Where to find free live music in Northern Colorado

The Elders at the Foote Lagoon in Loveland, Colorado
The Elders play the Foote Lagoon Concert Series in 2009. Photo by H.M. Kerr-Schlaefer. All rights reserved.

One of my favorite summer activities is listening to live music while laying in the green grass and watching the clouds roll by. When I researched summer outdoor music options in Northern Colorado, I was overwhelmed. If you were so inclined, you could spend every evening of the week listening to live music somewhere in Colorado, and I think that’s pretty awesome.

I’ve mentioned several of these events before, but thought it would be nice to have them all right here in an a handy little list for my readers. I have no doubt that I’ve missed a few, so if you know of a free concert series in your town, whether it’s in Northern Colorado or beyond, please drop me a message in the comment section!

All of these concerts are FREE!

Foote Lagoon Concert Series (Loveland, Colorado)

This free concert series starts on June 16 and runs every Thursday until August 20. The Foote Lagoon is located at 500 E. 5th Street near Loveland’s municipal buildings just east of historic downtown.

The round stage is actually located in the lagoon, with the audience sitting either in the concrete seating area or on the grassy slopes of the lagoon. Concerts start at 7 p.m., and many people bring a picnic to enjoy before or during the show.

Each year the lineup at the lagoon is different and this year is no exception, featuring everything from honky-tonk to a Beetle tribute band. To see the entire schedule of bands including links to their website go to my previous post here.

Friday Fest (Greeley, Colorado)

Every Friday, starting on June 10, you can enjoy live bands during on 9th Street Plaza in downtown Greeley. The Greeley Blues Jam (June 10-11) kicks off the event and it concludes with the Arts Picnic extravaganza on July 30. Greeley’s music scene attracts talented bands from every genre. Learn all about GBJ in my previous post about the event. The Greeley Blues Jam is not a free event.

Lagoon Summer Concert Series (Ft. Collins, Colorado)

This event is held every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the lagoon on the west lawn of Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center. The concert series starts on June 29 and runs through August 10. To see what bands are on the schedule go to www.lagoonseries.com.

Also in Fort Collins…

Noontime Notes Concert Series – Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oak Street Plaza in Old Town.  Runs June 7 through August 16.

Ben & Jerry’s FAC Concert Series – Friday nights in Old Town Square from 7 to 9 p.m. Starts June 3 and ends on August 19.

Longmont Summer Concert Series (Longmont, Colorado)

The City of Longmont offers three free concerts at various locations during the summer. First up, Concert in the Park in Roosevelt Park at 700 Longs Peak Avenue. These concerts run every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m., starting on June 14 with the Celtic band, The Indulgers.  <— YEAH! Love this band!

The Museum’s Summer Concert Series runs every Wednesday in the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center’s courtyard. Concerts take place from 7 to 8 p.m., and the museum is located at 400 Quail Road.

Last, but not least, the Downtown Summer Concert Series kicks off on June 10. These concerts take place every Friday night at 4th and Main in downtown Longmont with music starting at 7 p.m. To see the entire lineup of bands playing at each of these venues go to www.ci.longmont.co.us.

Rhythm on the Rails (Niwot, Colorado)

This is award winning concert series is held every Thursday evening at 6:45 p.m. in Whistle Stop Park. The event starts on June 9 and runs through August 18, 2011. This event includes food vendors, artisans, kids activities and a beer/wine/margarita tent for the adults. Find a complete lineup of bands playing this venue visit  www.niwot.com.   The best part? It’s held in one of the Mayor’s favorite towns!  Read all about Niwot, here.

Update 6/15/11:

Sounds of Centerra (Loveland, Colorado)

Friday, July 15 through Friday, August 19

The concerts will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Chapungu Sculpture Park, located just east of the Promenade Shops at Centerra and are free to the public. To see the lineup of bands go here.

10 Comments


  1. My hubby is playing in the Ft. Collins Lagoon Summer Concert series! Last Men on Earth will entertain on July 27th! Thanks Heidi for this great list of free live music in NOCO! I go to each of these at some point during the summer, at least once. VERY FUN!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the comment Karen! I’m at a wedding rehearsal in Estes Park that night! Why do I keep missing all his concerts!!?? I really want to hear them play!

      Reply

    2. Haha! No biggie! Keep June 4th, at the Dicken’s Opera House in Longmont on your calendar, if you’re not booked with something else!

      Reply

  2. Do you have a public google calendar that lists all these cool events you find? I’ve attempted to create something like that for my own use, but there’s always more things I miss.

    Reply

    1. No, I do not. Someday, when I upgrade the site it will be much easier to find dates, etc. Believe me, the dream of HeidiTown is big! And will become a reality, with time.

      However, I’ve never wanted to be a calendar of events. Rather, HeidiTown is “stuff the Mayor likes.” That being said, I would like to make it easier for people to browse in various ways including by dates, region, and festival type.

      Reply

  3. Hey thanks for the info! I’ll definitely be attending as many performances as possible and writing reviews on my Blog. Any performers who’d like me to advertise for them just shoot me a message as well and I’d be happy to get their name out to my followers.

    Reply

  4. Wow, great website…thanks so much…exactly what I was looking for

    Reply

  5. Hi! Is there an evening part to the GBJ event and are there times for the freel concerts and maps for getting to them?

    Reply

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