The Western Street Breakfast in Colorado Springs is an iconic local tradition, and it’s happening again soon. The long-standing event kicks off the summer rodeo season and celebrates the city’s Western heritage with a special ride through downtown by the Pikes Peak Range Riders.
This year’s 2026 Western Street Breakfast in Colorado Springs takes place on Wednesday, June 17. And it’s as early in the morning as usual at 5:30 a.m to 9 a.m. The breakfast and celebration are located downtown at the intersection of Pikes Peak Avenue and Tejon Street.
Guests are encouraged to wear their Western attire, boots and cowboy hats, and join the community for a hot breakfast, world-class entertainment and fun activities. Breakfast includes eggs, sausage, pancakes, milk, juice and coffee for only $5. Children 5 and under eat free. Army and Air Force volunteers join forces to cook for the Colorado Springs Western Street Breakfast.
The streets get Western decor, and rows of straw bales make a perfect perch for watching the entertainment by the Flying W Wranglers, Exit West, the Girls of the West rodeo ambassadors, and Native American Hoop Dancers on the main stage. Other things to do include a petting zoo, trick roper with roping lessons, Fort Carson military equipment, a wildlife exhibit and more.
At 8 a.m., more than 160 Pikes Peak Range Riders and others on horseback ride through the downtown streets before embarking on their annual four-day ride around Pikes Peak. The breakfast and ride kick off the annual summer rodeo season, and locals and visitors can keep the Western spirit alive at the upcoming Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo and other Western events. Read about them in our 7 Western Heritage Events and Rodeos in Colorado Springs This Summer.
Immediately following the Pikes Peak Range Riders departure, kids can join the Lil’ Cowboys & Cowgirls Round Up, a dress-up contest for kids ages 10 and under.
History and Tradition
The Western Street Breakfast first began in Colorado Springs in 1936. According to the event’s website, the first breakfast served about 35 people from an old chuckwagon in front of the former Papa Joe’s Little Chalet restaurant. In the 1930s and ’40s, the breakfasts were for the Cowhands and Cowbelles who were the rodeo boosters now called the Ramrods. When the Pikes Peak Range Riders made their first ride in 1949, the street breakfast seemed like a good place to start, getting a hearty breakfast for $1 before hitting the trail.
Another Western Street Breakfast tradition is the commemorative wooden token. When you purchase your breakfast admission, you receive your collectible token. It’s your ticket to eat, but you can keep it and add it to your collection if you prefer. Tokens can be purchased on site the day of the event at Pikes Peak and Tejon in downtown Colorado Springs. Sales are cash only.
Proceeds from the breakfast support local military and their families.
Find all the details at CSWesternStreetBreakfast.com.
What Does It Take to Serve the Western Street Breakfast?
The popular Western Street Breakfast draws a crowd — about 10,000 people each year. That’s a big breakfast! So what does it take to feed that many people? Here’s the breakdown, according to cswesternstreetbreakfast.com.
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- 1,100 pounds of pancake batter
- 1,500 pounds of eggs
- 80 gallons of syrup
- 500 gallons of coffee
- 7,500 pints of milk
- 2,500 pints of juice
- 1,100 bales of straw for seating
