Colorado Renaissance Festival

One of the most well-known summer events in Colorado is the Colorado Renaissance Festival held in Larkspur. With the 2025 season of the event, visitors will be noticing a change; perhaps for just one season, perhaps for good.

Elephants Removed From Colorado Renaissance Festival Performances

If you've haven't been to the festival in some time, you may not have even knew that they had elephants as part of it. For the 2025 season, at least, nobody will be seeing the big animals.

Canva.com

The Colorado Renaissance Festival began in Morrison in 1975. 60 years later, it still draws thousands of people each summer to now, Larkspur.

I'm sure it was kind of fun for little kids to get up on an elephant for a little ride, but when you think about how the whole thing was "pushing the edge" when it comes to being "legit," it might feel dirty now.

According to the Denver Post, the festival was denied a permit to have the elephant show, based out of Texas. Apparently, activists against cruelty to animals threatened to sue Colorado Parks & Wildlife over the show.

The suit would have said that CPW issuing said permit, which they had for many, many years, goes against the Colorado law prohibiting elephants (and other animals) from performing in unnatural settings within traveling shows.

Get our free mobile app

I've only been to the festival once, with a date, over 30 years ago. The festival is a great place to go and have a fun experience; not having the elephants will not make the event any less enjoyable for a date or a family outing.