Back From the Dead

Colorado’s quirky, macabre event, Frozen Dead Guy Days, was reborn in Estes Park March 17–19, after 20 years of celebration in Nederland. The kooky festival pays homage to a Norwegian man, fondly known as Grandpa Bredo, who was cryogenically frozen after his death. His body still resides in a Tuff Shed in Nederland to this day. The tale, which garnered worldwide attention, has since sparked a popular three-day festival that includes live music, coffin races, fashion shows, a polar plunge, food trucks, and a brain freeze contest.

When festival organizers announced the event would be canceled in 2023 due to outgrowing the event space in Nederland, Stanley Hotel owner John Cullen took action. The show must go on—hence the festival’s move to Estes Park, a tourist destination that could elevate the weirdness while staying true to its roots.

While Grandpa’s preserved body will remain in Nederland as an official resident of the town, the festivities will see a new life in Estes. If you missed it last month, you will be able get weird and enjoy the bizarre happenings of the new Frozen Dead Guy Days will be back in 2024 (exact dates still TBD). Organizers will continue to provide all the original festivities that fans have grown to know and love, plus special Estes Park twists.