The year is 1989 and Grandpa Bredo Morstoel, a Norwegian man with a taste for cryonics, has just died. Instead of burying him in Norway, the body is frozen and shipped off to the United States, unknowingly putting a start to one of America’s strangest festivals to date. Frozen Dead Guy Days started in 2002 after a journalist discovered Morstoel’s cryo-frozen body in a shed in Nederland, Colorado. Now, every year, thousands of people gather for coffin races over a muddy obstacle course where teams push one teammate in a self-constructed coffin, “Bloodys Brunch” and other activities dead guys would love.
Speaking of things dead guys would love, of course, there has to be music. The festival welcomes several acts over the three-day run, with this year’s performers including funk bands like Float Like A Buffalo and Los Mocochetes, upbeat electronic groups Future Joy and Lucid Vision, and several others spanning genres such as rock, soul and jazz. While there’s no defined sound at Frozen Dead Guy Days, they’re not playing funeral music, that’s for sure.
Saturday, March 16 is the main festival date, but the festivities run all weekend long. Other activities include a polar plunge, which is made exponentially colder by being in the mountains of Colorado, and The Royal Blue Ball, which will be held at The Stanley Hotel. The perfect venue to celebrate someone long “dead.”
The Specs
- Over 20,000 people attended the festival in 2022.
- General admission tickets are $42 per person.
- Coffin race participants must register with the festival. Tickets are $98 per team.
- Read Fifty Grande’s several guides to Colorado here.
FAQs
Where does the festival take place?
Frozen Dead Guy Days will be held in Estes Park, Colorado. The festival was held in Nederland until 2023, the town where the original Frozen Dead Guy still resides.
Where should I stay for the weekend?
The Stanley Hotel, of The Shining fame, is one of the festival organizers. However, there are several other hotels in the area.
Where is the nearest airport?
Denver International Airport (DEN) is the closest major airport to Estes Park, located about an hour and a half from the festival site by car. Official festival parking is available at the Events Complex with overflow parking around Estes Park.
Is other transportation available?
Shuttles are available within the festival to take you between events around town.
Who’s playing?
2024’s lineup includes Yonder Mountain String Band, Andy Frasco & the UN, Spafford, Deadphish Orchestra, The Sweet Lillies, A-Mac & The Height, The Jauntee, Eminence Ensemble, Chain Station, Lucid Vision, Future Joy, Float Like A Buffalo, Los Mocochetes, The Living Room Band, Gary M. Hall & The Occupants.
2024 Poster
