The 15th-annual Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest, a free three-day music festival held in historic downtown Fort Collins, will take place Aug. 9-11 and will showcase a lineup with 80-plus bands, seven stages of continuous entertainment and more than 200 specialty, art and food booths. 

Music Information

The 2019 Bohemian Nights music lineup will feature a diverse offering of new, emerging and established Colorado bands playing across six music stages, as well as nightly performances by national headliners.

Live Simulcast: Saturday’s headliner performance by Bonnie Raitt will be simulcast live on large screens at three locations: Old Town Square Stage, Library Park Stage and on the screen at the northwest corner of Library Park.

Band Merchandise and Giveaways: One hundred percent of band merchandise sales goes directly to the artists. With every purchase of band merchandise from stage merchandise tents, festivalgoers will receive a free Bohemian Nights tote bag (while supplies last).

Ask Me About Local Music: Staffed by members of the Fort Collins Musicians Association, “Ask Me About Local Music” gives festivalgoers the opportunity to get customized Colorado music recommendations. There will be representatives from Ask Me About Local Music in red T-shirts stationed at the Information Booths.

Mobile App: Information about Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest – including the festival lineup, information about bands, the festival map, FAQs and information about Kids’ Music Adventure – is available on the Bohemian Nights mobile app, available for iOS and Android. The app will also provide information in case of inclement weather or other unplanned occurrences.

Social Media: Follow the festival on Bohemian Nights’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and use #FoCoMusic to join the conversation.

Festival Information

Festival Hours: Friday 5-10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.  

200+ Vendor Booths: Festivalgoers can browse art and specialty booths, learn about nonprofit and community organizations and enjoy a variety of food and beverages. 

For Families and Kids: There are two main sections specifically for kids. Located in the Library Park Courtyard, Kids’ Music Adventure allows kids of all ages to make their own instruments, interact with real instruments, enjoy live musical performances, participate in fun music workshops and more. Youth performers this year include Cecilia, The Cody Sisters, Cosmic Hot Sauce, Little Kids Rock – Bacon Elementary, Little Kids Rock – Dunn Elementary, Macy Warner, People in General and Youth Music Collective. For the second year, an interactive early music maker program hosted by Foundation Music School and CSU Music Therapy RAMboree will take place at 11:20 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Kids’ Music Adventure is open from 10:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The second children’s area is Kids’ World, produced by the Downtown Fort Collins Business Association. Kids’ World features a non-musical performance community stage with dance, youth martial arts exhibitions and family friendly comedy, as well as a carnival area with giant inflatables, obstacle courses, games and attractions. Carnival Bucks for Kids’ World may be purchased at the intersection of Mathews Street and Olive Street.

Volunteer: The festival is made possible by the work of Bohemian Nights and Downtown Fort Collins Business Association volunteers filling more than 800 shifts over the course of the weekend. Volunteer positions with Bohemian Nights and the Downtown Business Association are still available for all three days (Aug. 9-11), and shifts range from two to five hours. Shifts begin as early as 8 a.m. each day. Those interested in volunteering with Bohemian Nights can visit bohemiannights.org/volunteer for more information.  Those interested in volunteering with the DBA can visit downtownfortcollins.com for more information.

Transportation

Street Closures: Visit www.bohemiannights.org/images/pdf/bnnwf/2019-street-closures.pdf for specific street closures. See the festival map for general street closures. 

Public Transportation: MAX bus service will operate during all festival hours. Visit www.ridetransfort.com or download the TransFort mobile app for information about schedules and fares.

Bike Parking: Attendees are encouraged to use bike parking, available for the duration of the festival. There are two temporary bike parking locations: on Walnut Street between College Avenue and Linden Street, and near the southeast corner of Library Park at Peterson Street and Olive Street. Bicycles left at temporary parking after the conclusion of the festival will be removed at the owner’s expense.

Skateboard Parking: There is a skateboard parking structure available for use in Old Town Square at the intersection of Trimble Court Alley and Whitton Alley. Skateboards are not allowed in the Mountain Avenue venue. 

Car Parking: Parking is available in the Old Town Parking Structure, on the corner of Remington Street and Mountain Avenue, and in the Civic Center Parking Structure, on the corner of Mason Street and Laporte Avenue, and in the Firehouse Alley Parking Structure, on the corner of Jefferson Street and Chestnut Street. Parking is available at regular rates on Friday, and $5 all day Saturday and Sunday. Parking also is available on public streets around the festival, except on those streets closed for the festival.

Safety and Security

Headliner Performances: The Mountain Avenue venue is where headliners perform. The venue is broken into sections and a queueing system is used to track venue capacity. All personal items will be searched upon entrance to the venue all day long. The Mountain Avenue venue is general admission and is expected to reach capacity for headliner performances. Entrance to the venue will be closed when the venue reaches capacity. Festivalgoers who leave the venue must re-enter from the main entrance and will not be able to re-enter if the venue has reached capacity. Portable toilets will be available within each section, and water and beer will be available for purchase within each section.

Prohibited Items: All personal items are subject to search throughout the festival. Alcohol not purchased at the festival and smoking of any kind are prohibited, as are drugs, weapons of any kind and fireworks. Glass bottles, large backpacks, coolers, lawn chairs, blankets and selfie sticks also are prohibited. 

Smoking: Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the festival and in downtown Fort Collins.

Weather: If severe weather occurs, including lightning, strong continuous wind, wind bursts or hail, Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest may delay or even cancel shows. In the event of severe weather, please seek shelter in a permanent structure as directed by event security. Announcements will be made from the stages regarding delays, cancellations or evacuation procedures. Weather updates also will be posted on the mobile app, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Safety is the responsibility of all attendees. 

#FoCoMusic