It’s not too late to register as a vendor for the annual Colorado Honeybee Festival coming up on Saturday, April 11 at Cross Orchard Historic Site, 3073 F Road in Grand Junction—IF THEY HANDLE IT TODAY!
The official deadline for registration is Monday, March 10, and the number of open vendor spots is limited, so prompt action is essential. Cost is $120 for commercial vendors and $40 for not-for-profit educational vendors.
“We are eager to bring in vendors from across the state since we have expanded our scope and moved to a larger venue at Cross Orchards,” Michelle Gossage, Festival Coordinator, explains. “We are particularly interested in adding more vendors of Colorado honey and products that relate to pollinators.”
To expedite registration, prospective vendors can register and pay the fee online at ColoradoHoneybee.org or download the form from the website vendor page.
Formerly known as the Palisade International Honeybee Festival, the popular FREE event which has educated the public on the importance of honeybees for the past 17 years, will launch its first Colorado Honeybee Festival at Cross Orchards on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 10 am to 4 pm.
The governing board voted unanimously in 2025 to move because the festival has outgrown its original downtown Palisade venue. Additionally, the festival’s mission to educate the public about honeybees and other pollinators aligns perfectly with Cross Orchards’ agricultural heritage and educational programming.
As she explains, by expanding its scope across Colorado, the festival can involve other organizations in spreading the educational message about the importance of honeybees and other pollinators to the general public, specifically to students. While other honeybee festivals exist, they are mostly geared to beekeepers, beekeeping and the business side of operations.
“We will continue to focus on what individuals can do to help protect bees and other pollinators, emphasizing how vital they are to our agricultural economy, both locally and internationally,” Gossage adds.
The festival will run round trip shuttles from Grande River Vineyards in Palisade and Central High School in Grand Junction to Cross Orchards Historic Site for the convenience of those attending. Onsite parking will also be available at Cross Orchards. More details will be released soon.
Key elements of the Honeybee Festival will be the same but will be staged in the new location. As in prior years, there will be live music, food vendors, educational speakers, a bee costume contest, a spelling bee, and a large variety of vendor booths. There will be a few updates on what is offered, including a hospitality booth exclusively for vendors during the event.
“Success necessarily breeds change,” stated Gossage, “so we urge all our patrons to come with us to Cross Orchards Historic Site. Our mission has not changed, and we promise the same wholesome, family-oriented free festival that visitors have known and loved so well.”