Ten years in the Boat. Thirty artists. Four stages, three of them heated, because whoever runs this festival understands that March in Steamboat has opinions.
WinterWonderGrass returns to Steamboat Resort March 5 to 7, 2027, and this one is the big one: the 10th anniversary of the festival's Steamboat run, billed as "A Decade in the Boat."
Here is the part you need to internalize before you read anything else. The 2026 festival sold out all three days. Not "sold well." Sold out. If you are planning on being there, the time to sort lodging is now, not the morning the lineup drops.
WinterWonderGrass 2027: The Essentials
- Dates: Friday, March 5 through Sunday, March 7, 2027
- Where: Upper Knoll Parking Lot at Steamboat Resort, Steamboat Springs, CO
- Doors: 2:00 p.m. daily
- Music until: 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 9:00 p.m. Sunday
- Lineup announcement: October 6, 2026
- Tickets: General on-sale in October at winterwondergrass.com/steamboat
- Ages: All ages. 21+ to drink. Kids under 12 free, seniors over 75 free.
- Rain, snow, or shine: It is outdoors. In Colorado. In March. Dress like you mean it.
Good news on pricing: the organizers have confirmed no price increase from 2026, which in the current festival landscape is close to a miracle.
Mark October 6 on Your Calendar
The 2027 lineup gets announced October 6, 2026, and general tickets go on sale in October.
If history is any guide, that announcement moves fast. Past Steamboat editions have brought Billy Strings, Trampled by Turtles, Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon, The Infamous Stringdusters, Railroad Earth, Sam Bush, and Molly Tuttle to this parking lot at the base of the mountain. For a 10th anniversary, expect them to swing big.
Our advice, learned the hard way by roughly everyone who missed out in 2026: book your lodging before the lineup drops. Rooms near the festival grounds disappear within days of a big announcement, and they do not come back. You can always sort tickets after. You cannot conjure a ski-in ski-out townhome in February.
What You Actually Get With a Three-Day Pass
This is not a festival that nickels and dimes you once you are inside.
- Entry all three days, March 5 to 7
- Complimentary beer and spiked seltzer tastings daily, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for guests 21 and over. Yes, included. Yes, daily.
- The commemorative 14th Annual WWG Steel Pint, available only to three-day pass holders. These become genuine collector items among regulars.
- 30 artists across 4 stages, three of which are inside heated tents. The heated tents are not a small detail when the sun goes down at 6,900 feet.
- Free on-mountain shows during the festival weekend
- Kids zone activities, with face painting, hula hooping, and crafts
Single-day and VIP options are typically available too. Check the official site once tickets go live.
Grass After Dark: The Festival Does Not Stop at 10
When the main stages shut down, WinterWonderGrass spills into Steamboat.
Grass After Dark late-night shows run at venues around town after the festival programme ends each night. These require separate tickets and are 21 and over, and they are where a lot of the best memories get made: smaller rooms, looser sets, artists playing for the fun of it after their main-stage obligations are done.
Buy these when you buy your festival pass. They sell independently and they sell out.
The Free Stuff Worth Showing Up Early For
Arrive Thursday and you catch things that never make the poster:
- The Thursday Welcome Show at the base of the gondola. Free, outdoors, and the unofficial start of the weekend.
- The Thursday Mountain Top Dinner, which in recent years has featured WinterWonderWomen. Ticketed separately and genuinely special.
- Free on-mountain shows throughout the weekend, so you can catch live music mid-ski-day without leaving the hill.
Coming in Thursday also means you ski Friday morning before doors open at 2:00. Which is, frankly, the entire point of a festival held at a ski resort.
Bring the Kids. Genuinely.
WinterWonderGrass is one of the rare music festivals where "family friendly" is not marketing language.
Children under 12 get in free, and seniors over 75 get in free. There is a proper kids zone with face painting, hula hooping, and crafts, so parents can actually watch a set. And because the music wraps at 9:00 or 10:00 rather than 2:00 a.m., the schedule works for people who have to be functional the next morning.
The 2:00 p.m. doors are the other quiet advantage: your morning is free for skiing, sledding, or sleeping, and the festival is an afternoon-into-evening affair rather than an all-day endurance event.
What to Wear (Take This Seriously)
This is an outdoor festival, in March, at 6,900 feet, in a mountain town. It happens in rain, snow, or shine.
- Winter boots, not sneakers. The ground is snow, slush, and then more snow.
- Layers you can add as the sun drops. A 45 degree afternoon becomes a 20 degree night quickly.
- A real jacket, hat, and gloves. The heated tents help enormously, but you will be outside between stages.
- Sunglasses and sunscreen. Yes, in March. Snow reflects a remarkable amount of UV.
- A refillable bottle. The festival runs a serious sustainability program with Minimal Impact, asks guests to reuse cups and bottles, and does not allow single-use plastics on site.
Our Steamboat packing guide covers the rest.
Parking Is Extremely Limited. Here Is How to Solve That.
The festival takes place in the Upper Knoll Parking Lot at Steamboat Resort, which means it is at the mountain base. It also means parking at the venue is, in the organizers' own words, extremely limited. They actively encourage walking, carpooling, and public transit.
So here is the single best decision you can make about this festival: stay where you can walk to it.
If your lodging is at the mountain base, the entire parking problem evaporates. You walk to the gates. You walk home at 10:00 p.m. You do not drive, you do not shuttle, and you do not spend the last hour of the night coordinating rides in the cold.
- Ski-in ski-out lodging puts you closest to both the lifts and the festival grounds. This is the premium play and it goes first.
- Walk to slopes properties deliver nearly the same convenience for less.
- Mountain area rentals keep you in the base neighborhood with a wider range of sizes and prices.
- Downtown Steamboat rentals put you closer to the Grass After Dark venues and the restaurant scene, with the free bus connecting you to the mountain.
Either end of town works. Just pick deliberately rather than ending up with a car you cannot park.
Make It a Ski Trip, Not Just a Festival
Doors at 2:00 p.m. means every single festival day is also a ski day. That is not a coincidence, it is the whole design.
One important note: lift tickets are not included with festival admission and must be purchased separately. Sort those in advance rather than at the window, and check our Steamboat lift ticket and pass deals before you buy.
Need gear? See our ski and snowboard rental deals. Reserving ahead saves you an hour in line on Friday morning, which is an hour you would rather spend on Mount Werner.
Not skiing? Steamboat has hot springs, snowmobiling, dog sledding, and hot air balloon rides. See our 11 things to do off the slopes.
Getting to Steamboat for WinterWonderGrass
- Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN) in Hayden is the closest, roughly 30 minutes from Steamboat, with direct seasonal service from a number of major cities.
- Denver International Airport is about three hours by car and offers far more flight options.
- Shuttles: Storm Mountain Express runs shared-ride service from Yampa Valley Regional to Steamboat lodging, plus private service from Denver, Eagle/Vail, and elsewhere.
- Once here: Steamboat's free bus system connects downtown and the mountain, which is the smart way to move around festival weekend.
More detail on our getting to Steamboat and transportation pages.
Why This Festival Is Different
WinterWonderGrass has been doing this since 2013, and the ethos has not drifted.
Every year the festival supports local nonprofits focused on environmental protection, sustainability, music education, community initiatives, and disaster relief, with a dollar from every ticket donated locally. The sustainability program diverts the large majority of festival waste from landfills, and there are no single-use plastics on site.
In the organizers' own words, the intention is to create a platform for artists, vendors, attendees, and the planet to unite as one. That sounds like festival copy until you are standing in a heated tent at 8:00 p.m. with a steel pint in your hand and a mandolin player thirty feet away, and you realize the whole thing genuinely feels like that.
WinterWonderGrass 2027 FAQs
When is WinterWonderGrass 2027?
March 5 to 7, 2027, at Steamboat Resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It marks the 10th anniversary of the festival's Steamboat run.
When does the 2027 lineup come out?
October 6, 2026. General ticket sales follow in October.
Where exactly is the festival held?
The Upper Knoll Parking Lot at Steamboat Resort, at the mountain base. Parking on site is extremely limited, so walking, carpooling, or the free bus are strongly recommended.
What time does WinterWonderGrass start each day?
Doors open at 2:00 p.m. daily. Music runs until 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9:00 p.m. Sunday.
Are lift tickets included with a festival pass?
No. Lift tickets are sold separately and should be purchased in advance.
Is WinterWonderGrass family friendly?
Yes. It is an all-ages event with a dedicated kids zone. Children under 12 and seniors over 75 get in free. You must be 21 or over to drink.
What are the Grass After Dark shows?
Late-night concerts at venues around Steamboat after the main festival ends each night. They require separate tickets and are restricted to guests 21 and over.
Will WinterWonderGrass 2027 sell out?
The 2026 festival sold out all three days, and 2027 is the 10th Steamboat anniversary. Plan accordingly, and secure lodging early.
What should I wear to WinterWonderGrass?
Winter boots, layers, a real jacket, hat, gloves, and sunglasses. It is outdoors and runs in rain, snow, or shine. Three of the four stages are in heated tents, but you will be outside in between.
Book Your WinterWonderGrass Lodging
We are Steamboat locals, we manage properties on both ends of town, and we have watched this festival sell out enough times to tell you plainly: the people who book early have a better weekend than the people who do not.
Tell us your group size and whether you want to walk to the gates or walk to the late-night shows, and we will match you to the right property.
Phone: 970-457-4785
Email: Contact us here
Office: 1169 Hilltop Parkway, #101A, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
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Browse all Steamboat Springs lodging, check our current lodging deals, and see every property we manage.
More Steamboat Planning Resources
- How to Pack for Your Steamboat Ski Vacation
- 11 Things to Do in Steamboat Off the Slopes
- Top 15 Restaurants in Steamboat Springs
- Winter Strings Music Calendar
Ten years in the Boat. Do not watch this one from home.
Festival dates, times, ticketing, and programming details are from WinterWonderGrass and Steamboat Resort and are accurate as of publication. Lineup, schedule, and ticket availability are subject to change. Confirm at winterwondergrass.com before finalizing plans.