In years past, attending Longmont’s Winter Walkabout meant braving the elements with all the subtlety of a mountain expedition: snow boots, scarf, hat, mittens, down jacket and a set of footed woolen long johns. But if the forecast is to be trusted, this year’s Walkabout might look a little different.
With Saturday’s temperatures predicted to hover unseasonably warm in the high 60s, according to AccuWeather, winter walkabouters can trade out their Sorels for sneakers and bask in the rare pleasure of a February festival that doesn’t involve frostbite. (Maybe trade the long johns for ankle socks.)
Now in its seventh year, the Winter Walkabout Music Showcase returns from 2 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and will feature more than 50 live performances across 16 indoor venues in downtown Longmont’s Creative District. The event offers one all-inclusive ticket that lets attendees hop between performances at coffee shops, breweries, galleries, restaurants, churches and other local businesses.
“It’s cool to have live music in spaces people don’t normally associate with shows,” said Colin Argys, marketing and events coordinator for the Longmont Downtown Development Authority. “Some of the venues only host music once a year, during the Walkabout.”
Walkabouters need only to buy one ticket, grab a commemorative button (which doubles as a physical pass) and start walking. Attendees can design their own schedule, drift between venues and earn a satisfying number of steps while sampling music in nearly every genre. Performances are staggered throughout the day so that even indecisive types (the “Should we go see blues in a historical brick church instead?” crowd) can catch multiple sets without missing too much.
This year’s festival locations also include a few new additions, such as Tangerine, 379 Main St., Longmont, the downtown breakfast-lunch spot that’s turning over its usually waffle-scented floor space for afternoon and evening shows.
“We’re really excited to have Tangerine onboard as a venue,” Argys said. “It’s definitely a non-traditional music space, and that’s one of the fun parts of the Walkabout. Seeing music in unexpected places.”
Unexpected, but not unwelcome. For those mapping out a route, consider timing a snack break to coincide with Lyons-based soul singer Dechen Hawk’s set at Tangerine. Belgian waffle in hand, groovy love song in ear: a true Colorado brunch-jam crossover.
And while the event keeps its heart in Longmont, it pulls artists from across the Front Range and beyond. Among this year’s headliners is nationally touring singer-songwriter Madeline Hawthorne, a Bozeman, Mont.-based folk songstress who’ll appear with her full band, which includes Longmont local Taylor Sims.
“She’s incredibly talented, and we’re thankful to have her,” Argys said of Hawthorne. “It’s special to have someone with that kind of national presence on a lineup that’s still so focused on our local scene.”
That balance between local and regionally recognized is what gives the Walkabout its character. The event has grown steadily in size and scope over the years, but it’s never outgrown its main goal of supporting local musicians and downtown businesses while encouraging community connection and ambulatory action.
“One of the best parts of the Walkabout is being able to pay so many local musicians for their work and talents,” Argys said. “At the same time, it brings visitors and customers, new and old, to downtown Longmont during a traditionally slower time of year.”
It’s a rare win-win-win where artists get paid and heard, businesses get traffic and audiences get music (and exercise, depending on how vigorously one walks).
For Colorado-based musicians like Tyler Thompson, who goes by Tyler T. and performs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at MeCo Coffee Collective, 627 Main St, Longmont, that sense of community is one of the event’s biggest draws.
Known for his polyjamorous compositions and loop-based performances, Thompson often juggles guitar, keys, marimba, didgeridoo and other instruments in his sets, while also playing with the rest of his backing band (someone’s gotta drum). But at the Walkabout, he’s dialing things down.
“The audience can expect some new material, and simpler, more stripped-down acoustic versions of our songs without the multiple instruments and high-tech devices,” Thompson said.
He added: “The best part about playing these types of festivals is reaching new listeners we haven’t connected with yet, and meeting other regional musicians. It’s a big day of community not only for the audiences, but for all of us.”
That includes a few familiar faces he has on his agenda to see.
“There are some songwriters I’ve really been wanting to catch live,” he said. “I’m hoping to sneak out and see as many as I can.”
Thompson is also keeping busy with a new full-band album set to release this summer, a brand-new recording and videography studio in progress and regular uploads to his YouTube channel, Tylertmusic.
“It’s gonna be a big year of creativity,” he said.
Over at Trailhead Church (formerly Old St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church), 470 Main St., Longmont, the Boulder County-based folk quartet Sturtz will also play the 6:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday slot, though they’ll be performing this set as a trio.
“We’ll be playing songs off our latest record, ‘Hyacinth,’ and we’ve got a brand-new one in store too,” said vocalist and guitarist Andrew Sturtz. “Honestly, we don’t change much about our approach for multi-venue shows. It’s still going to be the same sad songs and silly banter that our audiences are used to.”
The band just returned from an official showcase at Folk Alliance International in New Orleans in January and is now settling into a newly converted garage studio space at the band’s Longmont home. The New Orleans event is a giant gathering of folk musicians and music industry professionals for networking and music.
“We’re really excited to work on new song ideas with different instrumentation and sounds,” Sturtz said. “We draw a lot of inspiration from other songwriters and spaces, so it was great to start the year off that way.”
For Sturtz, the Winter Walkabout is the rare event where discovery and camaraderie go hand-in-hand.
“We love going to support friends, of course,” he said. “But our favorite part of events like this is getting to hear new and upcoming artists we’ve never heard before. It’s always great making new connections in Colorado’s music scene.”
Tickets for the Winter Walkabout are available online at downtownlongmont.com/wwms, and one ticket grants access to every performance throughout the day. Entry into each venue is first-come, first-served basis — so if a venue hits capacity, guests will either have to wait to enter or shuffle those sneaks elsewhere.
A full schedule of performances and venues is available online, including food options designed for eat-while-you-walk ease. Look for on-the-go snack boxes at St. Vrain Cidery, 350 Terry St., #130, Longmont, truffle fries and falafel wraps from Sugar Pine Catering at The St. Vrain, 635 3rd Ave., Longmont, and a handful of other portable offerings from participating eateries.
Once the music winds down, the festivities continue with an unofficial afterparty hosted by DJ Drake at The Times Collaborative, 338 Main St., Longmont, featuring a “Back to the ’80s” dance night with adult Capri Suns, a cash bar, and free entry for Winter Walkabout ticket holders. The afterparty runs from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday and is for guests ages 21 and older.
Argys said that he hopes the day delivers on what the Walkabout does best: Getting people out of the house and hanging out downtown.
“The Winter Walkabout always brings such an amazing energy to Downtown Longmont and the Creative District,” Argys said. “It’s usually a slow time of year for our businesses, venues, and local musicians, so it’s great for everyone to be able to fight that mid-winter cabin fever and get out for a fun day of live, local music in the Longmont Creative District.”
After all, when’s the last time you went to a winter music festival … while showing a little ankle?