Rooftop Rodeo Parade to kick off Estes Park rodeo week July 6

The Rooftop Rodeo Parade will move through downtown Estes Park on Monday, July 6, at 10 a.m., marking the official kickoff of the 98th Rooftop Rodeo, according to a town news release.

This year’s parade theme is “America 250/Colorado 150: The Trail Together.” The parade will begin at Performance Park on West Elkhorn Avenue and travel east down Elkhorn Avenue to the fairgrounds. The town said the best viewing areas are along West and East Elkhorn Avenue, with additional viewing along downtown Elkhorn Avenue and Bond Park.

Rodeo performances are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. each night from July 6 through July 11 at the Estes Park Events Complex, 1125 Rooftop Way. A 6:45 p.m. pre-show is planned each night, and tickets are on sale through the rodeo’s website, according to the release.

Parade staging will start at 8:30 a.m. along West Elkhorn Avenue from Far View Drive to Spruce Drive. At 9 a.m., Elkhorn Avenue and downtown intersections will begin closing from Spruce Drive to the intersection of U.S. 34 and U.S. 36. Around 10:15 a.m., U.S. 36 will close from the U.S. 34 and U.S. 36 intersection and continue along U.S. 36/N. Saint Vrain Avenue to Fourth Street. The town said all roads and intersections are expected to reopen by noon.

The parking structure at 691 N. Saint Vrain Ave./U.S. 36 will be closed to traffic entering or exiting from about 10:15 a.m. to noon, and vehicles parked there at 10:15 a.m. must remain until noon. The town’s free transit service, The Peak, will suspend service on the Red, Brown and Silver routes during the closures and resume after the roads reopen.