Cripple Creek is celebrating its 95th year of celebrating donkeys.

The 95th Annual Donkey Derby Days Festival will be held June 26-28. Organizers tout the event as the “best festival this side of Pikes Peak.”

It’s hard to argue against that.

“The three-day celebration will showcase a vibrant mix of live music, family activities, western-themed festivities and the iconic donkeys that define Cripple Creek’s character,” a press release said.

Country music artist Maddox Ross will kick off the Donkey Derby Days Concert Series on Friday at 2 p.m. in Pearl DeVere Park (formerly called the Pocket Park). The USAFA Wild Blue Country band will headline the Main Stage on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by Saturday night’s headliner, The Martini Shot at 6:30 p.m. The weekend’s main stage music lineup also features acts such as Mimic, JustUs, Dakota Blonde and a host of local talent on two Busker Stages; Honey & Ruin with Jaime Brown, UKU:STIK VIBES, Joe Uveges, Carmen & Lewis, Boomtown String Band, Ralph Williams, Annette and Doug Conlon, and Christian Jaquez.

But this celebration features much more than music.

Saturday’s schedule includes an 11 a.m. parade along Bennett Avenue, highlighted by a flyover from Panther Flight, an appearance by the Fort Carson Color Guard and a performance from the 4th Infantry Division Band. Leading the procession as Grand Marshal will be 85-year-old Evelyn “Stubby” Trenary.

The festival’s main event — the Donkey Derby races — will commence after the parade and continue through Sunday. In this unique contest, teams of one donkey and two runners race up Bennett Avenue, a tradition spanning generations. Victory requires all three members to cross the finish line together, with the donkeys often providing unpredictable excitement.

For the first time in two decades, professional pack burro racing returns to Cripple Creek, set for Sunday at noon, and it’s your chance to win a cash prize in the Donkey Poop Drop! The race, which will circle the historic mountain town, will be kicked off by Cripple Creek Mayor Annie Durham in front of the Chamonix Hotel and Casino.

Additional attractions include food trucks, vendor booths, free children’s activities including the bouncy house Adventure Zone and Pirates Rebellion, beer gardens, gold panning, a silent auction on Saturday, and the summer melodrama “Under the Colorado Moon” at the Butte Theater. The festival promises a full weekend of entertainment for visitors and locals alike.

Proceeds from Donkey Derby Days help fund the care of Cripple Creek’s 16-member donkey herd, reminiscent of the original animals released from local gold mines in the early 1900s. Since its founding in 1931, the nonprofit Two Mile High Club has been dedicated to the welfare of these historic symbols of the region.

For additional details and a full schedule of events, visit cripplecreekdonkeys.com.