The original item was published from 7/12/2023 6:07:00 AM to 8/15/2023 12:00:01 AM.

News Flash

City News

Posted on: July 11, 2023

[ARCHIVED] Eighth Annual FUNC Fest Aug. 12-13

Montrose, CO — Water sports enthusiasts, competitors, and the fun-loving Montrose community are invited to enjoy the Eighth Annual FUNC Fest (Fun on the UNCompahgre River Festival) at the Montrose Water Sports Park, WSP, in Riverbottom Park on Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13.

FUNC Fest is one of the City of Montrose’s premier summer events designed to showcase and celebrate the WSP, which is one of the largest whitewater parks in the American West.

The event, hosted by the City of Montrose Office of Business and Tourism (OBT), will feature a full lineup of river and land events from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 12, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, August 13.

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Each day will feature water competitions, kid’s activities, vendor booths, a food and beer garden, and live music.

“FUNC Fest is one of the city’s largest summer events where we plan for a large community celebration and this year will be no different,” said Kathryn Schroer, City of Montrose Pavilion and Community Events Manager. “We are planning two full days of fun in Riverbottom Park and on the Uncompahgre River, and we are excited to bring back a Prince tribute band to perform Saturday night in Cerise Park.”

Open to all levels, water competitions will include a downriver sprint for kayakers, stand-up paddle, SUP, boarders, and recreational crafts. The boatercross event targets kayakers and SUP’ers. Boatercross is a blend of downriver racing and roller derby and is available to all levels of paddlers.

In between competitions, the community is invited to jump in the river and enjoy the cool Colorado runoff through the park. Personal flotation devices, or PFDs, a.k.a life jackets, are required.

After the water competitions conclude at 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon, the party transitions to the Rotary Amphitheater where food and beer vendors will be ready to provide food and libations for two sets of live music beginning at 6 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m. headliner Phillip Lamar & Paizley Park, a Prince tribute band, will perform. Phillip Lamar & Paizley Park performed at the 2019 FUNC Fest and are returning following public demand to bring the group back to Montrose.

On Sunday the water competitions resume along with vendor booths, kid’s activities, and live music taking place in Riverbottom Park. The music and event conclude at 6 p.m. Sunday evening.

The WSP, located on the Uncompahgre River in Riverbottom Park in the heart of Montrose’s premier Baldridge Regional Park complex, was completed in 2015.

Consisting of 1,000 feet of river channel, the park is one of the largest in the state of Colorado and one of the few in the U.S. to be fully accessible by ADA standards. The park has been designed with all citizens in mind, from ankle waders to expert kayakers, and is complemented by a terraced spectator and beach areas, allowing excellent viewing from a safe space right on the river.

Sustained irrigation flows on the Uncompahgre River make the park an enticing destination through late summer/early fall, long after other parks have lost their luster.

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