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CU expands Folsom's 2026 concert slate

University leaders say new turf and big-name bookings will boost the stadium's draw.

News

Phish will take its jam sessions back to Commerce City after a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="one-year trial at Boulder&#x27;s Folsom Field" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/07/02/phish-cu-boulder-folsom-field" data-vars-content-id="c1c9ab34-2749-432f-9f6e-31d390e19de9" data-vars-headline="CU expands Folsom&#x27;s 2026 concert slate" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/07/02/phish-cu-boulder-folsom-field" target="_self">one-year trial at Boulder&#x27;s Folsom Field</a>, but University of Colorado officials say they have big plans for Folsom&#x27;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.

Colorado makes spring game free in Prime pivot

The Buffs drop ticket prices after attendance slid in recent years.

In a notable shift under coach Deion Sanders, Colorado will make its spring game free for the first time since Coach Prime arrived in Boulder.Why it matters: The spring game will kick off a crucial year for Sanders and the Buffs, who are coming <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="off a 3-9 season" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/11/19/deion-sanders-colorado-future" data-vars-content-id="1502d609-b416-49ca-8ba7-66594d78ef1c" data-vars-headline="Colorado makes spring game free in Prime pivot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/11/19/deion-sanders-colorado-future" target="_self">off a 3-9 season</a> and the second straight year of declining spring game attendance.

Boulder blaze raises early fire season fears

Officials warn a historically dry winter could fuel above-average fire behavior this year.

Boulder residents got a scare last weekend when a wildfire prompted evacuation warnings in the Chautauqua area before firefighters were able to take advantage of calm winds to extinguish the blaze.Why it matters: The fire offered an early warning of what officials fear could become more common if Colorado&#x27;s historically dry winter extends into spring and summer.

Boulder-based Gloo evaluates AI on faith values

The company says AI should strengthen spiritual and mental health.

Religion

Boulder-based <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gloo" data-vars-click-url="https://gloo.com/" data-vars-content-id="6905bdc8-6e4f-4c34-b13c-e02643cb74d5" data-vars-headline="Boulder-based Gloo evaluates AI on faith values" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://gloo.com/" target="_blank">Gloo</a> is trying to answer a new question in the AI age: Can chatbots help people flourish?Why it matters: As large language models (LLMs) gain traction in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="churches" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/12/christian-ai-chatbot-jesus-god-satan-churches" data-vars-content-id="6905bdc8-6e4f-4c34-b13c-e02643cb74d5" data-vars-headline="Boulder-based Gloo evaluates AI on faith values" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/12/christian-ai-chatbot-jesus-god-satan-churches" target="_self">churches</a>, nonprofits and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="schools" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/21/google-anthropic-microsoft-education" data-vars-content-id="6905bdc8-6e4f-4c34-b13c-e02643cb74d5" data-vars-headline="Boulder-based Gloo evaluates AI on faith values" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/21/google-anthropic-microsoft-education" target="_self">schools</a>, and increasingly field questions once reserved for pastors or counselors — Gloo argues AI should strengthen mental, relational and spiritual health — not just automate tasks.

CU Boulder seeks dogs for Shakespeare role

Two small dogs will star in "Shakespeare in Love" this summer at CU Boulder.

Where art thou, Fido? The University of Colorado Boulder is searching for two dogs to star in this summer&#x27;s Colorado Shakespeare Festival.Why it matters: You always thought your dog was destined for the spotlight; now is your chance to prove it.

Big events and new businesses fuel Pearl Street momentum

Boulder is prepping its downtown core for a major comeback.

With a new leader and a pair of marquee events on the horizon, downtown Boulder is betting that national attention can help reenergize the Pearl Street Mall and reset its post-pandemic trajectory.Why it matters: As one of the city&#x27;s most recognizable landmarks and a major economic engine, a thriving downtown is key to Boulder&#x27;s ambition of becoming a regional destination for visitors, workers and businesses.

Boulder readies to roll out the red carpet for Sundance

Local leaders are prepping for Sundance's 2027 debut with housing, venues and strategy.

The Sundance Film Festival won&#x27;t make its official <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Boulder debut " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/03/27/boulder-sundance-film-festival-2027" data-vars-content-id="2337f4dc-934d-4298-8097-2e7bf47febcc" data-vars-headline="Boulder readies to roll out the red carpet for Sundance" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/03/27/boulder-sundance-film-festival-2027" target="_self">Boulder debut </a>until early 2027, but 2026 will be all about laying the groundwork for one of the city&#x27;s biggest-ever arrivals.Why it matters: Landing Sundance is a major cultural win for Boulder, but realizing its full economic and reputational upside will require careful coordination across the city.

Andrea Gibson documentary offers a tender look at love, loss and legacy

The poet's last film explores how terminal illness reshaped their art and daily life.

On screen, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Andrea Gibson" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/10/01/andrea-gibson-colorado-poet-laureate" data-vars-content-id="b6076873-7256-455f-8dde-33d7ee4e2716" data-vars-headline="Andrea Gibson documentary offers a tender look at love, loss and legacy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/10/01/andrea-gibson-colorado-poet-laureate" target="_self">Andrea Gibson</a> delivers a line that now lands like a farewell: &quot;Anyone who thinks poetry is frivolous has never needed someone to tell them something unspeakably hard, beautifully.&quot;<ul><li>The footage is from their final live show, recorded at Denver&#x27;s Paramount Theater this June. Gibson died in July — one month before their 50th birthday and four years after being diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer.</li></ul>

Colorado sees surge in bear encounters

Bear sighting and conflict reports have reached their highest level since 2019, state data shows.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has logged more than 5,000 bear reports so far this year — the most since 2019 and a sign of growing friction where wild habitat meets human life.Why it matters: As bear sightings and interactions climb, so do the chances of dangerous encounters for both people and bears.

Boulder's Frasca honored as one of America's best restaurants

The restaurant ranked No. 27 on Robb Report's list of top 100 U.S. restaurants.

Boulder&#x27;s Frasca Food and Wine has earned yet another national nod — this time landing among the top American restaurants of the 21st century.The latest: Robb Report, a luxury lifestyle publication, unveiled its list of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nation&#x27;s 100 best restaurants" data-vars-click-url="https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/lists/best-restaurants-america-21st-century-1237256635/kalaya-philadelphia/" data-vars-content-id="85b9f0db-408a-4c0f-92f0-d96229fb102f" data-vars-headline="Boulder&#x27;s Frasca honored as one of America&#x27;s best restaurants" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/lists/best-restaurants-america-21st-century-1237256635/kalaya-philadelphia/" target="_blank">nation&#x27;s 100 best restaurants</a>, selected by 250 chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and other dining pros.

Boulder's snowplows have names. Now they need snow

Boulder has announced the winning names for its 2025 snowplow fleet chosen by local students.

Boulder has announced the winning names for its 2025 snowplow fleet, selected by local students.Why it matters: Boulder kids have turned naming the snowplow fleet into a charming local tradition — now we just need some actual snow.The latest: For the fifth consecutive year, the city asked Boulder Valley students to name its 17 snowplows, and as usual, they produced a fun batch of monikers.<ul><li>&quot;Star Wars&quot; references, Taylor Swift puns and at least one kid who was influenced by his dad&#x27;s music taste have been popular in previous years.</li></ul>This year&#x27;s winning names are:<ul><li>☕️ Cocoa</li><li>🎉 Lollaplowlooza</li><li>🚀 Apollo Five</li><li>😀 5now Worries</li><li>🏎️ Fast and Flurrious 5</li><li>🤓 Austin Plowers</li><li>🧑‍🚀 Buzz Iceclear</li><li>🌨️ Snowy</li><li>🎸 Sleetwood Mac</li><li>✋ High Five</li><li>🍭 Sugar Plum</li><li>🍧 Slushimaker</li><li>❄ Flake Flinger 5</li><li>💃 Life of a Snowgirl</li><li>🤖 Snow2D2</li><li>💤 Sleet Dreams</li><li>🌡️ Coldspot</li></ul>What we&#x27;re watching: Each of the plows will be emblazoned with a winning name, and the students get a photo with &quot;their&quot; plow.Yes, but: The city is off to a historically dry snow season.By the numbers: Boulder&#x27;s previous latest recorded snowfall was Nov. 17, in both 2016 and 2021.<ul><li>While a storm is expected to bring some flakes to the Western Slope today, Boulder is unlikely to see anything more than rain, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to the National Weather Service" data-vars-click-url="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.016871&amp;lon=-105.279624" data-vars-content-id="0d140594-2c72-4f3e-8aa5-e6cb7018e3e6" data-vars-headline="Boulder&#x27;s snowplows have names. Now they need snow" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.016871&amp;lon=-105.279624" target="_blank">according to the National Weather Service</a>.</li><li>BoulderCAST forecasted the next chance for snow in the city will not come <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="until Nov. 26" data-vars-click-url="https://x.com/BoulderCAST/status/1991212111968760291" data-vars-content-id="0d140594-2c72-4f3e-8aa5-e6cb7018e3e6" data-vars-headline="Boulder&#x27;s snowplows have names. Now they need snow" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://x.com/BoulderCAST/status/1991212111968760291" target="_blank">until Nov. 26</a>.</li></ul>Fun fact: It <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="snowed on the Big Island of Hawaii" data-vars-click-url="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/snowed-hawaii-week-while-denver-182525160.html" data-vars-content-id="0d140594-2c72-4f3e-8aa5-e6cb7018e3e6" data-vars-headline="Boulder&#x27;s snowplows have names. Now they need snow" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/snowed-hawaii-week-while-denver-182525160.html" target="_blank">snowed on the Big Island of Hawaii</a> this year before it snowed in Boulder.<ul><li>💭 My thought bubble: I never thought I would be able to tell people I moved from Hawaii to Boulder to escape the snow.Boulder has announced the winning names for its 2025 snowplow fleet selected by local students.</li></ul>

Stem Zero brings booze-free ciders to market

Stem Ciders has entered the sober-curious market with two zero-proof flavors and more on the way.

Colorado&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Stem Ciders" data-vars-click-url="https://stemciders.com/" data-vars-content-id="3f14aaa1-4d6d-4b26-8fef-678d1d2d4be7" data-vars-headline="Stem Zero brings booze-free ciders to market" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://stemciders.com/" target="_blank">Stem Ciders</a> is jumping into the fast-growing sober-curious market with Stem Zero, a new line of non-alcoholic craft ciders that debuted this week.Why it matters: As more Americans <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cut back on booze" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/13/alcohol-drinking-rate-low-health" data-vars-content-id="3f14aaa1-4d6d-4b26-8fef-678d1d2d4be7" data-vars-headline="Stem Zero brings booze-free ciders to market" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/13/alcohol-drinking-rate-low-health" target="_self">cut back on booze</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nonalcoholic drink sales soar" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/29/mocktails-non-alcoholic-sober-bar" data-vars-content-id="3f14aaa1-4d6d-4b26-8fef-678d1d2d4be7" data-vars-headline="Stem Zero brings booze-free ciders to market" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/29/mocktails-non-alcoholic-sober-bar" target="_self">nonalcoholic drink sales soar</a>, the launch positions Stem to capture a slice of one of the beverage industry&#x27;s fastest-expanding categories.

Readers capture northern lights over Boulder

Locals snapped vibrant aurora shots during a rare geomagnetic storm.

Climate

When the northern lights danced <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="over Boulder County" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/11/12/northern-lights-boulder-solar-storm" data-vars-content-id="b90bce9a-a8d3-4ced-b1a3-8b2d97f6899f" data-vars-headline="Readers capture northern lights over Boulder" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2025/11/12/northern-lights-boulder-solar-storm" target="_self">over Boulder County</a> last week, readers from near and far <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="grabbed their cameras" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/13/northern-lights-tonight-us-aurora-borealis-photos-solar" data-vars-content-id="b90bce9a-a8d3-4ced-b1a3-8b2d97f6899f" data-vars-headline="Readers capture northern lights over Boulder" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/13/northern-lights-tonight-us-aurora-borealis-photos-solar" target="_self">grabbed their cameras</a> — and the stunning results are lighting up our inbox.State of play: A geomagnetic storm created auroras farther south than normal on Nov. 11, with the lights visible to the naked eye even in Boulder.

Greenwood Wildlife sets new record for animal care

As wildlife rehabilitation options shrink, the north Boulder County facility is shattering its previous annual record.

Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in north Boulder County has shattered its previous annual record for animal intake with two months still left in 2025.Why it matters: With few wildlife rehab options in Colorado, Greenwood has become one of the only places animals can turn for care and recovery.

Culture

CU Boulder seeks dogs for Shakespeare role

Sundance takes its final bow in Utah, leaving festivalgoers divided

First new fossils unearthed at Dinosaur National Monument since 1924

Boulder community honors Bob Weir's contributions

Big events and new businesses fuel Pearl Street momentum