The small town of Telluride was built around a prosperous mining industry starting in the 1800's and remained active up until the late 1970's. The mines were rich in zinc, copper, lead, silver, gold, and had traces of tellurium, hence the name, Telluride. After becoming virtually a ghost town following the mining boom; hippies who flocked here in 60's and skiing enthusiasts looked to tap in on the abundance of snow during the winter seasons. The Telluride Ski Resort was born in 1972 and has been a "secret gem" among ski resorts across the entire nation to this day. When the snow started thawing in late April, the town's social structure took a turn with very little going on during the summer months. Locals began having parties and "get togethers" on random weekends to waste time on the sluggish months while the slopes were closed - a group of Hang Gliders would get together, friends who enjoyed dancing, and even local's who would get together, set up a couple tables, socialize, and drink Gin. Little did they know, these local "grassroots" parties were the beginning of the festival culture that took private parties to the public level and essentially began the festival frenzy.

The first thriving festival was created from a group of locals who enjoyed criticizing, critiquing, and viewing the silver screen. Interested in creating a traditional, European gathering of old movies, the Telluride Film Festival kicked off and the local community began whispering, "Hey, you can really produce successful festivals here". The Telluride Bluegrass festival came next and set the bar as the first large scale music festival that eventually morphed into a successful business. Over the years, the festival culture has boomed and created numerous opportunities for tourists to fall in love with Telluride. The festival lineup consists of - Balloon, Bluegrass, Blues and Brews, Yoga, Wine, Arts, Culinary, Plunge, Film, Cajun, Mountainfilm, Plein Air, Chamber Music, Wild Wild West, Jazz, Doo Dah, Mushroom, Technology, and even the Nothing Festival. The Nothing festival originated when locals, excited about a break in the eventful summer calendar, decided to celebrate nothing happening in town.