Despite abnormally high temperatures, autumn was in full swing this weekend at the FoCo Fall Fest. Children painted pumpkins and completed the Great Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt, local businesses sold fall-themed food and drinks and participants lined up to don props and have their photo taken atop a stack of hay bales.
In addition to vendors and performers, Fall Fest featured a wide range of activities for participants of all ages, including events like family-friendly Drag Queen Storytime and a performance from the family music band Mountain Buddies. A local yoga studio offered free morning classes, and CSU’s Ram Country Dance Club led swing and line dancing.
Team Player Productions, an event planning company based in Golden, Colorado, organized the first Fall Fest last October. The company is responsible for several well-known Colorado events, including the Boulder Creek Festival, which, according to Axios Boulder, regularly draws over 100,000 participants and recently partnered with Sundance Film Festival to preview its upcoming Boulder debut.
Dominique Montano is an artist, educator and CSU alumna who works out of Fort Collins. At Fall Fest, she sold prints and originals of her multi-media, wildlife-based artwork. Montano, who was a vendor at Taste of Fort Collins just two weeks before Fall Fest, said she wasn’t sure she wanted to participate in another event too soon.
Ultimately, she decided to become a vendor.
“They wanted vendors, and I’m a Fort Collins local, so I always like to do anything that’s going to be down in Fort Collins,” Montano said. “I kind of got my art career started here.”
Montano was far from the only local vendor among the sprawl of tents at Fall Fest. Participants could browse and purchase Colorado-made ceramics, dog collars, jewelry and more. Fort Collins businesses, like Bigs Meat Wagon and Starry Night Espresso Cafe, sold food and drinks. With the rise of artificial intelligence and e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Montano encouraged people to be mindful of where they’re spending their money.
“Just remember, like, there’s people down your street and this is part of their living, and even if you can’t buy it, admire and just kind of know who’s all around you and just support (local creation) wherever you can,” Montano said.
In addition to local vendors and artists, Fall Fest showcased local performers across two different stages. Foreign Suns, a local Fort Collins band, performed on the Old Town Stage Saturday morning.
The artists behind the music, Lin Jones and Elio Navarro, have been likened by local music nonprofit FoCoMA to the Cure and Depeche Mode. The duo moved to Fort Collins in 2017 and have since entrenched themselves in the local music scene, playing at local venues like the Atrium, SoundBar and Surfside 7.
Navarro said in an email interview that Foreign Suns was invited to Fall Fest by KRFC after doing an interview with the local radio station. KRFC was one of many local Fall Fest sponsors, a list that also included Fort Collins Nursery, Equinox Brewing and CooperSmith’s Brewpub and Billiards and others.
“Fort Collins really became our true home and inspiration since moving here,” Navarro said. “I feel we have written our best work and really figured out our voice and sound since then.”
On Sunday, Oct. 11, the final day of Fall Fest, Fort Collins residents Erika Lund and Isaac Romero sat near the Old Town Stage for a performance from the folk band Sturtz. Dozens of people surrounded the stage as the band played their 2021 song “My My My.”
“I’ve been a long time Fort Collins resident, and I heard there was some good music going on, so I wanted to come check it out,” Lund said.
Several Fall Fest participants, including Lund and Montano, pointed out the size of the crowd.
“I didn’t realize how huge it was,” Montano said. “It was a really fun thing to be a part of for sure.”
While Fall Fest had a lot on the schedule, many participants found the opportunity to connect to be one of the event’s biggest draws.
“Everyone’s super friendly,” Romero said. “(There are) tons of dogs out; it’s good to see them. Good music. It’s been a perfect day to be outside, and I like that the city puts this on.”
Attendees Anna Pieruccini and Britt Namken said they live within walking distance of the festival, and they both sported colorful witch costumes. They, like other attendees, took the opportunity to stop in to visit nearby local businesses.
“It’s a fun little Fort Collins day,” Namken said.
Reach Chloe Bjork at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
