Spring in ski country is more than soft snow and sun. It’s also live music, craft beer, barbecues, events, Easter eggs and, of course, pond skimming. In other words, it’s festival time, aka “spring madness.” But there’s a method to the madness.

“Festivals are a big draw for people to come and enjoy spring skiing,” says Erin Ernst, PR manager at Boyne, Mich., where the Brew-Ski fest at Boyne Highlands in March attracts several thousand visitors.

At Sugarloaf, Maine, the annual reggae festival in April, which attracts upwards of 10,000 visitors, “lengthens the season for us,” says marketing director Ethan Austin. “It anchors our spring season, and is certainly profitable for us.”

Besides attracting visitors, lengthening seasons, and making money, spring festivals are also a way to end the ski season with a bang and build momentum for the next year. “We like to give [guests] an opportunity to enjoy spring conditions, and more than that, celebrate the season, nice weather, have fun, and mingle with friends they maybe don’t see as much after the season ends,” says Katie O’Connor, marketing and communications director at Hunter Mountain, N.Y., which hosts a festival every weekend from March 11 through mid-April. “Festivals are a way to end the season on a high note.”

The Power of Music

If there is a theme to spring festivals, it’s live music.

Jackson Hole is using live music to re-brand itself as the go-to spring destination for both Millennials and families. “We’ve not always been known as a spring break destination,” says Anna Cole, director of marketing. “We’re trying to create awareness of Jackson Hole as a spring destination among the college crowd, and also families who may be traveling from the East Coast. We’re trying to attract both demographics.”

Two demographics mean two music approaches. For the last five years, Jackson Hole has offered its “Music Under the Tram” series every Saturday in March and April. Sponsored by Bud Light, the free concert series features smaller local bands, tents, a bar, and is designed to “keep people in the village and give back to the local community,” Cole says.

The last three years, Jackson Hole has supplemented this series with the “Rendezvous” spring festival in mid March, featuring a large-scale concert by a well-known national artist. Country music star Zack Brown has headlined the concert the last two years, attracting more than 15,000 each year. “It drives tremendous visitation,” Cole says.

Tickets for the concert, which is put on by a third party vendor, sell for $15 and $40. “We supply the venue, and help promote the concert,” Cole notes.

Sugarloaf’s reggae festival, going strong for 29 years, attracts a surprising mix of kids, teens, Millennials, and Baby Boomers. The three-day festival features around 10 bands, both indoors and out, with the indoor events ticketed.

Unlike Jackson Hole, Sugarloaf puts on the event itself. “It’s a lot of work for sure,” Austin says. “It requires the entire resort staff working together. We start planning it in the fall to put on in spring. But we’ve done it so long, there’s a lot of formulation, too.”

Both Sugarloaf and Jackson Hole run lodging and ticket packages around their music festivals. “It’s definitely worth it,” Austin says. Cole agrees: “We’re feeling really positive. This will be our longest season ever [April 9]. We hope this music drives regional traffic.”

The Power of Beer

Another theme to spring festivals is beer —especially craft beer.

Like many resorts, Boyne Highlands runs a spring festival nearly every weekend beginning in March, but its eight-year Brew-Ski Fest is the most popular—an “instant success,” Ernst says.

Events attract all types of skiers to enjoy the warm weather, soft snow, make a few turns, have a drink, and enjoy the atmosphere.

The March 11 festival begins outdoors at noon. It features 80 breweries from around the country, and some 300 different beers, food trucks, and live entertainment. At 5 p.m., the party moves indoors.

“It attracts more than just the Saturday crowd,” Ernst says. “We see big crowds come. We run packages for the weekend with t-shirts and commemorative mugs.”

Planning begins each year on the day after the festival ends, to get on next season’s calendars early. The resort works with national distributors to bring in the beer, with setup and logistics taking place about two weeks out.

Ernst says the hardest part is finding enough beer pourers. “Luckily, we have three properties and can recruit from them to find enough servers. We’re such a large resort property, we’re able to utilize any leftover product,” she adds.

At Hunter, the spring festival season begins March 11 with the Moet Hennessy bash. Each subsequent weekend brings a different event: an outdoor Irish festival, a mogul challenge, pond skimming, and a cardboard race on closing weekend.

Family Fun

With some 65,000 eggs filled with everything from candy to cash and season passes hidden all over the resort, Copper Mountain’s Easter egg hunt is arguably the largest in ski country and aimed at the whole family. “We attract lots of people to it because it’s so established,” says Stephanie Sweeney, communications manager. “Lots of folks participate whether they ski or not.”

Sweeney admits hiding 65,000 eggs is a bit of a project. “We do it the night before or early the morning of. Between our patrol and events team we get it done. It takes some effort, but it’s something people enjoy doing,” she says.

At Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec, “spring madness” lasts five weekends, all in April this season. Activities include live bands, DJs, kids events and activities, outdoor barbecues, the ski- to Sugar Shack, hot tubs, fire pits, friendly races, games, and more for the entire family.

“Because we are one of the last resorts in the province to close, we attract lots of skiers and riders from other resorts,” says spokesperson Lisa Marie Lacasse. “It also attracts other types of skiers who don’t ski so much during the season who come out to enjoy the warm weather, soft snow, make a few turns, have a drink and enjoy the atmosphere.”

Pond Skimming

What would any spring festival be without pond skimming? Pretty boring. Pond skimming has become the favorite way to end the season at many ski resorts—with a splash!

Copper’s “Sun-sation” festival always occurs on closing weekend, which this year coincides with the resort’s Easter egg hunt. Sponsored by Red Bull, the weekend includes live music, barbecues, and one of the most challenging pond skims in the sport.

“Last year we had two ponds, several rails, and terrain features,” Sweeney says. “It’s always a really fun event, really crazy. People really get into it.” The terrain park crew and Red Bull staff do most of the setup. A max of 250 people participate, with hundreds more spectating.

Vail calls its pond skim the “World Championship of Pond Skimming,” a spoof on the World Alpine Ski Championships, which Vail hosted in 1999, the same year it began the pond skimming event.

The pond skim, always the last day of the season, is just one of many Vail spring events and festivals. Spring kicks off early at Vail with the weeklong Burton World Open Snowboard Championship, Feb. 27. Other “signature” (in Vail parlance) spring events include Pink Vail (March 25), a cancer fundraiser (goal this year: $750,000), a film festival, and the annual Taste of Vail culinary extravaganza.

“We focus on our signature events,” says Sally Gunter, senior communications manager. “They help promote the Vail brand and give people a reason in spring to come out here, and enhance their experience if they’re already planning a trip.”