(TRINIDAD, Colo.) — One of the most unique experiences Southern Colorado has to offer, Art Cartopia in Trinidad, is shutting its doors and announcing the cancelation of its annual festival and parade, ArtoCade.

ArtoCade made the announcement on its Facebook page on Friday, June 23, and said the closure and cancelation were due to circumstances out of its control. The wacky art cars of Trinidad have delighted visitors and locals for nearly a decade after the first few years of ArtoCade led to the inception of the Art Cartopia Museum in 2018.

The Museum said it will close its doors on Aug. 1, 2023.

“It was a wonderfully wild and wacky ride but the time has come for us to drive (or tow) our art cars into the sunset,” wrote ArtoCade in its announcement on Facebook. ArtoCade thanked the many artists, board members, volunteers, sponsors, and of course, spectators that have made the annual ArtoCade event and the continued operation of Art Cartopia possible.

“If not for the support of the people and community of Trinidad, we simply would not have been such a ‘cargantuan’ success.”