Hi, NOCO Crew!
You can feel the change in the air this week: students are back, traffic on Elizabeth is suddenly a test of patience, and the scent of new books and espresso hangs over every coffee shop near campus. Every year, it sneaks up, no matter how many Augusts you've seen in these parts.
And just like clockwork, Northern Colorado is itself again: quirky, generous, maybe a little competitive. Where else would you find two legendary fundraisers — one on bikes in costume, and one on motorcycles — rolling out the same Saturday morning, just fifteen minutes apart? I don't know how we managed it either, but I'm glad we did.
Between the parades, two Springsteen tributes, and enough food trucks and paint nights to keep things lively, this weekend feels like a love letter to our weird, wonderful corner of the world. So whether you're out raising money, catching a show, or just soaking in the bustle, I'm glad you're here for it.
Pour yourself something good, and let's dive in.
— Megan
Every contribution keeps us out in the field, digging into local history, and showing up for the towns we cover. We're grateful for every bit of support. Thanks for being part of this.
— Megan & David
From Berthoud to the Wyoming state line, Fort Morgan to Estes, each week we pull together a list of the top events happening all over Northern Colorado. If you'd like to add an event to upcoming issues, hit reply and let us know.
August 28 – Sept 2, 2026
The Big One
Tour de Fat
Parade from City Park, 9:30am · Party at New Belgium Brewing, 500 Linden St, from 11am — Saturday
Twenty-six years on, Tour de Fat is still gloriously free — no tickets, no wristbands, just you, a costume, and a bike. This year’s theme is “come as you are,” which feels like both an open invitation and a bit of a dare (interpret as you wish).
If you’ve never done it, here’s the inside scoop: Tour de Fat is really two events. First is the parade, rolling out from City Park at 9:30am and winding a zigzag route down Mountain Avenue until 11:30am. Then, everyone heads two miles over to New Belgium Brewing, where the real fun — live music, contests, and general mayhem — kicks off at noon. The brewery publishes a map: north on Sherwood, right on Elm, then down the hill to the Poudre Trail. Take a peek before you find yourself following the wrong tutu.
tUnE-yArDs headlines this year, and the afternoon is packed with everything from the infamous slow ride (harder than it looks) to all sorts of offbeat contests. Expect something delightfully weird at every turn.
Every beer you buy helps support four local bike nonprofits — Bike Fort Collins, Overland Mountain Bike Association, Fort Collins Bike Co-Op, and Send Town Bike Club. It’s a fundraiser with a sense of humor (and a clown wig).
And if you’re more of a horsepower person, you’re in luck: just fifteen minutes south, the Realities Ride is revving up for another round, raising money for kids, albeit with a whole lot more engine noise. Details below.
One last thing: no pets, both for their safety and because it’s going to be hot and crowded. If you want weather updates, text TOURDEFAT to 888777.
🏍️
ENGINES & SPOKES
A quarter-century motorcycle rally, and a Sunday car meet.
Friday 28th and Saturday 29th
25th Annual Realities Ride & Rally at Grimm Brothers Brewing, 815 14th St SW (Loveland). Friday night Rally is from 5pm to 9:30pm, the Ride Rally starts Saturday with check-in at 8am. Kickstands go up at 9:30am. The After Ride Rally starts at noon.
Craig Secher started this ride twenty-five years ago with just seventy people. By 2013, Guinness certified it as the World's Largest Motorcycle Poker Run, after 1,531 riders showed up. This year, organizers hope to welcome 2,500 riders.
All the money raised goes to Realities For Children, a nonprofit that helps kids in Northern Colorado who have been abused, neglected, or are at risk. Last year, the group provided emergency funding for nearly 6,000 children and supported forty partner agencies. Sponsors cover the event’s costs, so when you register, your fee helps kids directly rather than paying for the rally itself.
Friday is the Rally Before the Ride. It’s free and open to everyone. There will be live music, a motorcycle show, vendors, food trucks, a beer garden, and a Kid Zone. Don’t miss the Battle of the Beards at 6pm or the Matt Skinner Band at 7pm. On Saturday, the ride leaves at 9:30am on a traffic-controlled route around the region, with a $2,500 prize for the best poker hand. The After Ride Rally kicks off at noon with a car show, pin-up contest, tattoo contest, axe throwing, cornhole, a car smash, and live music all day.
The Seattle Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt Team will try for a world record during the final stunt show on Saturday afternoon. Picture twelve riders and four motorcycles covering a quarter mile on vintage Harleys, all without ropes.
👉 Ride for a kid
Sunday 30th
NoCo Cars & Coffee @ The Promenade Shops at Centerra (Loveland) — 8–11am — Early, informal, and over before most of Loveland is awake. Bring the car or just walk the rows. 👉 Pop the hood
🎤
THE TRIBUTE CIRCUIT
This Saturday night, two different Bruce Springsteen tributes are playing in Northern Colorado, just twenty-five miles apart — and it doesn’t look like either one planned it that way. One of them is sharing the stage with a Tom Petty tribute. There’s also a Journey tribute in Loveland the same night, and an Elvis show the night before. No idea how all these legends lined up at once, but it’s shaping up to be a tribute-filled weekend.
Friday 28th
Nevan Castañeda as Elvis @ Rialto Theater Center (Loveland) — 7pm — A full Elvis show in Loveland's restored 1920 movie house, which is the correct room for it. 👉 Take care of business
Emo Night Brooklyn @ Aggie Theatre (Fort Collins) — 8:30pm — The touring DJ night that plays nothing but 2005. Bring your feelings. 👉 Scream along
Saturday 29th
Thunder Roads: A Bruce Springsteen Tribute @ Horsetooth Tavern (Fort Collins) — 6–9pm — Springsteen number one, and the only one you can see for the price of a bar tab. 👉 Roll down the window
Colorado Springsteen + Petty Fools @ Moxi Theater (Greeley) — 8pm — Springsteen number two, double-billed with a Tom Petty tribute. Two American songbooks in one night in downtown Greeley. 👉 Learn to fly
Still They Ride: A Tribute to Journey @ The Rialto Theater (Loveland) — 7pm — The full arena catalog, played in a room that seats a fraction of an arena. 👉 Don't stop believin'
It's a 2000's Party @ Aggie Theatre (Fort Collins) — 9pm — 👉 Party like it's 2004
✋
MADE BY HAND
Three paint nights, two mushroom classes, a laser, a CNC router, and a bonsai tree.
Friday 28th
Intro to Mushrooms: Uses, Benefits, How to Grow @ Orion's Apothecary & Mushrooms (Loveland) — 11–11:45am — Forty-five minutes and you'll know whether the longer growing class is for you. 👉 Get spore-curious
Partner Paint: Man in the Moon @ Studio Vino (Loveland) — 7–9pm — Two canvases that only make sense side by side. Bring anyone; it doesn't have to be a date. 👉 Paint half a moon
Date Night Mosaic Lamp Workshop @ The Artisan Shop and Studio (Loveland) — 6:30–8:30pm — 👉 Build a little light
Makers Hive Market @ Foothills Shopping Center (Fort Collins) — 6–8pm — 👉 Browse the hive
Beginning Alcohol Ink @ Greeley Creative Arts Center (Greeley) — 6:00pm to 8:00pm — Alcohol ink moves on its own, and you steer it. Good for people who hate precision. 👉 Let it bleed
Saturday 29th
Lakeside Harmony @ Studio Vino (Loveland) — 7–9pm — $29 — A sunset-on-the-water canvas, guided step by step, supplies included. 👉 Paint the calm part
Designing Laser Projects with Lightburn, with Mick Mickelson @ Loveland CreatorSpace (Loveland) — Time TBD — 👉 Cut it clean
Sunday 30th
Mushroom Growing with Inoculation @ Orion's Apothecary & Mushrooms (Loveland) — 3–4pm — $160 — You inoculate your own grain bag in class and take home a full grow kit, a liquid culture syringe, and a hydrometer. The price is the kit, not the hour. 👉 Start a flush
Hello Ostrich! Family Paint Night @ Studio Vino (Loveland) — 3–5pm — $29 adults, $19 for kids ten and under — It is a painting of a cheerful ostrich, and it is meant for all ages. No further explanation available or needed. 👉 Paint the bird
Intro to V-Carve Pro with Mick Mickelson @ Loveland CreatorSpace (Loveland) — 9:00am – 12:00pm — The design half. Pair it with the router class below and you leave knowing the whole workflow. 👉 Draw it first
Wednesday 2nd
Bonsai Class @ Verboten Brewing (Loveland) — 5:30pm — Run by Bath Garden Center but held at Verboten, so go to the brewery, not the garden center. You leave with a tree. 👉 Shape a little tree
Fused Glass Night Class & Open Studio @ Loveland CreatorSpace (Loveland) — 5 - 8pm — 👉 Fire it up
🍺
EATS & DRINKS
Three markets, a beer release, flowers in a greenhouse, and thirteen food trucks across three towns.
Friday 28th
Beer Release: Local Yokel @ City Star Brewing (Berthoud) — 3–10pm — 👉 Meet the yokel
Foothills Summer Farmers Market @ Foothills Shopping Center (Fort Collins) — 6-8pm — 👉 Shop the lot
Saturday 29th
The Berthoud Market @ Berthoud Town Park (Berthoud) — 9am–1pm — Produce, handmade goods, food, and live music under the trees at Town Park. Pair it with a truck and a pint at City Star four blocks away and you've built a whole Saturday out of the south end. 👉 Take the south end
Bouquets & Brews @ High Hops Brewery (Windsor) — 10:30am — Build an arrangement in a working greenhouse attached to a brewery. High Hops grows its own hops on site, so the flowers-and-beer thing isn't a stretch there the way it would be anywhere else. 👉 Arrange something
Detour de Stodgy @ Stodgy Brewing (Fort Collins) — 9am–8pm — All day at Stodgy, on the same day and with a name that is very clearly having fun at Tour de Fat's expense. 👉 Take the detour
Beer Appreciation: Grains to Glass @ Loveland CreatorSpace (Loveland) — 1:00 – 4:00 PM — How beer actually gets made, taught at a makerspace rather than a brewery. 👉 Follow the grain
Sunday 30th
Loveland Farmers Market @ 678 S Railroad Ave (Loveland) — 9am–1pm — 👉 Fill the basket
Artist Markets @ Loveland Farmers Market (Loveland) — 9am–1pm — Same market, but Sunday brings a lineup of local makers alongside the produce. Home goods, jewelry, small-batch everything. 👉 Shop the makers too
Sunday Happy Hour @ Mighty River Brewing (Windsor) — 1–4pm — 👉 Take the dollar off
Kids Eat Free @ Island Grill (Fort Collins) — 10am–9pm — 👉 Feed the crew
Monday 31st
All-Day Happy Hour @ Mighty River Brewing (Windsor) — 3–8pm — Five hours is generous by any definition of the word hour. 👉 Stretch the hour
Tuesday 1st
FoCo Food Truck Rally @ City Park (Fort Collins) — 5–9pm — The weekly Tuesday rally in City Park, running since May. 👉 Circle the trucks
Flight Club Pick Up Party @ Sweet Heart Winery (Loveland) — 5–7pm — 👉 Collect your bottles
Wednesday 2nd
$1 Wing Wednesday + Trivia @ MeadKrieger (Loveland) — 4–9pm — Dollar wings and trivia at a mead hall, which is a combination nobody asked for and everybody should try. 👉 Wing it
All You Can Eat Catfish & Live Jazz Jam @ Island Grill (Fort Collins) — 7–9:30pm — Still the strangest and best pairing on any menu in town. 👉 Go back for thirds
Flight Club Pick Up Party @ Tesoro by Sweet Heart (Fort Collins) — 6–8pm — 👉 Same club, Old Town
Natties & Patties @ The Neighbor (Fort Collins) — 4pm — 👉 Keep it simple
The truck lineup
Who's parked where this week.
Maxline (Fort Collins) — a truck every day: Fri Scrooge Maki, 3–8pm · Sat Double Wide Burgers, 12–8pm · Sun Georgia Boys, 12–6pm · Mon The Goodness, 4–7pm · Tue El Torito Loko, 4–7pm · Wed The Colorado Room, 4–8pm
City Star (Berthoud) — all 4–8pm: Fri Stick Around Skewers, flame-finished kebabs · Sat Bayou Smokehouse, jambalaya and étouffée alongside smoked wings and shrimp and grits · Tue The Schnitzel Wagon, hand-breaded schnitzel and spätzle from Fort Collins' newest truck · Wed Charlotte's Lil Kitchen, Mediterranean built on local farm and ranch ingredients
Mighty River (Windsor) — Fri Superfans, 4–8pm · Sat Culture Alley Caribbean, 1–7pm · Sun Cousins Maine Lobster, 12–8pm
🥾
OUTSIDE
A nursery day, a volunteer garden crew, live raptors, forest bathing, and two fly rods.
Friday 28th
🔴 UNC Bears Home Football @ University of Northern Colorado (Greeley) — Time TBD — 👉 Go Bears
Open Nursery Day @ High Plains Environmental Center (Loveland) — 9am–12pm — The native plant nursery opens to the public. Late August is a good time to put things in the ground here, not a bad one. 👉 Take home a native
Saturday 29th
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program @ High Plains Environmental Center (Loveland) — 9–10am — Live birds, handlers who work with them daily, an hour. RMRP rehabilitates injured raptors across Northern Colorado and the education birds are the ones that can't be released. 👉 Meet a bird of prey
Volunteer: Saturday Morning Garden Club @ High Plains Environmental Center (Loveland) — 9am–12pm — Jim and a rotating crew doing whatever the native gardens need that week — weeding, mulching, planting, propagating. Open to anyone, no experience assumed. 👉 Grow something good
Shinrin-Yoku: Introduction to Forest Bathing @ Golden Poppy Herbal Apothecary (Fort Collins) — 9am — Three hours of the Japanese practice of slow, attentive time under trees. Less woo than it sounds and more structured than a walk. 👉 Go slow under trees
🔴 Summer Rod Extravaganza @ St. Peter's Fly Shop (Fort Collins) — Time TBD — All day, both shop locations. 👉 Wave a stick at a fish
Sunday 30th
🔴 Rigging and Knots for Trout @ St. Peter's Fly Shop (Fort Collins) — Time TBD — Knots are the unglamorous half of fly fishing and the half that actually loses you fish. (JK, this is the fun part imo.) 👉 Tie one on
Monday 31st
Monday Run Club @ The Neighbor (Fort Collins) — 5:45pm — Hosted by GYTC. 👉 Clock a Monday mile
🎬
STAGE & SCREEN
Three open mics, a karaoke night, a silent film festival, and a book trailer premiere at a brewery.
Friday 28th
Open Mic @ Moxi Theater (Greeley) — 8pm — 👉 Take the Moxi stage
Bachelorette Karaoke Party @ The Love Shack (Loveland) — 9–11pm — Open to the public despite the name. Sober bar, so the singing is entirely unassisted. 👉 Crash the party
Saturday 29th
CAiR Sober Open Mic Night @ The Love Shack (Loveland) — 6:30–8:30pm — 👉 Say your piece
Cherkov's Gun Book Trailer @ Maxline Brewing (Fort Collins) — 5–9pm — A book trailer premiere at a brewery. We have not seen this before either. 👉 Watch the trailer
🔴 Karaoke @ 120 Bar and Grill (Loveland) — Time TBD — 👉 Hit the high note
Sunday 30th
Silent Film Festival @ Avogadro's Number (Fort Collins) — 7–10pm — 👉 Watch it quietly
Wednesday 2nd
Open Mic @ 120 Bar and Grill (Loveland) — 6:30–9:30pm — 👉 Three minutes, yours
🎲
CARDS, DICE & PINS
Trivia @ Garage Tap Room, Mash Lab Brewing (Windsor) — Fri 6:30–8pm — 👉 Know a thing or two
Retro Trivia @ 120 Bar and Grill (Loveland) — Mon 6:30–9:30pm — Trivia with the questions pointed backward. 👉 Remember harder
Monday Night Poker @ Verboten Brewing (Loveland) — Mon 6–9pm — 👉 Ante up
Trivia Night @ Odell Brewing (Fort Collins) — Mon 6pm — 👉 Start the week smart
Geeks Who Drink Trivia @ Mighty River Brewing (Windsor) — Tue 7–9pm — 👉 Out-geek the room
Trivia @ MeadKrieger (Loveland) — Wed, with $1 Wing Wednesday, 4–9pm — 👉 Answer between wings
📚
STORIES & SPEECH
A book club, a storytime, an herbalism talk, and French.
Storytime @ Cherry on Top Bookshop (Fort Collins) —Mon 10am, Time TBD — 👉 Sit on the rug
Traps & Trenchcoats Book Club @ Old Firehouse Books (Fort Collins) — Mon 6–7pm — 👉 Follow the lead
Introducing Sacred Wyld: Ethical Harvest and Rites of Passage @ Golden Poppy (Fort Collins) — Tue 6:30pm — On harvesting wild plants without stripping the stand. 👉 Take only some
First Wednesday FOCO French Club @ The Neighbor (Fort Collins) — Wed 6pm — All levels, no test. 👉 Parlez un peu
💃
DANCE FLOORS
Two swing nights and a salsa night.
NoCo Swing Days of Summer @ Odell Brewing (Fort Collins) — Fri 5:30pm — 👉 Swing out
Evening of Swing: Free Lessons @ Old Town Churn (Fort Collins) — Sat 6:30pm — Free lessons, ice cream on hand, no partner required. 👉 Learn the step
Salsa & Bachata @ The Neighbor (Fort Collins) — Wed 8pm — 👉 Find the one
🎸
LIVE MUSIC
Two nights of TopHouse up the canyon, St. Paul & The Broken Bones on Sunday, Goose on a Monday.
Friday through Saturday
TopHouse @ The Mishawaka (Bellvue) — Fri & Sat 8pm, two-night stand
Friday 28th
Windsor Music: Rambler's Guild @ Peculier Ales (Windsor) — 6:30–9:30pm
Greg Hoy and the Boys @ City Star Brewing (Berthoud) — 6–8:30pm
Larry and the PourBoys @ Mighty River Brewing (Windsor) — 6–9pm
Mountain Duo @ The HUB (Loveland) — 4–7pm
The Waido Experience @ Horsetooth Tavern (Fort Collins) — 6–9pm
Defunkl @ Avogadro's Number (Fort Collins) — 4:30–7pm
Inside the Mind @ Avogadro's Number (Fort Collins) — 7–9pm
k8ie x DBC @ Old Town Square (Fort Collins) — 7pm
Lowfive @ Old Man Bar (Fort Collins) — 7pm
Paul Collyer @ Snowy Peaks Winery (Estes Park) — 5–7pm
Jon Pickett of Chain Station @ The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern (Estes Park) — 5–8pm
Rich Johnson @ Lucky Joe's (Fort Collins) — 9–11:55pm
Trip Wire @ The Sand Bar (Windsor) — Time TBD
Saturday 29th
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ The Gardens on Spring Creek (Fort Collins) — 6pm, outdoors in the garden
Jimeni @ The Caldwell, Mishawaka Presents (Fort Collins) — 7pm
SONIC DISPATCH w/ Stereo Ontario and Clay K & the Vertebrates @ Swing Station (Laporte) — 8pm
Kelly Aspen and Branden Sipes @ City Star Brewing (Berthoud) — 6–8:30pm
Brett Hendrix @ Mighty River Brewing (Windsor) — 6–9pm
Triple Tap Band @ Mash Lab Brewing (Windsor) — 4–7pm
Archie Funker @ Avogadro's Number (Fort Collins) — 7–9pm
Keefus @ Horsetooth Tavern (Fort Collins) — 12–3pm
Sean Flynn @ The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern (Estes Park) — 5–8pm
Underhook, acoustic @ Lucky Joe's (Fort Collins) — 9–11:55pm
Sunday 30th
St. Paul & The Broken Bones w/ Tre Burt @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre (Bellvue) — 8pm
The Iguanas with Robin Lewis @ The Armory (Fort Collins) — 7pm
Monster Rally with RUMTUM & Desiderata @ Aggie Theatre (Fort Collins) — 8pm
Poudre Valley Playboys @ Swing Station (Laporte) — 3pm
Live Music Sundays @ Odell Brewing (Fort Collins) — 3pm
The Waido Experience @ Maxline Brewing (Fort Collins) — 3–5pm
Dollhouse Thieves @ Horsetooth Tavern (Fort Collins) — 1–4pm
David Tilmon @ City Star Brewing (Berthoud) — 5–7:30pm
Nick Critchlow, Sunday Fun-Day @ Snowy Peaks Winery (Estes Park) — 2–4pm
Sarah Minto-Sparks @ The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern (Estes Park) — 5–8pm
Open Mic Night @ Lucky Joe's (Fort Collins) — 8–11pm
Monday 31st
An Evening with Goose @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre (Bellvue) — 7pm
Free Bluegrass Mondays @ The Neighbor (Fort Collins) — 6pm, free
Wesley Scott @ The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern (Estes Park) — 5–8pm
Tuesday 1st
Greg Miles @ The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern (Estes Park) — 5–8pm
Open Mic @ Panhandler's Pizza (Fort Collins) — 6–9pm
Wednesday 2nd
Adam Klein @ Magic Rat, The Elizabeth Hotel (Fort Collins) — 7–9pm
Vinyl Listening Party @ Sunset Lounge, The Elizabeth Hotel (Fort Collins) — 7:30–9:30pm
Brian Kittrell @ CooperSmith's (Fort Collins) — 7–9pm
Celtic Jam and Trad Session @ Lucky Joe's (Fort Collins) — 7–9pm
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