CU expands Folsom's 2026 concert slate
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Folsom Field's setup for Phish in July 2025. Photo: Cliff Grassmick/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
Phish will take its jam sessions back to Commerce City after a one-year trial at Boulder's Folsom Field, but University of Colorado officials say they have big plans for Folsom's 2026 concert schedule.
Why it matters: Nearly 10 years after live music returned to Folsom, CU officials want to cement the stadium as a premier stop for major touring acts.
Driving the news: After three Boulder shows over Fourth of July weekend last year, Phish announced it would return to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City Sept. 4-6.
- Though Phish did not give a public reason for the move, the band's promoters and CU officials said last year the Folsom run was always intended as a trial.
Yes, but: The move allows Phish to return to its traditional Labor Day weekend slot, which Folsom could not accommodate in perpetuity due to conflicts with football season.
Reality check: Dick's is also roughly half the size of Folsom.
- While the promoters of the show, AEG Presents, did not disclose attendance figures to Axios Boulder, CU told us the day before the first concert last year that tickets for all three dates were still available.
What we're watching: CU officials have already secured dates for Mumford & Sons on June 6 and electronic music group Rüfüs Du Sol on Aug. 22.
- Country crooner Tyler Childers will also return to play at Folsom on July 18.
- "We've been able to bring a variety of acts, representing an array of genres, to the Boulder community," CU athletics department spokesperson Steve Hurlbert told us.
The big picture: After installing new turf that will allow for shows year-round, and with next year's Sundance Film Festival poised to make Boulder a regional entertainment destination, CU is hoping to make Folsom a frequent stop for big acts.
- "The setting — the Flatirons, the Rocky Mountain backdrop, the walkable downtown — creates an atmosphere that artists immediately feel," Don Strasburg, president of AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, said in a statement. "When artists play Folsom Field, they understand how special it is."