Special Events in Steamboat Springs

Winter Carnival Street Events

Contact Us

  1. Teresa Long

    Executive Assistant/Special Events Coordinator
    Email Teresa Long
    Phone: 970-871-8225

Welcome to Steamboat Springs and thank you for considering hosting a special event in the Yampa Valley. Steamboat Springs has been home to international, national, regional, and grass-root events, many of which have firmly established themselves in the history and heritage of the community.  Whether you're putting on your inaugural event or have been a fixture for more than 100 years, this section will help guide you through the permitting process and set up your event for success.

Click the link below to start the online application process:

Click the link below to reserve your event date and venue.  Reservation of the date and venue does not guarantee approval of your special event permit.

Kindness Floats the Boat

Take a moment to check out the Steamboat Chamber's "Kindness Floats the Boat" campaign.  There is a Code of Kindness that shares ways to better appreciate the land and each other and is a great reminder for residents and visitors alike.  Please share the Code of Kindness with event participants and spectators.

VENUES AND POLICIES

City Council has approved policies that determine the venues available for reservation including streets, parks, and trails.  

  • Venue Reservation:
    • NEW event- minimum 45 days in advance; maximum 365 days in advance
    • EXISTING event- minimum 45 days in advance; maximum 2 years in advance
    • Reservation of a venue does not guarantee approval of an event
    • A list of city venues can be found here
  • Policies regarding venues can be found here
  • Per City Council direction, Winter Carnival Weekend, the 4th of July, the 4th of July weekend, and the 2nd weekend in July are time periods that are at capacity and new events will not be permitted during these time periods.

DEADLINES

  • The special event application must be submitted no later than 45 days before your event.  
  • If an application is submitted less than 45 days before the event, a late fee of $500 will be assessed in addition to the standard application fee.  
  • City staff will process the permit in 30 days or less after the complete application is submitted. 

FEES

All fees may not be listed and may change without notice.

FEES valid through 12/31/23
Application $150
Parks $42.25/hour or $338/day
Streets $42.25/hour or $338/day
Trails $3.25/youth and $4/adult
Field Use  $15/hour or $90/day-youth; $17.50/hour or $103.50/day-adult
Community Service Officer (CSO) $42/hour
Police Officer $72/hour
Application Late Fee $500 (<45 days)

FORMS

Depending on the nature of your event, additional forms may be required including but not limited to: closing a city right of way, requesting law enforcement services, allowing alcohol at your event, a parking plan/alternative transportation plan template, or a street closure neighbor notification letter.  These forms can be found here.

PARKING

The Steamboat Springs Police Department has created a parking protocols document for events that have volunteers managing the parking lots.  This document shows how to efficiently park vehicles, safety and traffic considerations, parking etiquette, and how to park cars in specific city parking lots.

MONTHLY SPECIAL EVENT MEETINGS

Event producers are required to attend pre-event meetings and after-action review of their events.  Below is the schedule for 2023: dates are tentative and subject to change.  Currently, all meetings are hybrid and take place via Microsoft Teams and in the Crawford Room located at 124 10th Street.  These meetings provide event producers with the opportunity to have an open dialogue with city staff and discuss concerns, ideas, things that worked well, and things that can be improved.

2023 Schedule
January 11- 1PM
February 8- 1PM
March 8- 1PM
April 12- 1PM
May 10- 1PM
June 14- 1PM
July 12- 1PM
August 9- 1PM
September 13- 1PM
October 11- 1PM
November 15- 1PM
December 13- 1PM


COVID-19

  • It is the event producer’s responsibility to comply with any federal, State or Routt County public health orders, guidelines, and/or mitigation protocols at the time of the event.  The City is not responsible for informing event producers of public health orders in effect or interpreting public health orders.
  • The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has released guidance on outdoor events, outdoor recreation, and sporting events/races. This guidance and state public health orders can be found on the CDPHE website.  
  • The City will continue to monitor CDC, State, and Routt County guidance.  

STREET BANNERS

Main Street Steamboat coordinates the hanging of vinyl banners at three various spots on highway 40, between 3rd and 9th streets.

If you are a business or an organization which would like to display a banner, Main Street Steamboat will coordinate getting your banner up and on display. 

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