Once a year, Manitou Springs closes its main street so costumed teams can sprint decorated coffins down it. The Emma Crawford Coffin Races honor a local legend — Emma Crawford, buried on Red Mountain in the 1890s, whose coffin famously washed down the mountainside decades later.
It has grown into one of Colorado's signature quirky festivals, drawing crowds that overwhelm tiny Manitou. Go — but go with a plan.
Teams of five — four runners and one "Emma" riding the coffin — race in heats down Manitou Avenue, judged for speed and for showmanship. A parade of hearses and costumed entries typically precedes the racing. The whole spectacle is free to watch.
Manitou Springs cannot park a crowd of this size; on race day it doesn't try. Use the shuttle system from outside town or arrive very early. Driving into central Manitou mid-event is the one guaranteed way to have a bad day.
The races anchor a full Manitou day: the arcade, the mineral springs walking tour, the shops, and October's crisp weather at its best. Staking out a viewing spot early with coffee in hand is the local method.
Keep planning
Annually on a Saturday in late October in downtown Manitou Springs. Check the live listings on this page for the current year's date.
A young woman who moved to Manitou Springs in the late 1800s seeking a tuberculosis cure and was buried on Red Mountain per her wish. Years later, erosion sent her coffin sliding down the mountainside — the event the races affectionately commemorate.
Yes — watching is free. Getting there is the cost: use the event shuttles or arrive very early, because central Manitou parking is effectively unavailable on race day.
Yes — it's macabre in theme but festival-like in practice, and kids generally love the costumes. The crowds are dense; pick a viewing spot with an easy exit if you have little ones.