How One Colorado Festival Powers an $11 Million Economy

Each summer, Western Colorado is home to one of the biggest musical campouts anywhere in the Centennial State. The Country Jam Music Festival averages a crowd of around 92,000 fans with room for 120,000.

The largest country music and camping festival in Colorado is rooted in Western Slope culture. So what makes this festival an economic engine worth $11 million annually? Let's find out.

Country Jam: A Western Slope Icon

West of the Continental Divide, it's red rock canyons, high desert mesas, and the Colorado River. Sounds like the backdrop at Country Jam in Loma. The Western Slope is known for scenic small towns, thriving agriculture, outdoor recreation, and country music's biggest festival in the Rocky Mountains.

The festival started in 1992, and is held on the 240-acre Country Jam Ranch, usually taking place during the final weekend in June. The unique setting between Grand Junction, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, makes this a very popular place to be each summer.

Epic Scale & Music Lineup

Read More: It's Festival Season! Here's What to Wear to a Country Concert

Country Jam costs about $115 per day or around $215 for a weekend pass (before taxes and fees) for the three to four-day festival. Artists like Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Cody Johnson, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, and Jelly Roll have all joined the festival in recent years, bringing in fans from all over the world to Western Colorado.

Economic Engine: $11 Million Impact

Bella Demosthenous with kkco11news.com cites a study from Colorado Mesa University that concludes the festival helps bring in $11 million to Western Colorado. It's not just ticket sales either. Country Jam boosts the lodging, dining, shopping, and fuel spending all over Mesa County. The rise in spending starts days before the festival and continues afterward as tourists visit local wineries, the Grand Mesa, and the area's scenic byways following the event.