members of the local running community quickly mobilized, sharing their views in group chats and newspaper op-eds. Numerous letters poured into the town council, urging representatives to reject the concert proposal and protect the run’s claim on what is considered a rare, relatively quiet weekend – sandwiched between the town’s jazz and film festivals – when securing camping spots, parking, and even a quick meal is typically less challenging.
The conversation rapidly extended beyond just the running community. One letter submitted to the council, endorsed by over a dozen residents and business leaders, warned that adding another large event “would overwhelm our town’s infrastructure.” The letter, drafted in part by the owner of a hotel located near the base of the gondola, acknowledged the potential economic benefits but implored the council to prioritize long-term sustainability, asking them to “cultivate new, sustainable approaches to tourism that minimize negative consequences for locals and the environment.” This highlights the broader debate about the kind of tourism Telluride should pursue.
A New Source of Angst for a Fest-Stressed Community
For some Telluride residents, concerts have long been a point of contention, particularly concerning noise levels. This led the town council in 2020 to require festivals to submit detailed sound-management plans. Reports indicated that sound impacts in the densely populated neighborhoods surrounding Town Park were a significant issue following the Pretty Lights shows in 2015 and 2016. The town’s contract with Planet Bluegrass for the new August event specifically mandates the organization to minimize noise levels beyond the park boundaries.
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Fatigue with tourism has become a frequent phenomenon throughout Colorado’s mountain towns, and Telluride is certainly not immune. The early years of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a massive influx of visitors and real estate investment directed towards remote, recreation-focused communities. In response, the Telluride town council implemented significant measures aimed at curbing the negative impacts of overwhelming tourism, including capping short-term-rental licenses, withdrawing funding from the local tourism board, and halting destination marketing campaigns.
More recently, however, the policy sentiment has begun to shift. Over the past eighteen months, the council has allowed the STR cap to expire and has resumed funding domestic and international marketing efforts for Telluride. This shift reflects a renewed focus on the economic benefits tourism brings, balancing it against the desires of the long-term residents seeking a quieter mountain lifestyle. Telluride is a prime location to experience a quintessential colorado music festival, and the new concert adds another dimension to this scene, though not without raising questions about capacity.
The Economic Promise vs. Community Impact
A key factor influencing the council’s decision was the substantial economic impact projected for the new concert. Planet Bluegrass presented an estimate, calculated by the local Tourism Board, suggesting the event would generate an additional $6.4 million in economic activity for the town. Furthermore, between venue rental fees and increased sales tax revenue, an estimated $70,000 is predicted to flow directly into the town government’s coffers.
Councilmember Meehan Fee, herself an event producer, cited the potential benefit to the town’s working-class residents as a primary reason for her vote in favor of the event. “Right now,” she stated, “the greatest good is that the people who are living and working here will get one more week of predictable revenue to take them through the offseason.”
Megan Ossola, owner of The Butcher and The Baker cafe, which experiences lines down the block during peak summer festivals, welcomed the prospect of the new event. “It’s those big weekends, those big bumps — the Bluegrass Festival, the Fourth of July — that get me ahead for the shoulder season,” Ossola explained. While she empathized with her neighbors’ frustrations, she saw the economic upside clearly. “It makes sense that locals gripe: ‘Oh it’s the end of the season, and we’re adding another concert?’ But I just think ‘Oh, great! Maybe I can give a better bonus at the end of the year. Maybe I can throw a holiday party for my staff.’”
However, opinions within the local business community are divided. Steve Hertzfeld, co-owner of Counter Culture, a lunch spot located just outside town in Lawson Hill, expressed more skepticism. Hertzfeld felt it was unfair to the race organizers, whose event already sells out, to have to alter their logistics. While open to new visitors, he questioned the long-term economic impact. “A headliner who is going to be here for two days this one summer — just to me — it doesn’t promote a sustainable economy,” he commented, preferring to see Telluride prioritize developing its recreation economy, which he believes is “less boom and bust.”
Only one council member voted against the concert proposal, while the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously supported it. Telluride Mayor Teddy Errico also supported the approval, citing factors beyond just economics, including cultural enrichment and Planet Bluegrass’s positive track record working with town staff and residents. Addressing the perceived conflict between those seeking a recreation-oriented mountain lifestyle and those favoring the larger economic returns from big crowds, Mayor Errico suggested the two sides are interconnected.
“As we deal with the impacts of COVID and grow into the resort promised by our forefathers in the ’80s, it’s becoming harder to protect what (the mountain) lifestyle is,” he said. He acknowledged that maintaining Telluride’s robust tourist economy might require smaller events to coexist with larger, more profitable ones. “I do wax poetic about the quiet weekends,” he reflected, “but those days are over.”
Moving Forward: Coexistence and Community Spirit
Following the approval for the August 22-23 concerts, race organizers Vilhauer and Hazen sent communications to registered runners, setting expectations for race day under the new circumstances. Vilhauer reported that a few runners who expressed concerns and pulled out received refunds, but overall feedback has been supportive, with many promising to participate.
In a display of collaborative effort, the Mountain Run organizers are actively working with Telluride town staff and Planet Bluegrass to develop a plan for sharing space in Town Park, including dividing camping areas, to ensure both events can successfully take place simultaneously. Runners have also been offered a 50% discount on concert tickets once they become available. While Planet Bluegrass vice president Zach Tucker did not rule out repeating the August concert in future summers, plans remain fluid.
Despite the logistical challenges, Isabella Poulos still intends to run the race and remains focused on the unique community experience it fosters. “Even if they’re not racing,” she noted, people are “out hiking on the course, cheering someone on, way up in Marshall Basin. … Maybe they hiked up at 3 a.m. just to watch 50 people run through that they know.” For Poulos and many others, the spirit of the event is paramount. “I think it’s important we keep this race alive.”
The situation in Telluride highlights the ongoing balancing act faced by many popular tourist destinations: leveraging the economic benefits of large-scale events while striving to preserve the character, infrastructure, and quality of life that attract both residents and visitors in the first place. As Telluride navigates this intersection, the story of the new planet bluegrass telluride concert and the Telluride Mountain Run offers a compelling look at the complexities of growth and community in a world-class mountain town.