There is a lull between the holiday-themed events that color the Denver metro area during the fall and the spring-time celebrations that come with the dawn of warm weather. The Colorado winter, both cold and snowy, is often left event-less. 

Over the last 10 years, the UllrGrass Music and Beer festival has looked to fill that winter-weekend-fun void. And on a temperate Saturday in January, the event brought Nordic themes — and some beer — to Golden once again.

The festival, nestled in Parfet Park, is bringing food, local goods, beer and music from Friday to Sunday, celebrating the community of the small town and the culture in which it’s named. 

UllrGrass is named after Ullr, the Norse god of winter, and it is a passion project created by Golden residents Chris and Susannah Thompson a decade ago.

“We just love Golden so much. We’ve lived here since 2001. We thought, let’s throw a festival here. But every weekend was taken,” Susannah Thompson said. “In the dead of winter, it was a great excuse to bring the community together to enjoy music, enjoy the outdoors of the beautiful Rocky Mountains.”

Enjoy they did.

Over a hundred people were present at the event in Viking regalia prior to the craft beer tasting at noon. Attendees could buy a commemorative tasting cup and try unlimited three-ounce samples of 30-plus local breweries. 

Booming drums of live Nordic-based music echoed through the park, as well.

Thompson noted that her husband, originally from Minnesota, is a fan of the Minnesota Vikings NFL team, joking, “It’s really just a sneaky way of getting everybody in Broncos land to wear Viking horns right before the Super Bowl.”

But throwing an event during the dead of winter comes with its challenges.

Thompson joked that last year the porta-potties froze during the frigid weather.

“Last year it was around minus-5 degrees on Sunday,” she said. “We filled the heated tent. We still had lots of families and little ones having fun.”

Though the diverse music and local goods brings chilly entertainment to the community, there’s more at play during the festival. 

Chris Thompson is part of the Coral Creek newgrass band. They also have a nonprofit, Kids Music Project by Coral Creek, donating instruments and music workshops to local schools. Part of the proceeds from the festival go toward those efforts. 

This year, the festival partnered with A Precious Child — a local nonprofit that helps children challenged by poverty, abuse or crisis. Part of the proceeds will go to the nonprofit and around 50 families will attend the Sunday part of the festival for free.

The free family day on Sunday will include kid-friendly activities like an egg hunt, costume parade and other themed activities.

Thompson adds that without the community and over 100 volunteers, the special weekend wouldn’t be possible — but she is ecstatic that it is.

The smiling Vikings on Saturday — with beer glasses in-hand like drinking horns of victory — seemed to agree.