Colorado’s Weirdest Festival
What Is Frozen Dead Guys Days in Estes Park?
Frozen Dead Guys Days is a late-winter festival in Estes Park, Colorado, inspired by the unusual story of a cryogenically preserved Norwegian man named Bredo Morstøl. Each March, the town celebrates the legend with a weekend of quirky events, including coffin races, a Polar Plunge, costume contests, live music, and plenty of mountain-town humor. What began as a strange local story has grown into one of the most unusual and beloved festivals in the Rocky Mountains.
The Strange Story Behind Frozen Dead Guys Days
The origin of the festival sounds like something you might overhear late at night in a mountain-town bar: a Norwegian man named Bredo Morstøl was cryogenically preserved after his death with the hope that future technology might someday bring him back to life. His grandson transported the frozen body to Colorado and stored it in a shed in the small mountain town of Nederland. When local authorities eventually discovered the arrangement, the story spread quickly. Instead of reacting with alarm, the town leaned into the humor of it all. A quirky celebration slowly grew around the legend. Over time, the strange story became a piece of Colorado folklore. In 2023, the festival found a new home in Estes Park, where the town’s playful personality fits the celebration perfectly.
The Wildest Frozen Dead Guys Days Events
Spend a little time downtown during the festival weekend, and it quickly becomes clear that the official schedule only tells part of the story. Costumes drift through the crowd. Teams of skeletons race make-shift coffins past cheering spectators — part sporting event, part comedy sketch. Participants wander toward the water in swimsuits — or sometimes costumes that make absolutely no sense for freezing temperatures — while bundled spectators clutch coffee cups and cheer them on. By evening, the celebration drifts indoors. Music spills out of venues around town, and festival-goers dressed in elaborate shades of blue make their way toward the Royal Blue Ball, while others weave through the downtown bar crawl that grows livelier as the night goes on.
Things to Do in Estes Park During Frozen Dead Guys Days
One of the best parts of the weekend is how easily the festival blends into everything else happening around Estes Park. Visitors might spend the morning watching coffin races downtown and the afternoon wandering through shops along Elkhorn Avenue, popping into cafés, or ducking into local galleries to warm up. Others take advantage of the quiet moments between events to explore the mountains themselves. Even in late March, Rocky Mountain National Park often offers clear winter views, snowy trailheads, and the chance to spot elk grazing near the entrance roads. A quick scenic drive or short walk along the lake can be the perfect reset before heading back into town for the evening’s festivities.
Families often mix festival fun with classic Estes Park activities — strolling the Riverwalk, browsing candy stores, or grabbing a warm drink before wandering back toward the crowds. And as the afternoon fades into evening, music begins drifting out of downtown venues while restaurants and breweries fill with festival-goers swapping stories about the strangest thing they’ve seen so far that day.
Some visitors come for the races. Others come for the nightlife. Many simply drift between events, mountain views, and downtown wanderings, discovering along the way that Frozen Dead Guys Days is only part of what makes a spring weekend in Estes Park memorable.
Why Frozen Dead Guys Days Fits Estes Park
In many ways, Frozen Dead Guys Days reflects something essential about Estes Park itself: mountain towns have always attracted people who appreciate a certain independence of spirit. Life at high elevation encourages resilience, creativity, and a sense of humor about the unexpected. What began as a strange news story eventually turned into a tradition that brings thousands of people together each year. Visitors arrive curious about the name, stay for the spectacle, and leave with stories that sound almost unbelievable when retold later. A festival about frozen people somehow becomes one of the liveliest weekends of the year in the Rockies. And by the time travelers drive out of Estes Park and glance back at the snow-dusted peaks behind them, the name that once sounded so strange begins to feel almost charming.
