Madam Lou Bunch Day Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary
Saturday, June 22, 2024; 12 Noon-7:30PM
Main Street Central City
Admission: FREE
Sponsored by Main Street Central City
Central City is located 39 miles west of Denver, a scenic drive on I 70 to Central City Parkway. Parking for this event is free although fees may apply for some events listed below in the day’s schedule.
To enter a team in The Famous Bed Race and a chance to win $500, click here. (Entry fees apply.)
Madam Lou Bunch Day – perhaps Central City’s most famous annual event – takes place on Saturday, June 22, 2024 .
It’s a day filled with colorful and sometimes wild activities and the most memorable is The Famous Bed Race right down the center of Main Street. The crowd cheers as two people (often dressed in 19th-century costumes) ride an elaborate wheeled bed, while a third pushes them across the finish line.
The event is held in honor of the town’s most successful brothel owner from the Gold Rush era, Madam Lou Bunch. In fact, as far as anyone knows, it’s the only day anywhere in Colorado dedicated to a madam.
Louisa “Lou” Bunch was a powerful businesswoman whose life, as the lives of the infamous so often are, is shrouded in legend. She moved to Central City at the turn of the century to capitalize on the gold mining industry, and soon her establishment was the most lucrative in town. Bunch and her girls would flaunt decorum and openly attend baseball games to cheer for the city’s team – Bunch’s carriage could even be seen parked outside the stadium.
More than half a century later, a western filmed in Central City, The Dutchess and the Dirtwater Fox, featured a bed racing scene that sparked the imagination of local residents. They decided to create an event that would do justice to the memory of Madam Bunch and Colorado’s wild Gold Rush days and the rest is, well…history and is now marking its 50th year.
Madam Lou Bunch Day is truly an all-day affair, with plenty to experience. Besides cheering for their favorite bed-racing “teams,” participants can compete in a historical costume contest, enjoy a variety of food and beverages and watch the parade on Main Street. Other events include performances by The Infamous Backroom Cabaret as well as live music, capped off in the evening by the Madams’ and Miners’ Ball.
If you are able to experience this remarkable once-a-year celebration, you will have plenty of other things to do during your stay as well. Central City is a town filled with history and visitors can take a tour to different historical sites, such as the opera house (the 5th oldest in the country) and Teller House, a hotel dating back to 1872 that’s home to the infamous Face on the Barroom Floor along with numerous 19th century cemeteries. There are also art galleries, casinos, museums and plenty of restaurants to make for a memorable weekend.
Accommodations-wise, the city’s casino-hotels offer a comfortable base for visitors to get a good night’s rest in between their explorations. Feel free to call for availability as bookings for the summer begin to pick up.
Summer is a great time to visit Central City. To learn more, visit our events page. For questions or to enter a team in The Famous Bed Race for a chance to win cash prizes up to $500, click here.