Georgetown Colorado’s Bighorn Sheep Festival is Fun + Educational

Colorado's official state animal is the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep and if you've ever driven down I-70 through the tiny town of Georgetown, there's a chance that you've seen them along the side of the mountain.

Not only is this a popular place to spot Bighorn Sheep in Colorado, but Georgetown is also home to the annual Georgetown Bighorn Sheep Festival.

Georgetown Colorado's Bighorn Sheep Festival

This past Saturday, November 11, 2023, saw the annual Georgetown Bighorn Sheep Festival celebrate its 18th year.

The festival celebrates Colorado's official state animal as hundreds gather at various locations in Georgetown, one of which is the town's Visitor's Center, to watch for Bighorn Sheep across I-70.

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In addition, this year's festival included free face painting, archery, puppet making, free s'mores, vendors, music, and more.

While the festival has only taken place since 2005, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep has been Colorado's State Animal since 1961 and Georgetown is known to be home to not just the celebration, but also the largest Bighorn Sheep herd in the state.

The town's Visitor's Center has a special viewing deck with telescopes mounted onto it for visitors to use to try to spot sheep on the mountain, but Georgetown residents have also been known to use their own, personal telescopes to join in on the fun.

Bighorn Sheep descend from higher elevations once the weather starts getting cold where they can sometimes be seen trying to find a mate or butting heads. To be clear, it's the male Bighorn Sheep that gets into these "fights" with other males to assert dominance.

Keep scrolling to check out some of the festivities from Georgetown's Bighorn Sheep Festival that took place back in 2012: