For more than a decade, WinterWonderGrass has quietly carved out a space unlike anything else in the festival landscape. Set high in the mountains of Steamboat Springs, the annual gathering blends bluegrass, roots, and Americana music with skiing, craft beer, and a deep sense of human connection. As WinterWonderGrass heads into its 13th year, that original spirit feels more intentional than ever.

At a time when many independent festivals have been absorbed into larger corporate ecosystems or disappeared altogether, WinterWonderGrass has remained firmly rooted in its founding values. Rather than chasing scale, the festival has consistently prioritized experience, care, and authenticity. That philosophy has shaped everything from its lineup curation to the way artists, crew, vendors, and attendees are treated on site.

The result is a weekend that feels less like a traditional music festival and more like a reunion. Artists mingle with fans on the mountain. Late night jams unfold organically. Families, longtime attendees, and first timers all share the same space without barriers or hierarchy. It is a place where unscripted moments often become the most memorable ones.

That sense of openness extends far beyond the main stages. Free pop up shows at Thunderhead Lodge, Grass After Dark late night sets, and spontaneous collaborations have long been part of the WinterWonderGrass experience. These off schedule moments are not afterthoughts. They are a core part of what gives the festival its soul.


WinterWonderGrass also continues to invest deeply in the future of the music it celebrates. Camp Coletrain, the festival’s immersive music workshop, has grown into one of its most meaningful offerings. Open to musicians of all ages and included for ticket holders, the program gives aspiring players a chance to learn directly from world class artists in a supportive, hands on environment. It reflects a belief that music is not just something to consume, but something to pass on.

Steamboat Springs itself remains inseparable from the festival’s identity. The town’s respect for the mountains, the music, and the people who gather there plays a central role in shaping the weekend. From blizzards to bluebird days, WinterWonderGrass embraces the elements rather than fighting them, allowing nature to be an active participant in the experience.

As WinterWonderGrass returns to Steamboat for its 13th year, it does so with clarity and confidence. The festival has grown, contracted, and evolved over time, but its heart has never wavered. In a crowded festival landscape, WinterWonderGrass continues to stand out by remembering why it exists in the first place.

We caught up with festival founder and director Scotty Stoughton to talk about independence, community, and what continues to make WinterWonderGrass such a special gathering. Check out our conversation below!

[Rooster]: WinterWonderGrass is heading into its 13th year at a time when many independent festivals have disappeared or been absorbed into larger corporate models. What has it taken to keep WinterWonderGrass independent and true to its original vision for this long?

[Scotty]: Honestly, when the focus is delivering experiences from the heart to the heart, it resonates. Thankfully. Our strategy has always been to take care of our audience, artists, vendors, crew and community members as if they were family, because they are. We work hard to see everyone, hear everyone, express gratitude, practice compassion and lead by example. We have never done things to be recognized, only to inspire the moments that we truly believe humans need more than anything else. We are independent and flexible and never take one moment, or one note, for granted. We are here for a very short time and everyone is special.

You’ve often described WinterWonderGrass as an experience first gathering rather than a numbers driven festival. How do you balance growth and demand while still protecting the intimacy and community that people associate with WWG?

Our ethos is clear, quality over quantity. We have ebbed and flowed, grown and contracted based on what the people want, and where and how they want it. The pandemic caused contraction, then expansion. It shut doors, then opened them back up. Our focus has distilled down to delivering experiences that inspire the community, that lead and open doors to adventure, self discovery, and pure joy. Whether during a blizzard in Steamboat, the sunshine in Tahoe, a deserted river or remote beach. We love to create the space and allow you to create your own journey there. We have also found the sweet spot, and for us, bigger is not better.

The 2026 lineup reflects both legacy artists and 11 acts making their WinterWonderGrass debut. When you’re curating each year, what qualities make an artist feel like the right fit for the WWG environment?

First and foremost they need to be willing to perform in the elements, which takes a lot of people out of the equation. We hire artists not only for their talent, passion and fan base, but for their authenticity and connection to the community. Our artists often get on the mountain, join a late night jam, mingle in the local coffee shops or wander the crowds. Creating the sense of one. No walls or barriers. No hierarchy. It is a unique, human experience that attendees and our crew cherish. It is hard to say no to all the bands that wish to return, and saddened to say no to all the young acts scratching their way up.

WinterWonderGrass has always extended beyond the main stages, from free pop up shows at Thunderhead Lodge to Grass After Dark late night sets. How do those off schedule moments shape the spirit of the festival?

By setting the table and mindfully curating spaces and additional performance, it becomes the blender for the WinterWonderGrass smoothie. The artists know they will be taken care of at these events, so they invite their friends, and everyone jams. Personally, the greatest thing to come out of a festival are the unscripted moments of musical magic, and we do all we can to set up the ingredients and watch the talent cook up tasty bites.

Camp Coletrain has grown into one of the most meaningful parts of the WinterWonderGrass experience, especially for families and aspiring musicians. Why was it important for music education to be such a central part of the festival, and to offer it free to ticket holders?

We are nothing if we are not inspiring the next generation. Gosh knows we need to do better. When a child sees an artist on stage, up there high, in front of thousands of people, then in the kids jam, it sparkles in their eyes. Raising kids is tough, scary, and daunting, and we wish to provide the parents a reprieve and the kids a tool to find themselves. Coleman, Robin and the Coletrain team are world class, period. We are incredibly lucky to have them.

Steamboat Springs and the surrounding mountains are inseparable from the WinterWonderGrass identity. What is it about this place that continues to define the festival year after year?

The people. It is a special breed of human that finds its way deep into the mountains and carves out a life. Mother Nature is the most important participant here and everyone in Steamboat respects her, the guests and the music. They bring hearts bursting with joy and kindness, and that infects the guests, crew and the bands. Similar to Baja and all the beautiful places we produce gatherings, we would not do it without the love and support of the locals.