The inaugural FreeFall Festival occurred last October in Vail. The companion festival SpringFree Bluegrass Festival happens Memorial Day weekend in Vail, particularly geared toward families.
The words “free” and “music festival” are not usually uttered in the same breath, but that is exactly what is happening from May 24-26 in Vail Village in the inaugural SpringFree Bluegrass Festival.
With concert tickets routinely costing more than $200 for a single show and a three-day music festival setting you back more than $500, the SpringFree Bluegrass Fest offers music lovers a chance to kick off the summer and leave some money in their pocket for the rest of the musical offerings locally, at Red Rocks or points beyond. While the festival welcomes any and all ages, it is particularly geared toward families with young children.
The lineup for the festival includes The Infamous Stringdusters, Sierra Hull, Bluegrass Generals, Jon Stickley Trio, Jeremy Garrett Bluegrass Band, Tenth Mountain Division and more. Friday’s showtimes are 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday shows go from noon to 7:30 p.m. There are three stages – the Solaris Stage, the International Bridge Stage and the Gore Creek Plaza Stage all located in Vail Village.
Saturday and Sunday, there is a rock ‘n’ roll playhouse to kick off the festivities from 11 a.m. to noon in which an entire street is blocked off with a stage and activities for children. The music will be Grateful Dead on one day and Bob Marley on the other.
The concept of a rock ‘n’ roll playhouse at a music festival is the brainchild of concert impresario Peter Shapiro who promoted “Fare Thee Well,” the first of several farewell tours of the surviving members of the Grateful Dead that was held in Santa Clara, California and Chicago in 2015. Shapiro is widely regarded as the greatest promoter of his generation.
The Infamous Stringdusters will headline the inaugural SpringFest in Vail on Memorial Day Weekend.
Vail’s Diane Moudy of Resort Entertainment partnered with Shapiro and SpringFest is the first free music festival to incorporate the rock ‘n’ roll playhouse in the country.
“The rock ‘n’ roll playhouse is a kid-friendly environment where the parents get to enjoy the music they love while their children play,” Moudy said. “We have a bunch of bounce houses, games and instruments for the kids to play. And then we do a parade over to the main stage and that kicks off the day of music.”
After the rock ‘n’ roll playhouse ends, there is a kids zone with more bounce houses and activities for children that run throughout the day.
SpringFest is the companion festival to the FallFest Moudy started last fall.
“We held the FallFest on the second weekend in October when there wasn’t anything going on and it was a huge hit and we thought it would be a good idea to do another one in the spring,” Moudy said. “Memorial Day is a real family weekend and it has traditionally been dead in the Vail Valley. We wanted to do something for the local businesses that are normally slow at this time of year. We think it’s going to be big because it’s a holiday family weekend”
There are hotel deals and free camping at three different sites. And while Aspen and Vail may be competing resorts, Moudy extended a warm invitation to the people of the Roaring Fork Valley.
“Aspen people are fun loving folks and love and appreciate music.” Moudy said. “We’d love to treat them to some free music and fun over Memorial Day Weekend. Lots of people from Vail go to Aspen for Jazz Aspen Snowmass and shows at Belly Up so it’s nice to return the favor.”
Moudy sees music as a way to bring people joy and foster community. During the COVID pandemic she produced more than 50 socially distanced concerts at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail (3000 capacity) and Vilar Theater in Beaver Creek (525 capacity) to give people relief from the isolation of the pandemic.
“I was very fortunate to keep working during COVID,” Moudy said. “I didn’t make money, but I kept working because we knew music was healing. We had 175 people at the Amphitheater two times a day and 50 people twice a day at The Vilar. The bands would play two sets. I called my friends from over 30 years of being in the business — people like Lettuce, G. Love, Citizen Cope. And the people in the audience were so grateful, there were people who were crying. It was really beautiful.”
Moudy has never been driven by making money. She has always followed her heart over her pocketbook.
“I love what I do. I tell my children, if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, go find something else that you’re passionate about because life is too short,” she said. “I love music, and I love working with creative people like musicians. My outlook and motto in life has always been, ‘put smiles on people’s faces.’ People don’t have the money to throw down on all these concert tickets. They just don’t. And with this festival we just want to spread the love.”
