The 31st annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival took over its namesake mountain town last weekend, closing out the summer festival season with a bang.
The event is an ode to one of Colorado’s classic combinations – music and beer – but has evolved over the decades to offer much more than that. There’s comedy, intimate shows in the campground, pancake breakfasts with a side of live entertainment, and special beer tastings. VIP ticket holders can even watch their football team play on Sunday without missing a beat at a two-story sports bar in the festival grounds.
Headlining sets this year featured the heady bass lines of Thundercat, country-rock vibes from Lukas Nelson and alternative rock sounds of The Black Crowes. Stormy weather also played a starring role at the event, but attendees’ mud-caked shoes only proved to be a reminder of the foot-stomping good times that were had.
Here are five magical moments we experienced at Telluride Blues & Brews Festival 2025.
Samantha Fish plays beneath a double rainbow
They say you can’t have rainbows without rain, and one of the fest’s most iconic moments is a testament to that. Rain drizzled down most of the day Friday and into the early evening, but before sunset, as Kansas City shredder Samantha Fish was unleashing on guitar, the clouds parted to make way for a vibrant, double rainbow that arched over the entire box canyon. The moment was electric and gave the crowd a burst of energy to match Fish’s equally electric set.
Colorado musician Sam Kelly wails on saxophone during a performance by Andy Frasco & the U.N. on Sept. 13, 2025 during the 31st annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. (Provided by Andrew Rios/SBG Productions)Andy Frasco & the U.N. bring the party
There’s something about Andy Frasco, the whiskey-swigging singer and piano player at the helm of Andy Frasco & The U.N., that just draws you in. Whether he is raucously starting a mosh pit in the crowd or welling up with tears talking about his mother’s cancer treatment, every emotion he projects is contagious. The group of musicians behind him are no less powerful, pumping out high-voltage tunes that defy genre by blending rock, blues, pop, and everything within their orbit. At the end of the band’s main stage set Saturday, Frasco called out saxophonist Sam Kelly, a Dolores, Colorado native who had been subbing in the band. The singer got down on one knee and asked Kelly to be a permanent fixture of the lineup and with a ceremonious pull from a Jameson bottle, it became official.
Late night jams with Sir Woman and Nude Party
One of the best things about Telluride Blues & Brews Festival is that fans typically have more than one opportunity to catch each act. Sir Woman and The Nude Party, two bands that played early afternoon sets on the main stage, teamed up for a late-night double-bill Saturday night that kept the good vibes rolling until well after midnight.
At local dive O’Bannon’s Irish Pub, indie R&B outfit Sir Woman got the party started with a mix of festival-friendly older songs and new tunes from its double-album releases – cheekily named “If It All Works Out” and “If It Doesn’t” – earlier this year. The Nude Party then shook the house with its retro rock sound, culminating with its hit song “Chevrolet Van,” during which Andy Frasco made a cameo on vocals, and a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers.” It was an unmatched opportunity for fans to get up close and personal with both groups, since the venue only holds a couple hundred people.
Singer Andy Frasco joins The Nude Party during their hit song “Chevrolet Van” at O’Bannon’s Irish Pub during the 31st annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival pic.twitter.com/5qsDNnbI6X
— Tiney Ricciardi (@tineywristwatch) September 16, 2025
VIP is for foodies
Among the myriad of perks that come with VIP tickets, the best has to be all the opportunities to indulge your inner foodie. For example, there was a free barbecue buffet during dinner Friday night and a complimentary gospel brunch spread on Sunday morning, complete with bottomless mimosas and a Bloody Mary bar. Also on Sunday, VIPers could access a champagne and oyster bar for an extra cost. To have the kind of decadence you don’t often find at music festivals? Priceless.
Better than your average beer selection
Related Articles
‘Go, wiener, go!’ 5 places to see dachshund races in Colorado this fall Colorado’s best mountain towns for live music fans A unicorn festival, Affordable Arts Fest and more things to do in Denver Denver Food & Wine Fest, Colorado State Fair and more things to do Things to do in Denver: ‘Sweet & Lucky’ at DCPA, honey bee fest, beer partyGeneral admission ticket holders, too, were spoiled when it came to the beverage lineup, which rotated daily to showcase the best of U.S. craft beers. Standouts throughout the weekend included Outer Range Brewing Co.’s Sky Slide session hazy pale ale and Crooked Stave Brewing Co.’s Cucumber Margarita Mexican Lager, a collab with The Real Dill pickle company. Hardcore hopheads additionally had the option to purchase tickets to a weekend kickoff beer dinner or one of several beer tastings, including a rare, barrel-aged and high ABV session.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.
Hence then, the article about 5 best moments from beats to bites at telluride blues brews was published today ( ) and is available on The Denver Post ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 5 best moments, from beats to bites, at Telluride Blues & Brews )
Also on site :