September in Northern Colorado has a particular feel to it. The heat has broken but hasn't left, the aspen are starting to turn up in the high country, and the farmers markets hit the one stretch of the year where tomatoes, peaches, and the first winter squash are all on the same table. This weekend adds a home football game against a real opponent, which changes the rhythm of a Fort Collins Saturday whether or not you have a ticket.
A note on the forecast before the list: the National Weather Service has Friday near 84 with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon, Saturday mostly sunny and near 77 with an afternoon storm chance, and Sunday mostly sunny near 78. Nights drop into the high 40s and low 50s all weekend. Front Range standard — bring a layer, and don't assume the afternoon holds.
Here's what's actually happening, Friday through Sunday.
⭐ If you only do one thing: CSU vs. BYU
Saturday, September 19 · 5:30 pm · Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins · Ticketed
Colorado State hosts BYU under the lights at Canvas Stadium. The Rams come in at 2–0 after home wins over Wyoming and Southern Utah, and BYU travels well, which means a full stadium and a crowd that isn't all local.
The practical part matters as much as the game. Canvas Stadium sits on campus, inside a neighborhood, and a 5:30 kickoff means tailgating starts mid-afternoon. Old Town fills up early and stays full. If you're going, park once and walk. If you're not going but you need to be downtown, do it in the morning.
2026 Colorado State football schedule →
Fort Collins Foodie Walk
Friday, September 18 · 5–8 pm · Downtown Fort Collins · Free
The Foodie Walk runs the third Friday of every month, and it's one of the easier ways to spend a Friday evening downtown. Participating specialty food and drink shops put out samples — seasonal things, usually local — and you walk between them at your own pace. No ticket, no set route. Scan the QR code at each stop and you're entered for the monthly gift basket.
If you're new to the area or showing the area to someone who is, this is a better introduction to downtown Fort Collins than any single restaurant reservation.
Lynyrd Skynyrd with 38 Special
Friday, September 18 · Doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm · Blue Arena at The Ranch, Loveland · Ticketed
Blue Arena at The Ranch Events Complex hosts Lynyrd Skynyrd with 38 Special opening. It's an arena show with a crowd that skews to people who have been listening to these bands for decades, which makes for a good room.
Parking at The Ranch is plentiful, but the Crossroads exit off I-25 backs up in the half hour before doors. Give yourself extra time, or come early and eat in Loveland first.
Larimer County Farmers' Market
Saturday, September 19 · 9 am–1 pm · 200 W. Oak Street, Fort Collins · Free
This is the market's 50th season. It started in 1976 as an outlet for Colorado Master Gardeners with more produce than they could use, and it now runs about 130 vendors — 91 percent of them based in Larimer or Weld County — from mid-May through the end of October. It's one of the largest volunteer-run markets in the state.
Mid-September is the best week of the year to show up. Palisade peaches are still coming, tomatoes are at peak, and the first hard squash is arriving. Come at nine if you want the good stuff; come at noon if you want to browse without a crowd. Note that a home football game Saturday evening means downtown parking gets progressively worse as the day goes on.
Larimer County Farmers' Market →
Windsor Certified Farmers Market
Sunday, September 20 · 9 am–12:30 pm · 701 McClelland Drive, Old Town Windsor · Free
Windsor's market runs Sundays on the town green at McClelland and Market, and it's a different experience from the Fort Collins market — smaller, quieter, easier to park at. The season runs through the first Sunday in December, so it outlasts most of the outdoor markets in the region.
Pair it with a loop around Windsor Lake and you have a complete Sunday morning. If you're a buyer looking at Windsor, this is the fastest way to get a feel for the town's center of gravity.
Windsor Certified Farmers Market →
Hamlet's Christmas Party
Friday & Saturday 7:30 pm, Sunday 2 pm · Magnolia Theatre at the Lincoln Center, Fort Collins · $24 adult, $20 child (12 and under)
Encore!Encore! opens a ten-day run in the Magnolia Theatre. The premise: it's Christmas in Denmark, Hamlet is throwing a party, and the party is a trap to catch a murderer. There's a Santa impersonator involved. It is exactly as odd as it sounds, and that's the appeal.
The Magnolia is the Lincoln Center's smaller house, which makes for a good room but a limited number of seats. Opening weekend of a run is usually the easiest to get into — the closing weekend is the one that sells out.
Tickets and performance times →
Loveland Farmers Market
Sunday, September 20 · 9 am–1 pm · Fairgrounds Park, 700 S. Railroad Avenue, Loveland · Free
Loveland's market sets up in Pavilions 1 and 2 at the north end of Fairgrounds Park — under roof, which is the detail that matters when Sunday afternoon storms are in the forecast.
Two Sundays left. The 2026 season closes September 27, so if you have been meaning to get there, this is effectively your last unhurried visit.
Benson Sculpture Garden
Open daily, any hour · 1125 W. 29th Street, Loveland · Free
Not an event, but worth naming while the weather is still this good. Benson Sculpture Garden holds 190 permanent sculptures — more than $7 million worth — on a flat, easy loop around a small lake at 29th and Beech. It's free, it's open at any hour, and it's the single clearest illustration of why Loveland calls itself an art town.
It takes about forty-five minutes at a wandering pace. Good with grandkids, good with out-of-town guests, good on its own.
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