When the Lafayette Peach Festival kicks off on August 16, Old Town will once again be filled with the scent of ripe Palisade peaches and the chatter of thousands of visitors. But behind the six-block stretch of food stalls, artisan booths and peach-packed trucks lie months of meticulous planning.
Hosted by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the 26th annual festival is expected to draw about 40,000 people,up from an average of 35,000 in past years. The main draw? Over 30,000 pounds of peaches from Palisade Organic Peach Ranch, Morton’s Organic Orchards and Tate Orchards, along with peach pies, cobblers, margaritas, pizzas, skin-care products and more.
“We start planning at least eight months in advance,” says Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Katey McNeil. “We debrief right after the event about what went well and what needs tweaking, and then we start locking in dates, applying for permits and coordinating the traffic control plan.” That early planning is crucial when you’re coordinating more than 200 vendor booths, street closures and a crowd larger than the population of the city itself.
Before blooming into the Peach Festival, the event was known as the Lafayette Art and Antique Fair, hosted by the Lafayette Old Town Association and the Lafayette Chamber. Almost three decades ago, the event coordinator approached Morton's Organic Orchard in Palisade with the idea of incorporating peach sales into the next year's fair schedule; when Colorado's peach crops failed that year, organizers purchased some California peaches to salvage the event.
"That didn't go over well with Coloradans," recalls Morton's co-owner Heather Morton Burtness. "Fortunately, we had a better season the following year, and we've been at the Peach Festival since year two, so 25 years now."
Since that second year, Morton’s Organic Orchards has become one of the festival’s cornerstone vendors, hauling thousands of pounds of peaches from Palisade to Lafayette each August. For Burtness, the connection runs deep, as she grew up on the orchard her parents bought in the late 1970s, when conventional spraying was the norm.
“Our first step into direct customer sales was the Boulder Farmers’ Market in 1991,” she recalls. “We started hearing customers ask, ‘Are these organic? Are these sprayed?’ That feedback pushed us to go transitional in 1991, which is the first step towards becoming organic and eliminating the use of chemicals, and we were certified organic in 1993. We haven’t looked back.”
Today, Morton’s operates on about 35 to 40 acres across Palisade and Boulder. It sells primarily at farmers’ markets and brings about 15,000 pounds of peaches to Lafayette’s festival each year.
“We do all our own transportation,” Burtness says. “Our people handle the fruit with more care, and peaches need that. Once you pick them, that’s it — they’re not going to ripen more.”
Peach season runs from mid-July through mid-September, and this year’s harvest has been shaped by Colorado’s unpredictable weather.
“We’ve had some challenges," Burtness says. "In particular, we got nipped a little bit in the early season, but that's kind of always worked into the equations for us. We just expect Colorado weather. Everybody had an interesting harvest; I hate to say troubling because it's not really troubling, it's just always different ... But we are definitely seeing a shift in the season. I can't say unequivocally that it's climate change, but it's trending that way."
While the peaches are the undisputed star of the show, the festival’s appeal also depends on the variety and quality of its vendors. The Chamber team works year-round to curate a mix that feels fresh and distinctive, ensuring there’s something to tempt every visitor.
“It's really important to us to have a unique festival. That isn't just your weekly farmers' market. Those are great. But we really want to showcase vendors who have art-forward artists and products,” says Chamber of Commerce Director of Events Rebecca Green. “We put a lot of time and effort behind our vendor selection and placement throughout the festival to make sure that everyone has the best day possible."
That careful curation also extends to sponsorships. “We keep the integrity of the festival for micro and small businesses,” McNeil says. “The only booths outside of arts, crafts, antiques, handmade goods and food are sponsors, and they’re expected to bring fun, interactive elements.” As a result, people can browse everything from handmade pottery to peach-scented skin-care products, alongside food vendors turning out themed creations.
"There really is not a lack of peach-themed things to get, and they are all killer," says Chamber of Commerce Communications and Marketing Manager Ryan-Hannah Lindsay. "I’ll try anything peach, but the peach margaritas at eats & sweets have been a big hit in years past. Local restaurants will do things like a peach-marinated taco, peach pizzas, peach jams, peach candles, peach skin care, peach lotions and body washes. Come hungry. You will not have a bad item."
On festival day, the action starts long before the first bite of cobbler. “Vendors start setting up at 6 a.m., but we get there around 4:30 a.m.,” McNeil says. "We are back and forth all day." Staffers routinely log over 50,000 steps before the day is done.
Traffic control is another behind-the-scenes priority. Streets are closed to vehicles, ADA parking is designated at Chase Bank on East Geneseo and North Public Road, and attendees are encouraged to park in the surrounding neighborhoods without blocking driveways. More than 75 volunteers help keep things moving.
With the festival typically landing on one of the hottest days of the year, staying cool is a priority. “Bring water, sunscreen and a hat,” Green advises. Sponsors like Intermountain Health and Eldorado Water provide cooling stations and free refills, but reusable bottles are encouraged.
Organizers have one firm request: leave pets at home unless they’re service animals. “The asphalt can reach almost 200 degrees,” McNeil says. “We love animals, but it’s too hot for them to be here safely.”
While the 57th Annual Palisade Peach Festival is set for August 15-16, fans who want to avoid the drive to the Western Slope know they can find the peaches closer to home. "The Lafayette Peach Festival is so special that people look forward to it a year in advance," McNeil says. "They know it's going to be the third Saturday of August, and they're excited. It's like they have no other day to buy peaches."
Vendors, too, rave about the event’s energy and economic impact. “We’ve had food vendors make over $15,000 in a single day,” McNeil says. “For many, it’s their best sales day of the year.”
With its mix of small-town charm, carefully chosen vendors and the unmistakable aroma of peaches wafting down Public Road, it's easy to see why the Lafayette Peach Festival has become a tradition not just for locals, but residents of surrounding states. For Burtness, it’s special to see her family’s peaches enjoyed in such a celebratory setting.
“The trees here have evolved to handle Colorado’s extreme temperatures, and that’s what makes our peaches so sweet and juicy," she says. "Sharing that at the Peach Festival every year is something we really value.”
Lafayette Peach Festival is Saturday, August 16, on Public Road in Old Town Lafayette from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more at lafayetteco.gov.
Hosted by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the 26th annual festival is expected to draw about 40,000 people,up from an average of 35,000 in past years. The main draw? Over 30,000 pounds of peaches from Palisade Organic Peach Ranch, Morton’s Organic Orchards and Tate Orchards, along with peach pies, cobblers, margaritas, pizzas, skin-care products and more.
“We start planning at least eight months in advance,” says Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Katey McNeil. “We debrief right after the event about what went well and what needs tweaking, and then we start locking in dates, applying for permits and coordinating the traffic control plan.” That early planning is crucial when you’re coordinating more than 200 vendor booths, street closures and a crowd larger than the population of the city itself.
Before blooming into the Peach Festival, the event was known as the Lafayette Art and Antique Fair, hosted by the Lafayette Old Town Association and the Lafayette Chamber. Almost three decades ago, the event coordinator approached Morton's Organic Orchard in Palisade with the idea of incorporating peach sales into the next year's fair schedule; when Colorado's peach crops failed that year, organizers purchased some California peaches to salvage the event.
"That didn't go over well with Coloradans," recalls Morton's co-owner Heather Morton Burtness. "Fortunately, we had a better season the following year, and we've been at the Peach Festival since year two, so 25 years now."
Since that second year, Morton’s Organic Orchards has become one of the festival’s cornerstone vendors, hauling thousands of pounds of peaches from Palisade to Lafayette each August. For Burtness, the connection runs deep, as she grew up on the orchard her parents bought in the late 1970s, when conventional spraying was the norm.
“Our first step into direct customer sales was the Boulder Farmers’ Market in 1991,” she recalls. “We started hearing customers ask, ‘Are these organic? Are these sprayed?’ That feedback pushed us to go transitional in 1991, which is the first step towards becoming organic and eliminating the use of chemicals, and we were certified organic in 1993. We haven’t looked back.”
Today, Morton’s operates on about 35 to 40 acres across Palisade and Boulder. It sells primarily at farmers’ markets and brings about 15,000 pounds of peaches to Lafayette’s festival each year.
“We do all our own transportation,” Burtness says. “Our people handle the fruit with more care, and peaches need that. Once you pick them, that’s it — they’re not going to ripen more.”
A person pulls a wagon loaded with peaches at the Lafayette Peach Festival.
Courtesy of Lafayette Peach Festival
“We’ve had some challenges," Burtness says. "In particular, we got nipped a little bit in the early season, but that's kind of always worked into the equations for us. We just expect Colorado weather. Everybody had an interesting harvest; I hate to say troubling because it's not really troubling, it's just always different ... But we are definitely seeing a shift in the season. I can't say unequivocally that it's climate change, but it's trending that way."
While the peaches are the undisputed star of the show, the festival’s appeal also depends on the variety and quality of its vendors. The Chamber team works year-round to curate a mix that feels fresh and distinctive, ensuring there’s something to tempt every visitor.
“It's really important to us to have a unique festival. That isn't just your weekly farmers' market. Those are great. But we really want to showcase vendors who have art-forward artists and products,” says Chamber of Commerce Director of Events Rebecca Green. “We put a lot of time and effort behind our vendor selection and placement throughout the festival to make sure that everyone has the best day possible."
That careful curation also extends to sponsorships. “We keep the integrity of the festival for micro and small businesses,” McNeil says. “The only booths outside of arts, crafts, antiques, handmade goods and food are sponsors, and they’re expected to bring fun, interactive elements.” As a result, people can browse everything from handmade pottery to peach-scented skin-care products, alongside food vendors turning out themed creations.
"There really is not a lack of peach-themed things to get, and they are all killer," says Chamber of Commerce Communications and Marketing Manager Ryan-Hannah Lindsay. "I’ll try anything peach, but the peach margaritas at eats & sweets have been a big hit in years past. Local restaurants will do things like a peach-marinated taco, peach pizzas, peach jams, peach candles, peach skin care, peach lotions and body washes. Come hungry. You will not have a bad item."
On festival day, the action starts long before the first bite of cobbler. “Vendors start setting up at 6 a.m., but we get there around 4:30 a.m.,” McNeil says. "We are back and forth all day." Staffers routinely log over 50,000 steps before the day is done.
Traffic control is another behind-the-scenes priority. Streets are closed to vehicles, ADA parking is designated at Chase Bank on East Geneseo and North Public Road, and attendees are encouraged to park in the surrounding neighborhoods without blocking driveways. More than 75 volunteers help keep things moving.
With the festival typically landing on one of the hottest days of the year, staying cool is a priority. “Bring water, sunscreen and a hat,” Green advises. Sponsors like Intermountain Health and Eldorado Water provide cooling stations and free refills, but reusable bottles are encouraged.
Organizers have one firm request: leave pets at home unless they’re service animals. “The asphalt can reach almost 200 degrees,” McNeil says. “We love animals, but it’s too hot for them to be here safely.”
While the 57th Annual Palisade Peach Festival is set for August 15-16, fans who want to avoid the drive to the Western Slope know they can find the peaches closer to home. "The Lafayette Peach Festival is so special that people look forward to it a year in advance," McNeil says. "They know it's going to be the third Saturday of August, and they're excited. It's like they have no other day to buy peaches."
Vendors, too, rave about the event’s energy and economic impact. “We’ve had food vendors make over $15,000 in a single day,” McNeil says. “For many, it’s their best sales day of the year.”
With its mix of small-town charm, carefully chosen vendors and the unmistakable aroma of peaches wafting down Public Road, it's easy to see why the Lafayette Peach Festival has become a tradition not just for locals, but residents of surrounding states. For Burtness, it’s special to see her family’s peaches enjoyed in such a celebratory setting.
“The trees here have evolved to handle Colorado’s extreme temperatures, and that’s what makes our peaches so sweet and juicy," she says. "Sharing that at the Peach Festival every year is something we really value.”
Lafayette Peach Festival is Saturday, August 16, on Public Road in Old Town Lafayette from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more at lafayetteco.gov.
