From Monday, October 5 through Sunday, October 11, almost everything around Harry A. Nottingham Park closes or changes. The Avon Recreation Center shuts its fitness and aquatics areas, Nottingham Park partly closes, both Rec Center parking lots close completely, part of Lake Street closes, and the Lake Street bus stop moves. A three-day bluegrass festival fills the space that's left. The Town's own impact notice calls public transportation "the easiest way to access Harry A. Nottingham Park." For this week, that is the Town's plan for the whole block.
Here is the week in order, because each closure makes the next one matter more.
Monday, October 5: the Rec Center goes dark first
The fitness and aquatics areas at the Avon Recreation Center are scheduled to close October 5 through 11 for deep cleaning, repairs and routine maintenance. This is the second week-long closure this year. The first ran May 2 through 8.
The closure is short because a much longer one was called off. The Town had planned to remodel the aquatics area from April 13 through November 19, 2026. In March it paused the project after updated estimates came in well above the original cost, and staff worried it couldn't be finished within the construction season. According to the Town, that season runs from mid-April to mid-November, which keeps construction out of peak community use. Recreation Director Michael Labagh said the pause lets the Town "take a responsible step back, reassess our options."
So the pool is staying open for normal operations through 2026, and this October week is the trade-off. The Town also says some operational or program changes may happen depending on staffing. Lap swimmers and early gym regulars lose five days before the festival even starts, and two more once it does.
Thursday, October 8: the park and the parking go next
At 7:00 a.m. Thursday, Nottingham Park partly closes, and it stays that way until 11:00 p.m. Sunday. From Friday through Sunday, only ticket holders can use the upper/main athletic field.
At 11:00 p.m. Thursday, three more closures start, all running to 11:00 p.m. Sunday:
- Lake Street, partly closed between the Avon West Recreation Center lot and West Benchmark Road
- Avon Rec Center North Lot, fully closed
- Avon Rec Center West Lot, fully closed
The Town's notice doesn't agree with itself here. A few lines above the closure list, the same document names the Rec Center North Lot as a free, first-come parking area and an ADA parking spot. The festival's parking page lists Rec Center parking for ADA and VIP guests. If you're counting on that lot, call the Town at (970) 748-4000 before the weekend. Both sources agree on the Beaver Creek Bear Lot. The festival also lists free on-street fall parking on East and West Benchmark, Lake Street and West Beaver Creek Boulevard. Overnight parking isn't allowed on Avon streets, at the Bear Lot or in the Rec Center lots.
The bike parking near the Rec Center west lot is limited and unsupervised.
The bus carries the weekend
Taken together, the closures leave the bus as the way in. Every Avon bus and shuttle arrives at and leaves from Avon Station. The Lake Street bus stop closes for the event, and riders should use the Mikaela Way stop instead. The Town's mobility department will run the Red and Blue Lines from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Core Transit keeps its regular service between Avon Station and Vail, Walmart Station and Eagle/Gypsum. Avon Transit is fare-free.
Music ends at 9:00 p.m. each night and the buses run until 10:00 p.m. That leaves about an hour for the crowd to get from the field to Avon Station.
Friday through Sunday: what fills the field
The Avon FreeFall Bluegrass Festival is new this year. Resort Entertainment Group, a Vail-based event company, is producing it, and Diane Moudy is the event producer. On Friday, gates open at 2:00 p.m. and music starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Avon Pavilion. On Saturday and Sunday, gates open at 11:00 a.m. and music starts at 11:30 a.m.
Friday, October 9
- 2:30 p.m.: Blue Ox Boys
- 3:30 p.m.: High Country Hustle
- 5:30 p.m.: Hot Buttered Rum
- 7:30 p.m.: Railroad Earth
Saturday, October 10
- 11:30 a.m.: Skin the Rabbit
- 1:30 p.m.: Henhouse Prowlers
- 3:30 p.m.: RapidGrass
- 5:30 p.m.: phoffman of Greensky Bluegrass
- 7:30 p.m.: Bluegrass Generals
Sunday, October 11
- 11:30 a.m.: Drew Emmitt Band
- 1:30 p.m.: Nershi Hann Trio featuring Lauren Nershi & the Colorado Contingent
- 3:30 p.m.: Nicki Bluhm
- 5:30 p.m.: Ross James' Electric Deadgrass
- 7:30 p.m.: Molly Tuttle
When Molly Tuttle was announced as the last headliner, Moudy said, "We're super excited to add another female artist to the lineup, especially one with as much talent and breadth in the bluegrass genre as Molly Tuttle."
What a ticket costs now
The three-day general admission pass started at $90 during the early-bird sale, which ended July 5. The ticket page now shows $119.05 for three days, $108.39 for two days and $55.09 for a single day of GA, all including fees. A three-day pass costs a little more than two single days. Every price includes the Town's $5-per-day admission fee. Single-day VIP is listed at $161.69 with fees. The Town's August release put two-day VIP at $275 and three-day VIP at $350, which are face prices before checkout fees.
Kids 12 and under get into general admission free. VIP requires a ticket for every child and adult. You can bring your own food and nonalcoholic drinks, and the vendor booths take credit cards. Discover Avon says there will be free water refill stations and canned drinks for sale, with no single-use plastic bottles. The sources disagree about dogs. The festival FAQ allows only ADA-defined service animals, while Discover Avon mentions a pet-friendly area, so check before you bring one.
After 9 p.m.
Agave runs its After Grass shows after the stage closes. On Friday at 9:00 p.m., The Nershis featuring Jason Hann play what's billed as the official Nershis album-release show. On Saturday at 9:00 p.m., it's the Jon Stickley Trio, listed at $23.11. Both shows are 21+. Agave says it will run shuttles between the festival, Agave and parking, which helps with the one-hour gap between the last set and the last bus.
Sunday, October 11: the east end's due date
Sunday is also the date the Town gave for finishing Harry A. Nottingham East Park, at the Old Town Hall site at 1 Lake Street. The project adds restrooms, a plaza, a rain shelter, a seating wall and landscaping, with periodic trail closures near the site while work continues. That forecast dates from May, and there's been no public confirmation since that the work is done. The festival FAQ says porta-potties, including ADA units, will be brought in if the new restroom isn't ready. The festival weekend will be the first time the new east end has to handle a crowd, finished or not.
After the gates close
Some changes outlast the festival weekend. The detour on East Beaver Creek Boulevard runs through October 16. It's there so the contractor can finish utility work and connect the new curb, gutter, sidewalk and paving from the Village at Avon construction. The Town says the detour will come down once the new road sections are ready. On the other side of town, Hallmark, Inc. started repairing the West Beaver Creek Boulevard bridge over the Eagle River on September 8. Traffic alternates in a single lane, with intermittent delays, and the work is expected to finish by early November. West Beaver Creek Boulevard is also one of the streets the festival lists for free parking, so drivers there should expect both the event crowd and the lane restrictions.
When the field reopens, the next scheduled event at Nottingham Park is the Avon Turkey Trot on Thursday, November 26. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. at 90 Lake Street and the race starts at 9:30 a.m. And for a dinner away from the park this week, Colletta has been open at The Westin Riverfront, 126 Riverfront Lane, since June 22. It took over the Stoke & Rye space, with chef Angel Muñoz in the kitchen.
Weeks like this one, when a festival, a facility closure and two road projects land on the same few blocks, are part of owning near Avon's core. At Viola Realty, we track the town calendar the way a property manager does, because it affects access, guest stays and upkeep. If you'd like to know what your home near Nottingham Park is worth, ask for a free home valuation.
