Frozen Dead Guy Days

Name: Frozen Dead Guy Days
Start: 2025-03-13
End: 2025-03-15
Location: Nederland

A Wild Winter Extravaganza Where the Bizarre Meets the Subzero in the Rockies

2026/03/12 - 2026/03/14

Every March, the mountain town of Estes Park, Colorado, comes alive with a quirky, lively spirit for Frozen Dead Guy Days—a unique winter festival inspired by the real story of a cryogenically frozen Norwegian grandfather. Packed with coffin races, polar plunges, and live music on snow, this weekend is filled with frosty fun and infectious laughter. If you want to don a costume, eat chili in the snow, and be surrounded by music and merriment, this is the “coolest” festival in the Rockies.

Held every mid-March at the Estes Park Events Complex and The Stanley Hotel, the festival draws families and adventurous travelers from across the country. Whether you’re plunging into icy water, cheering on the coffin relay, or just soaking up the offbeat atmosphere, Frozen Dead Guy Days is perfect for anyone who loves winter, humor, and a truly unusual story.

Main Attractions

Coffin Races

The festival’s signature event is the coffin race: teams of six (one “corpse” inside a coffin, five runners) dash through a snow-and-ice obstacle course. The wooden coffins rattle, wild costumes abound, and the crowd’s cheers fill the air. It’s a hilarious tribute to the original “frozen dead guy,” Grandpa Bredo.

Key Events

Other highlights include the polar plunge (a leap into icy water), the “Brain Freeze” ice cream eating contest, a frostbite fashion show, multiple live music stages, and the Bands & Bloodys Sunday Brunch. There are snow-themed games for families, plus food trucks and beer gardens to keep everyone warm and fueled.

Costumes and Decorations

Participants show up in zombie makeup, Viking helmets, penguin suits, and retro ski wear. Coffins are decorated as pirate ships, hearses, or even spaceships. The festival grounds are adorned with ice sculptures, banners, and twinkling lights, while the scent of woodsmoke, chili, and mulled wine fills the crisp mountain air.

Traditional Food & Drink

Frozen Dead Guy Days is a feast of hearty winter fare: chili, hot dogs, barbecue, and local Colorado craft beers. You’ll find spiced cider, mulled wine, and hot chocolate to keep the chill away. And for the brave, there’s the “Brain Freeze” contest—who can eat a pint of ice cream the fastest in the cold?

Cultural and Historical Background

The festival began in 2002, inspired by the story of Bredo Morstoel, a Norwegian man who died in 1989 and was cryogenically frozen by his grandson, Trygve Bauge, in hopes of future revival. After being moved from California to Nederland, Colorado, Grandpa Bredo became a local legend. The festival started as a way to celebrate this bizarre tale and the community’s embrace of the weird. In 2023, the event moved to Estes Park, but the heart remains: a frozen grandpa, a town that loves the unusual, and a party that never thaws.

For locals, FDGD is more than a festival—it’s a symbol of embracing the unexpected, coming together in the cold, and finding joy in the strangest of stories. Over 20,000 people gather each year, making it a Colorado winter tradition and a must-see event.

Participant Voices

I came from Texas just to see what would happen. I ended up making friends with a group dressed as penguins at the polar plunge, and the sense of togetherness made me forget the cold.

Fun Facts

Named one of the “Top 10 Best Parties of Winter” by The New York Times.
Grandpa Bredo is now housed at the world’s only cryonics museum, located at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.
The festival has inspired documentaries, original merchandise, and even its own theme song.
In Nederland, storing a frozen body is generally illegal—but Grandpa Bredo was “grandfathered” in as an exception.