Back To Previous PageThe Fort Collins Music Experiment (FoCoMX), has been called "The Biggest Little Festival in America" and it will rock your world! FoCoMX is a two-day festival that celebrates live music in Northern Colorado. Are you ready for 400+ musical acts lighting up Fort Collins stages? The music festival features a diverse lineup of Colorado artists inclusive of all genres at 30+ Downtown Fort Collins venues! Come rock out with us this April 19 & 20 throughout the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District.
Music is a passion and way of life in Fort Collins and this festival is the definition of what a music city is all about. This two-day celebration of artists and music is now 16 years old and it is a cherished community tradition. Attending is an opportunity to not only have a great time seeing and discovering new bands but additionally one to support our local musicians. The majority of every FoCoMX wristband sold is paid directly to the musicians who perform at the festival.
Get Ready to Rock
Our first piece of advice to get ready to rock is be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes! We know that sounds like motherly advice, but since you can walk between almost all of the 30+ venues, it's full of wisdom. Or in classic Fort Collins style, you can hop on your bike for a quick ride to get from venue to venue in time for the next set. Don't have your own bike? You can use the city’s Bike Share bicycles.
Make sure you take a look at the list of FoCoMX venues. These stages are both traditional music establishments and non-traditional venues including restaurants, breweries, cocktail bars, a movie theater, and a museum! The mix of venues and intimate concert experiences are what make this music festival so unique and fun to attend.
How To Choose Your Bands
Through the FoCoMX website, you can check out the full lineup ahead of time and build out your own customized schedule with music you would like to check out. They have options to search by genre and venue as well as typing in the search bar to find the specific band you love. When you click on an artist's profile page, you can listen to sample songs, read their bios, watch their videos, and connect with them through their social media outlets, websites, and direct music links like Spotify and Soundcloud.
As you browse and explore the various music offerings of the festival, build your own adventure by adding each interesting act to your personal schedule. That way, it will be super easy to reference it throughout the weekend and ensure that you don't miss all your favorites!
When In Doubt, Sample 'Em Out
Remember that with your festival wristband, you have access to see all 400+ bands over the 2 days, so sometimes the best way to see as many acts as possible is to sample just a portion of a band’s set and then move on to the next performance on your list. This way you can experience many different styles of music, find new artists you like, and of course, if you love a set, you can stay for the whole thing!
Because the venues are of various capacities, be sure to be flexible, and make sure that you have an alternate show as a backup plan in case your first concert choice is full. There are so many amazing acts to choose from you may also want to plan to “bundle” your shows in an area so you can easily get between them all.
Something for Everyone
Northern Colorado is rich with music genres from rock to bluegrass to funk to jazz. Enjoy original material as well as crowd-pleasing favorites at FoCoMX. With a wide variety of genres, you are sure to find a new favorite band no matter what type of music you enjoy the most.
Kid-Friendly Fun in Fort Collins
If you are coming to Downtown Fort Collins with the kids, FoCoMX is only one of the several fun activities you can enjoy. During the festival, you can enjoy family friendly programming and live music. When you're not attending the festival, the kids will love the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery where they can play with the hands-on music exhibit and lots of other fun activities to discover. To experience the farm lifestyle and pet some animals, take the kids to The Farm at Lee Martinez Park. When you need to grab a bite to eat and drink, check out our city's amazing restaurants and world-famous breweries - a lot of our patios are kid-friendly!
Everything else you need to know about FoCoMX
When: April 19-20, festival kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19
Where: 30 + venues all over Downtown Fort Collins
Tickets: $60 for a two-day pass until April 18, price increases to $75 the weekend of.
All ages are welcome!
You can find updates on FoCoMX's Facebook page and official website.
Free tickets are also available for those who choose to volunteer for the festival! Volunteers who dedicate four or more hours of their time get free admission all weekend! Sign up to volunteer to be part of this amazing event: click on the Volunteer page for more information.
Learn more about FoCoMA – Fort Collins Musicians Association.
Finally, make a whole weekend out of all the fun and find a place to stay in Fort Collins!
FoCoMX is presented by the nonprofit Fort Collins Musicians Association (FoCoMA).
