Coming back after last year’s pandemic-prompted hiatus, the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival will celebrate its 52nd year Aug. 13-15 at Anderson Park, 4355 Field St. One of the oldest and longest running festivals in the state of Colorado, the annual three-day, end-of-summer, free community event highlights the unique character of Wheat Ridge, including its once-thriving carnation industry.
Highlights include live music, a classic car show, a parade, carnival rides, vendors, food, beer and wine, kids’ activities and two nights of fireworks. Performing live will be more than a dozen musical acts including Hazel Miller, The Trampolines, Buckstein, KISSm and That Eighties Band. New this year is the Carnation Mile race and fun run hosted by Jefferson Center for Mental Health. This mile-long, interval-start race features multiple waves of race classes starting at 8 a.m. The Carnation Mile finishes with a community fun run down the 38th Avenue parade route prior to the 9:30 a.m. parade on Saturday, Aug. 14.
The Carnation Festival, Inc., is a volunteer-led, 501(c)3 nonprofit whose sole purpose is producing the annual festival for the benefit of the community and nonprofit groups in Wheat Ridge. For a full schedule of events or to sign up to volunteer at or sponsor the event, visit TheCarnationFestival.com.
