Photo Credit: Frozen Dead Guy Days
Frozen Dead Guy Days Festival in Estes Park
Get yourself to Estes Park for the Frozen Dead Guy Days March 14-16! This wacky winter festival is filled with adventures the whole family will love.
So…what is Frozen Dead Guy Days about?
The Backstory
In 1993 a Norwegian citizen living in the town of Nederland, CO brought his deceased grandfather, Bredo Morstøl, cryogenically frozen and packed on dry ice to his backyard Tuff Shed. He had hopes of creating a future cryogenic facility in town. But, through a series of calamities including a deportation, an eviction, and concern over the risk of grandpa thawing, the story gained national attention.
After a court case the municipal code was officially updated to ban keeping frozen bodies on your property. Thankfully Bredo was “grandfathered in”, and is now kept safely on ice.
The Festival begins
With all of the attention frozen Bredo received, the town of Nederland started the annual Frozen Dead Guy Days festival in 2002. It’s always been full of hilarious themed games – like carrying coffins in a relay race and a polar ice plunges for charity! This hugely popular event has been held in Estes Park since 2023, and is one of the silliest winter festivals around – bringing exuberant joy for all ages. If anyone is looking for a way to beat the winter doldrums, get yourself to Frozen Dead Guy Days!
Frozen Dead Guy Days Festival Schedule
Friday, March 14th:
- Frozen Dead Bar Crawl – Lots of local restaurants and bars will be serving special themed food and drinks. Check out this map for all participating locations in town.
- Royal Blue Ball – A costume and dance party held at the Stanley Hotel. Purchase Tickets ahead of time.
Saturday, March 15th
- The Festival – Held at the Estes Park Events Complex & Fairgrounds. Coffin Races, live music, tasty food trucks, games for all ages, and more! Get your tickets here at 40% off until February 28th, 2025 by entering code FAMILY at checkout.
Sunday, March 16th
- Polar Plunge – Held at the Stanley Hotel from 12 – 4 pm. Take the plunge into icy waters to help raise funds for a great cause. Or bring the family to cheer on their favorite plungers!
- Bands & Bloodys Brunch – Locations around town serving brunch food, Bloody Mary’s, “beermosas”, and live music. Participating locations include: Tavern at the Legion, Bird & Jim, The Barrel, and Avant Garde Taproom
Get Around Town during FDGD Festival
Parking
All weekend long there will be free parking at the parking garage located at 691 N St Vrain Ave.
On Saturday, they offer paid parking directly at the Estes Park Event Center or the Estes Park High School. All proceeds from parking support the local high school band program. There is also free parking with shuttles to the festival at the parking garage.
Free Shuttles
Shuttle stops on Friday:
- The Stanley Hotel
- Quality Inn
- Expedition Lodge
- Holiday Inn Estes Park
- Bond Park
- Estes Park Visitors Center
Shuttle stops on Saturday:
- ALL of the stops above
- Estes Park Events Center (where the Frozen Dead Guy Days Festival is held)
Ride Services
Explore Estes is a locally owned, private ride service (similar to Uber or Lyft) that can pick you up and drop you off around town.