Reasons to Attend Estes Park Colorado’s Duck Race this Year

Since 1989, the Estes Park Rotary Duck Race Festival has been a staple event in the Colorado mountain town, and for good reasons. The festival features live music, face painting, a petting zoo, and of course, thousands upon thousands of rubber ducks floating down the river.

This year's festival will feature all of these fun festivities and will surely be an event you won't want to miss.

Estes Park Colorado's Duck Race 2024

The Estes Park Rotary Duck Race Festival takes place each year on the first Saturday of May, which will be May 4th this year.

Over the course of more than 30 years, the festival has brought in roughly $3 million to charitable organizations based in the picturesque Colorado mountain town.

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This year, 63 organizations will benefit from the money raised which is estimated to be in the ballpark of $200,000.

One source of this money is the rubber ducks themselves. In 2024, sponsoring a duck to compete in the race costs $25 with $23 going directly to the charitable organizations.

This year's duck race festival will also feature plenty of live music from local favorites Sunny Boy Jim Jack Jones and Cowboy Brad Fitch, as well as numerous African drum circles in which anyone can join.

It's estimated that 10,000 of these iconic rubber ducks will be dropped into the water via crane and momentarily turn the river a playful yellow as they race downstream. However, the festival also sees rubber ducks hanging out all over the place, including the lovable mascot that participates in plenty of photo opportunities.

Keep scrolling to check out highlights from a previous Estes Park Rotary Duck Race Festival:

Reasons to Attend Estes Park Colorado’s Duck Race this Year

The annual Estes Park Rotary Duck Race Festival is a Colorado tradition dating back to 1989 and there are plenty of great reasons to attend this year.

Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde