This past weekend, WinterWonderGrass Colorado successfully celebrated 10 years of sold-out beloved gatherings of bluegrass, roots and libations at Steamboat Springs, Colo. The gathering marked the sixth time the event took place at Steamboat Springs and the 10th year of ski-side partying in total. To celebrate the milestone moment, the event welcomed a slew of sit-ins that accompanied snowfall and plenty of craft beers to keep festival-goers warm.
Friday marked the kicked off of the event–which welcomed the festival’s original headliners Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass and Tyler Grant–the day saw performances by Pickin’ on the Dead and John Mailander, who performed bluegrass interpretations of the Grateful Dead’s catalog. Lindsay Lou and Kyle Tuttle joined for “Eyes of the World,” and Leftover Salmon’s Andy Thorn added his banjo skills to a jam of “Scarlet Begonias > Throwing Stones > Truckin’.”
Kitchen Dwellers also took to the main stage on the opening day, and they were joined by Sicard Hollow’s Parrish Gabriel, as their usual bassist Joe Funk waited for the birth of his first child. The final mainstage event showcased the Infamous String dusters, who welcomed John Mailander and Kyle Tuttle to cover Bill Emerson’s “Home of the Red Fox.” Aj Lee joined them as well for a cover of Bill Monroe’s classic tune “Molly & Tenbrooks.”
On Saturday, the gathering was opened by Steamboat Springs’ own Buffalo Commons, marking their debut at the festival. Tyler Grant joined them for “Patterns > In These Hands > Morning Fire” off their 2022 LP Patterns, which he produced. Neil Francis and Paul Cauthen also made their respective WinterWonderGrass debuts. Saturday was closed out by Leftover Salmon. They performed “Powder Days” in recognition of the skiing they had enjoyed earlier that day. As fireworks exploded over the Steamboat Resort, they played “Deep River Blues” by Doc Watson. Lindsay Lou also joined them for a cover of Townes van Zandt’s “Two Hands.”
Earlier in the day, the side stage tents saw performances by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Tenth Mountain Division, Sicard Hollow and the female powerhouse ensemble WinterWonderWomen—featuring Lindsay Lou alongside Megan Letts, Michelle Pietrafitta, Emma Rose, Bridget Law, Avril Smith and special guest artists Amanda Grapes, Kimber Ludiker, Nina Waters, along with Carrie McCune.
The final day of WinterWonderGrass enjoyed a flurry of snowfall as the string ensemble Big Richard welcomed the crowd. Next came The Lil Smokies, who welcomed sit-ins from Kyle Tuttle, Lou and Greensky Bluegrass’ Paul Hoffman. Hoffman would return to the stage later in the day to perform two back-to-back sets on the mainstage with his full ensemble. Mark Morris joined the group on “Fixin’ to Run” and “Monument” during their first set. The second set welcomed Lou for “In Control” and “I Belong to the Band” by Reverend Gary Davis. John Mailander and Lil Smokies’ Jake Simpson added fiddle to Greensky Bluegrass’ “Windshield” and a cover of “Vamp in the Middle” by John Hartford. Earlier in the day, the event saw performances by Mama Magnolia, Saints & Lairs and the Trey Wellington Band.
The party was bookended with the final set being performed by Pickin’ on the Dead at the Soapbox side stage for the festival’s 10th-anniversary party.
WinterWonderGrass California is set to take place from March 31st through April 2 in Palisades Tahoe, Calif. Find tickets and learn more here.