FirstGrass Concert kicks off Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Mountain Village
The 50th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival kicks off in picturesque Mountain Village with the return of the annual favorite, Firstgrass, a free outdoor concert in Sunset Plaza on Wednesday, June 14.
Town Mountain will play at 5 p.m. in Sunset Plaza and the Bella White will follow at 6:30 p.m. The music will run through 8 p.m.
Town Mountain hails from Asheville, NC, and is a bastion of Appalachian alt-country rebellion and honky-tonk attitude. Bella White is a Canadian singer/multi-instrumentalist who grew up on classic country and old-time music and balances her old-soul musicality with self-reflective songwriting.
After the show, stick around to dine in Mountain Village or enjoy the festival’s Bluegrass Eve Party at the Telluride Conference Center with Leftover Salmon playing at 9 p.m. (doors open at 8 p.m.). This show is ticketed.
For more information on the festival, please visit www.bluegrass.com/telluride.
FESTIVAL TRANSPORTATION & PARKING
Mountain Village and Telluride are connected by a three-stage gondola system starting at Market Plaza in Mountain Village to Village Center, and ending in Telluride at Oak Street Plaza. It takes about 12 minutes to get from one town to the other via Mountain Village Center.
During the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, gondola operating hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday, June 14 through Sunday, June 18. Expect long lines during peak times.
The Meadows bus loop will run until 3 a.m. these nights with the last departure from Market Plaza to the Meadows at 2:35 a.m. In addition, Dial-A-Ride will remain open until 2:30 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Mountain Village’s Gondola Parking Garage located at 433 Mountain Village Blvd., behind Town Hall and The Village Market and northwest of the gondola terminal is free to park during the festival. Individuals and festivarians without parking permits must park their vehicles where directed by parking staff once the Gondola Parking Garage is full.
The North Village Center pay-to-park surface lot is another parking option though overnight parking is not allowed. Short-term parking will be available for those doing business in Mountain Village; times will be enforced.
For visitors needing a ride to their vehicle parked on Town roadways, the Planet Bluegrass bus will pick up festivarians at Market Plaza and drop off passengers near their vehicle. The bus will run Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Vehicles left on Mountain Village roadways after 12 p.m. Monday, June 19 will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Alternatively, for those shopping, dining or recreating in Mountain Village, we suggest using Heritage Parking Garage for parking, located off Mountain Village Boulevard, under Hotel Madeline. Parking is $2 for each hour and $35 maximum in a 24-hour period.
