Tour De Fat Leaving Ann Morrison Park

A parade? Beer? New Belgium Brewing's Tour De Fat and all of it's costumes have long been one of the Treasure Valley's favorite events, but the list of changes coming to this summer event keeps getting longer.

As previously mentioned New Belgium Brewing Company (the company behind Tour De Fat) is trying to draw higher their musical acts for the touring festival, so they'll be charging admission to get in to the event. Tickets to this year's festival will run you $25 a piece and Blackberry Smoke will headline the event.  When I found out the news I was interested how they planned on containing the festival area at Ann Morrison Park because when we hosted Boise Music Festival there, we couldn't prevent people from entering a public park if they didn't have a ticket.  We were only able to prevent them from getting into the area we had fenced off for BMF.

Well, now we know the answer to my question.  According to the Idaho Statesman, Tour De Fat is leaving it's home at Ann Morrison Park and moving to the Idaho Botanical Garden's Outlaw Field. Parks & Rec tells the newspaper that the admission fee is a the direct factor leading the bike/beer festival to move to a new location.

Prior to 2008, Tour De Fat popped up in Julia Davis Parks for six years but due it's popularity and growing size it moved down the Greenbelt to Ann Morrison Park.

Tour De Fat will keep their charitable tie to local non-profits Southwest Idaho Mountain Bike Association, Boise Bicycle Project and Treasure Valley Cycling Association.  The bike parade and Friday night pre-party will remain free.