If you plan on driving rather than cycling in downtown Fort Collins Saturday, you may want to consider an alternate route. New Belgium Brewery’s annual Tour de Fat parade commences Saturday morning and several road closures are in place with traffic delays expected.
Paul Gruber, Tour de Fat’s operations manager, said that Howes Street will be closed from Mountain Avenue to Maple Street from 6 a.m. until midnight Saturday. Laporte Avenue from Meldrum to Mason streets will also be closed under the same time frame.
While there are technically no closures for crossing the route itself, Gruber is recommending that drivers who need to pass through during the parade cross at Shields Street where there will be a heavier police presence to help cars periodically pass through the parade route. He added that the faster route would be to take Taft Hill Road.
Gruber expects 25,000 cyclists to participate in the parade, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. The parade launches at 10 a.m. with an expected wrap up at 11 a.m.
The festival, which celebrates alternative forms of transportation, will take place at Civic Center Park throughout the day with live music on three stages along with food vendors, games and beer.
