Breckenridge International Festival of The Arts
AUGUST 20 – 23, 2026
ADVENTURE • CREATIVITY • NATURE • PLAY
The 2026 Breckenridge International Festival of Arts (BIFA) invites audiences to step through the looking glass into a multi-sensory exploration of art, music, theatre, and film where reality bends and imagination blooms. This year’s festival explores the joyous wonder of adventure, creativity, nature, and play inspired by everything from psychedelic sounds and curious gatherings to wild creatures and unexpected encounters.
BIFA 2026 will unfold over four days — August 20–23 — throughout the Arts District Campus in downtown Breckenridge.
VIP FESTIVAL PASSES
ELEVATE YOUR BIFA EXPERIENCE.
Be part of BIFA with our VIP Pass with a BIFA VIP Pass (2 people) or VIP Business Pass (4 people), unlocking exclusive access, premium perks, and unforgettable moments at the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts.
Designed for those who want to dive deeper into the performances, connect with world-class artists, and experience the festival in elevated style.
Don’t miss the festival moments people will talk about—make sure you’re at the center of it. VIP passes are limited, so don’t wait.
This celebration of art in all forms, inspired by themes of environment and mountain culture, is packed with options
Thrillist Denver
2026 FEATURED ARTISTS
PATTIE GONIA
Come for the climate, stay for the drag, and dance it out—Pattie Gonia brings an electrifying night of advocacy, performance, and party to BIFA.
Part inspiring talk, part drag performance, and part dance party, this immersive experience invites audiences to reflect, connect, and take action. In Nature’s Strategies for Advocacy and Action, critically acclaimed environmentalist and drag queen Pattie Gonia (she/they) explores how allyship, resilience, and regeneration in the natural world can guide us toward a more inclusive and sustainable future. Through humor, storytelling, and interactive moments, Pattie empowers audiences—queer folks, allies, and anyone eager to drive change—to discover their role in shaping what comes next.
Then, the energy shifts from reflection to celebration with a drag performance with Pattie Gonia and special guest LeeLee, followed by a dance party with DJ Matt Suave of Play Haus plus a meet + greet.
PRESENTED BY HIGH COUNTRY CONSERVATION CENTER
OTHER WORLDS
Breck Create is partnering with Mountain Top Explorium to present Other Worlds—an immersive exhibition featuring the work of Colorado artists, Jill Hadley Hooper and Sadie Young. For this exciting presentation, each artist will create site-specific installations to transport patrons of all ages to worlds deeply rooted in themes of nature, the mountains, some wild and not so wild animals and of course, monsters.
Fiber artist, Sadie Young will transform the lower-level gallery into a colorful yarn-wrapped unearthly experience inspired by the natural world, with an abundance of friendly monsters to guide you on your journey.
Artist Jill Hadley Hopper will take over the upper-level gallery with a fully immersive installation that gives the feeling of stepping into a storybook drawing. Here you are invited to join the animals of the forest after a Jamboree where you too have a role to play.
EXPLORE OTHER WORLDS
Nicole Banowetz + Devin Reilly
Artists Nicole Banowetz and Devin Reilly return to BIFA this year to activate the Arts District Campus with a special presentation of some of their most iconic otherworldly inflatable sculptures. These sprawling sculptures will appear and disappear across the campus with a variety of pop-up performances and roaming creatures. The artists will also create a completely new series of alien plants inspired by imagined future adaptations.
These new sculptures will be completely constructed from reclaimed tents during their summer residency at Breck Create.
CORE PROGRAMS
BIFA INFO + CRAFT TENT
The BIFA Info + Craft Tent is located on the Blue River Plaza. Stop by to pick up a daily schedule, to get questions answered and, of course, to create some art! The Blue River Plaza is located at 137 S. Main Street in downtown Breckenridge, right across the street from Old Masonic Hall.
RESIDENT ARTISTS
Each year Breck Create invites international talent known for blurring the lines between artistic disciplines to reside in Breckenridge. Together we build a series of daring live performances, youth workshops and street performances in traditional and unconventional spaces across our community.
Acoustic Flow
Start each morning of the festival with a 60-minute gentle yoga class that combines music, nature and wellness along the relaxing shores of the Blue River.
OUTDOOR STAGES: LIVE MUSIC
Two outdoor stages, the AirStage in Blue River Plaza and a bike-powered stage on the Riverwalk Center Lawn will feature a line-up of free music throughout Friday and Saturday of the Festival.
2025 BIFA Recap
LIVE MUSIC SUPPORTERS
