One of Glenwood Springs’ longest-running traditions will return next week with live music, local vendors, community events, a downtown parade and a new drone show lighting up the Saturday night sky.

The 129th annual Strawberry Days festival will run Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21, at Two Rivers Park. The free community event is hosted by the Glenwood Springs Chamber Foundation and will feature an arts and crafts fair, food court, live entertainment and kids activities throughout the weekend.

Park hours are noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

“This is always an exciting event for both tourists and the community,” said Tara Harman, director of operations and special events for the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association and Foundation. “We’ll have the parade on Saturday, the arts and crafts fair, live entertainment, kids activities and a food court, all at Two Rivers Park.”

The festival will begin Friday afternoon when Two Rivers Park opens at noon with food vendors, arts and crafts booths and kids activities. Live music will begin later that evening, and festival activities will continue throughout the weekend.

Several local service clubs also will host events during the weekend. Rotary Club events are planned for Friday and Sunday, including a pancake breakfast Sunday under the Grand Avenue bridge. Bank of Colorado also will host the Strawberry Shortcut races on Sunday, and the Kiwanis Club will present its ball drop Sunday at Two Rivers Park.

The Strawberry Days parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and follow the route used last year. Parade participants will line up on School Street before turning onto Eighth Street and then Pitkin Avenue. The parade will start near City Hall at Eighth Street and Pitkin Avenue and travel south toward Glenwood Springs High School.

Immediately following the parade, complimentary strawberries and ice cream will be served at Two Rivers Park in front of the band shell.

This year’s newest addition will come Saturday night, when 500 drones take to the sky for a roughly 15-minute show above the festival grounds. Harman said the chamber won the drone show through the Colorado Tourism Office.

“There will be 500 drones lighting up the sky with a variety of pictures and things like that,” Harman said. “The best place to see it will be from Two Rivers Park.”

The drone show is expected to begin at about 9:10 p.m. Saturday.

The festival is free, and no tickets are required. Visitors may bring bags, but bags will be checked at the entrance. Outside alcohol and beverages are not allowed, though empty water bottles may be brought in and refilled at water stations throughout the park.

Visitors also may bring their own food, including picnic items and coolers, Harman said.

“They can absolutely bring in their own food, just no drinks,” she said.

For Harman, Strawberry Days remains less about any one event and more about creating a place for the community to gather.

“Every year that we do this, we try to create a better community experience, because at the end of the day, this event is all about our community first and foremost,” Harman said. “We value that time that we all get to hang out under the sun, listen to live music and be together, and just the general camaraderie that our community has.”

That sense of tradition, she said, is what continues to bring people back year after year.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see,” Harman said. “It’s a beautiful thing to be able to organize and provide that for our community every year.”

More information about the festival, including event times and details, is available at glenwoodchamber.com.