Our box office takes over the Durango Arts Center box office during Meltdown Weekend. Find the DAC at 802 E 2nd Ave.
Box office hours during the Meltdown are Friday: 2 PM – 10 PM, Saturday 9 AM – 9:30 PM, and Sunday 9 AM – 4 PM
Yes! Any child under 12 can attend for free and they do NOT need a ticket.
The Meltdown is an indoor festival. It can be raining, snowing, blizzarding, or shining outside, but it’s comfortable inside our venues!
As for the outside, remember that Durango can have snow in April. Plan your travel and wardrobe accordingly! We don’t offer refunds because of adverse weather.
We don’t generally offer refunds. If you need to transfer your ticket, contact the Meltdown ticketing crew at tickets@durangomeltdown.com.
We do use TicketSignup for ticket sales. Your ticket can be transferred to another individual using the Ticket Transfer tools. This help article will walk you through how to manage your ticket: https://help.ticketsignup.io/support/solutions/articles/17000127388-transfer-tickets
We have five venues. Our primary stages include:
- Durango Arts Center
- Wild Horse Saloon
- Animas City Theatre
Our Friday Free Kickoff Concert is at 11th Street Station, and the Friday Contra Dance is located at the American Legion. We also host the Old-Time Barn Dance and Band Contest at the Elks Lodge.
About 3 to 4 blocks by foot. We encourage you to leave your car parked for the weekend and walk between venues.
Seating is first-come, first-served. Please don’t save seats. We’ll remove any personal belongings left on the seats.
After the second song of the set, Meltdown staff will assist waiting patrons in finding available seats.
Each venue offers a full bar and light snacks. Water is free.
The Meltdown has partnered with the General Palmer Hotel to allow picking in their lobby and general areas. Please be courteous of hotel staff so we may continue this amazing tradition!
The Durango Bluegrass Meltdown has always been run entirely by volunteers, who do everything from serving on the board to checking wristbands. If you’re interested in joining our amazing team, please reach out to us at info@durangomeltdown.com.
The Meltdown offers several levels of sponsorship. Show the Meltdown community that you are a big supporter! Email info@durangomeltdown.com to learn more.
We have spots open for your amazing logo or ad. Our program ad deadline is the end of March of each year. Inquire at info@durangomeltdown.com.
Ticket sales cover only approximately half of Meltdown’s annual budget. We heavily depend on grants and donations from generous individuals like yourself to ensure the continuity of the Meltdown each year. As a 501(c)(3) organization, any donation made outside of ticket sales is fully tax-deductible.
No. Audio and video recording of performances is prohibited. Audience recordings violate our contractual agreements with the artists. However, we have two amazing Meltdown archivists, Bill Doherty and Richard Skaggs, who upload permissible audio recordings on Archive.Org. We also live-stream one venue’s Saturday performances on our YouTube channel!
No. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the Meltdown’s multiple indoor venues, we do not have a centralized location to host any vendors.
The Meltdown offers insurance for ticket sales and lodging room reservations through TicketSignup's insurnace partner Protect. You are able to purchase this insurance when you buy your tickets for the festival.
If you purchase the insurance, you will receive a follow up email after registration to confirm your policy.
If you aren't able to make it to the Meltdown for a reason that is covered by your policy, you can claim your event insurance by following the steps on this help article: https://help.runsignup.com/support/solutions/articles/17000073422-claiming-event-insurance
Yes! The 2026 Meltdown is partnering with the General Palmer Hotel in Durango to offer a set block of rooms that can be bought during ticket purchase. These rooms are available in three styles.
- Premium
- Deluxe
- Standard
The premium rooms offer the largest and most expensive rooms at the General Palmer (including the Presidential Suite)
The Deluxe rooms offer a limited selection of larger rooms
The standard rooms would be standard rooms at the hotel with king or queen bed options.
Once your lodging is purchased during the ticket process, a Meltdown representative will reach out to you with your room assignment. If you’d like to add stay-over nights for Thursday or Sunday, we’ll be happy to arrange those details during this follow-up.
Only weekend pass ticket purchases will be able to purchase lodging.
