This year's Frozen Dead Guy Days in Estes Park will feature polar plunge, music, 8K and of course … coffin races
Frozen Dead Guy Days is one of the quirkiest traditions in all of Colorado.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. We are celebrating an actual frozen dead guy. His name is Bredo Morstøl. He passed away in Norway in 1989, and he was cryogenically frozen," said Claire Molle, with Visit Estes Park.
Morstøl's grandson actually brought his body to Colorado and kept it on dry ice in a Tuff Shed in Nederland. The Town of Nederland discovered the resident on ice in the late 1990s when the family applied for a Certificate of Occupancy. In 2002, the Nederland Chamber of Commerce started Frozen Dead Guy Days as a way to attract visitors. The festival quickly gained national attention for its bizarre premise.
"Now (Morstøl) is at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, properly cryogenically frozen in this big stainless steel tube called a dewar because we wanted it to be properly done," Molle added.
The owner of the historic Stanley Hotel bought the festival in 2023/24 and brought it to Estes Park so the celebration of Grandpa Bredo could continue.
"It's a whole weekend of fun. It kicks off with the Royal Blue Ball which is at the Stanley Hotel. It's a really fun dance just to really get the energy going. The main event is March 28 at the Estes Park Events complex, and there are three stages of live music going all day long," Molle explained.
In addition to the ball and the live music, there is a bar crawl, polar plunge, 8K run, and Bands & Bloody's Brunch. But the real heart of the festival is the coffin races.
"If a coffin race isn't bizarre enough, you have a team of seven people. One person in the coffin and six pallbearers dressed up in crazy costumes with crazy team names, and then they're racing through an icy obstacle course. People fall out of the coffin, the coffins break, people fall down," Molle described.
Costumes are encouraged for every event, but plenty of people just go to observe the fun. Estes Park business also get into the spirit of the weekend with deals and specials.
LINK: Frozen Dead Guy Days
Frozen Dead Guy Days runs March 27 - March 29, 2025 in Estes Park. Tickets are on sale now. Get a 30% discount by using the promo code FROST30 through January 30, 2025.
