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 27–29, 2026! 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 27th
- Frozen Dead Bar Crawl – Lots of local restaurants and bars will be serving special themed food and drinks. Check out this page for details on the bar crawl.
- Royal Blue Ball – A costume and dance party held at the Stanley Hotel. Purchase Tickets ahead of time.
Saturday, March 28th
- Cryogenic Cannibal Chase 8K – The Cryogenic Cannibal Chase is a fast, fun, and slightly unhinged race that brings big energy and bigger costumes to Frozen Dead Guy Days. Equal parts competition and spectacle, it’s a crowd-favorite event that delivers laughs, cheers, and peak winter weirdness.
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When & Where: Saturday, 10:30 AM–12 PM at 380 Community Drive in Estes Park. Get your tickets here.
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- The Festival (Main Event) – Held at the Estes Park Events Complex & Fairgrounds from noon to 9:00 pm. Coffin Races, live music, tasty food trucks, games for all ages, and more! Get your tickets here.
Sunday, March 29th
- Polar Plunge – Held at the Stanley Hotel’s Pavilion Pond from 12:30 – 3 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! $20 per plunger / $10 per spectator. Get tickets here.
- Bands & Bloodys Brunch – Locations around town serving brunch food, Bloody Mary’s, “beermosas”, and live music. Learn more here.
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.
Free Shuttles
Shuttle stops on Friday:
- Quality Inn
- Holiday Inn Estes Park
- The Stanley Hotel
- Expedition Lodge
- The Barrel
- Bird & Jim’s Restaurant
- Trailborn
- Bond Park
- Estes Park Visitors Center
Shuttle stops on Saturday:
- Estes Park Events Center (where the Frozen Dead Guy Days Festival is held)
- Estes Park Visitors Center
- Bond Park
- Holiday Inn Estes Park
- Quality Inn
- The Stanley Hotel
- Expedition Lodge
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.