Tulagi Replaces Boulder Roots Music Fest With a Four-Day, Multi-Venue Downtown Event

Boulder’s former Boulder Roots Music Fest returns later this month under a different name and with a different relationship to the city. Tulagi, running August 27–30, will use downtown Boulder and the Pearl Street Mall as its grounds instead of a single outdoor site. More than 160 artists are booked across over 20 walkable venues, including theaters, clubs, restaurants, bars, galleries, outdoor stages and community spaces.

The lineup crosses rock, funk, bluegrass, electronic, indie, soul and hip-hop. Big Head Todd and the Monsters sit near the top as local fixtures, joined by 1990s alt-rock act Everclear and Grammy-winning bluegrass group The SteelDrivers. Afro-Cuban funk artist Cimafunk, Denver avant-garde collective itchy-O, electronic producer Maddy O’Neal and Colorado jamgrass quartet Magoo extend the range. Venues include Boulder Theater, Boulder Bandshell, eTown, KGNU and the Museum of Boulder, with smaller rooms spread along Pearl Street.

The format invites movement. A night can begin with a national touring act and end with an emerging local artist a short walk away. Organizers adopted the Tulagi name after last year’s debut, referencing the University Hill club that opened in 1948 and hosted The Eagles, ZZ Top, The Doobie Brothers, Bob Seger, Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon and Fall Out Boy before closing in 2003. This edition also includes visual artists, live painters, comedians and immersive programming, positioning the festival less as a field event than as a temporary use of the city’s existing cultural infrastructure.