Strings Music Festival Keeps the Pavilion Buzzing with Winter Lineup
Neal Francis plays at Strings on Wednesday, December 30.
As temperatures drop in Steamboat Springs, Strings Music Festival is keeping its Pavilion warm with a winter season that stretches from Halloween through early April.
The winter 2026–27 lineup features music, comedy, film and family performances, mixing familiar names with artists making their Strings debut. Returning favorites include moe., Leftover Salmon, Los Lobos and John Craigie, while legendary funk trombonist Fred Wesley with the New JBs.
Also on the calendar are Chicago singer-songwriter and pianist Neal Francis, comedian Maria Bamford, The Lone Bellow and The Road to WinterWonderGrass featuring Billy Failing, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Johnny Mullenax.
“We’re giving people plenty of ways to enjoy Strings all winter – whether they’re bringing the kids, coming for a laugh or ready for a night of live music,” says Elissa Greene, executive director of Strings Music Festival. “For five standing-only shows, we’ll take every chair out of the Pavilion. With everyone on their feet, the whole room comes alive with the music.”
That variety begins on Halloween weekend. On Friday, Oct. 30, Strings will screen a beloved 1990s Halloween cult classic before hosting a live conversation with cast members Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, Jason Marsden, Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek, who will share stories and memories from the making of the film.
Film returns to the Pavilion Sunday, Dec. 27 with a 1969 ski-racing classic, “Downhill Racer,” starring Robert Redford and Gene Hackman. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Steamboat local and two-time Olympian Caroline Lalive and a special guest about life on the racing circuit.
Families will love the Grammy Award-winning duo The Okee Dokee Brothers, who arrive on Sunday, Dec. 13 with songs inspired by outdoor adventures and everyday exploration. On Saturday, April 3, Lightwire Theater closes the winter lineup with a futuristic, wordless adaptation of “The Tortoise and the Hare,” using dance, glow-in-the-dark puppetry and light to retell the familiar fable.
And as always, the Pavilion will host a wide sweep of musical styles.
The Road to WinterWonderGrass is Thursday, Dec. 17; join Billy Failing, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Johnny Mullenax for a night of bluegrass and roots music. Neal Francis follows on Wednesday, Dec. 30, bringing a sound that draws on rock ’n’ roll, ’70s dance music, psychedelic rock and classic funk.
January is the season’s busiest month. Fred Wesley and the New JBs perform Thursday, Jan. 7, bringing the jazz-funk sound of a band whose core has played together for more than three decades. Comedian Maria Bamford takes the stage on Friday, Jan. 15, followed by The Lone Bellow on Thursday, Jan. 21.
John Craigie and The Bones of J.R. Jones share a bill Friday, Jan. 22, pairing John Craigie’s conversational songwriting and storytelling with the latter’s mix of acoustic grit, hypnotic rhythms and retro synths. Colorado favorite Leftover Salmon returns on Friday, Jan. 29, continuing a musical journey that has carried the band from bluegrass and Cajun influences to some of the country’s best-known stages.
February brings Los Lobos to Strings on Friday, Feb. 26. The East Los Angeles band has spent more than five decades blending rock ’n’ roll, R&B, soul, mariachi, música norteña, punk and country. Two days later, Grammy Award-winning Infamous Stringdusters members Andy Falco and Travis Book will celebrate the music of Jerry Garcia, drawing from his solo catalog, Grateful Dead songs and traditional music he loved to play.
The season wraps up with back-to-back April performances. On Friday, April 2, moe. returns for a standing-only show, 35 years after the band emerged from freewheeling sessions among musician friends at the University at Buffalo. Lightwire Theater follows on Saturday, April 3 with “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
Five concerts – The Road to WinterWonderGrass, Neal Francis, John Craigie & The Bones of J.R. Jones, Leftover Salmon and moe. – will be standing-only, transforming the Pavilion from its traditional seated configuration into an open-floor concert space.
Winter 2026–27 at a glance
A Nostalgic Halloween Film & Cast Conversation – Friday, Oct. 30
The Okee Dokee Brothers – Sunday, Dec. 13, 4 p.m. | All ages
The Road to WinterWonderGrass featuring Billy Failing, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes & Johnny Mullenax – Thursday, Dec. 17 | Standing only
A Classic Ski Racing Film with Caroline Lalive and Special Guest – Sunday, Dec. 27, 5:30 p.m.
Neal Francis – Wednesday, Dec. 30 | Standing only
Fred Wesley and the New JBs – Thursday, Jan. 7
Maria Bamford – Friday, Jan. 15
The Lone Bellow: 2027 Tour – Thursday, Jan. 21
John Craigie & The Bones of J.R. Jones: Winter Tour 2027 – Friday, Jan. 22 | Standing only
Leftover Salmon – Friday, Jan. 29 | Standing only
Los Lobos – Friday, Feb. 26
Andy Falco + Travis Book Play Jerry – Sunday, Feb. 28
moe. – Friday, April 2 | Standing only
Lightwire Theater Presents “The Tortoise and the Hare” – Saturday, April 3, 5:30 p.m. | All ages
All events take place at the Strings Music Pavilion. Performances begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Donor presales begin Monday, Sept. 28. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, Oct. 2, at 10 a.m. A gift of $500 or more to the 2027 Strings Annual Fund provides presale access to winter events as well as the full Summer Festival lineup when it is announced in April 2027.
For more information, visit https://stringsmusicfestival.com/.