The genesis of this year’s Cat Fest is a typo.

Former co-founder and co-owner of the Denver County Fair Dana Cain was doing an interview in 2015 in which she mentioned the “kitchen pavilion” as a fair event. The reporter accidentally printed “kitten pavilion,” and Cain had no choice but to locate some cats.

“They printed we had a kitten pavilion,” Cain said. “So I said ‘OK well, we have to do it!’”

Over the years, the kitten pavilion has evolved into an annual Cat Fest and this Saturday, Cain (Dana Cain Events) and her partners will host the second installation of it at the Colorado Springs Event Center. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., cat enthusiasts can spend time with adoptees, partake in various cat-oriented entertainment, shop at art shows and much more.

“The first people I thought to partner with was TICA — The International Cat Association,” Cain said. “The cool thing about them is that when they run cat shows; you can enter purebreds or household pets. They even have categories for stray cats off the street. It’s lovely and very inclusive, so partnering with them meant bringing in tons of cats for people to see.”

And last year, people did way more than just see the cats.

“At the first Cat Fest in Denver, we adopted out on site over 40 cats,” Cain. “I mean some of the shelters were having to run back and grab more cats to bring to people. That’s always the first step: Make sure you’ve got a lot of live cats.”

Although a huge part of Cat Fest is to connect cats with forever and loving homes, it is also about fun.

The various events include things such as cat-themed merchandise vendors, a cafe and the star of the show: the Mystical Egyptian Cat Oasis.

“Cats are mystical,” Cain said. “They’re supernatural. They’re worshipped in Egypt, so the oasis is a whole area with this theme. We’ve got giant 8-foot tall Egyptian cat standees at the entrance and inside of it. We have people like tarot readers with cat-themed decks and pet psychics.”

The centerpiece of the Mystical Egyptian Cat Oasis is Cain’s favorite part of the Fest.

“There’s a giant gold altar — our memory wall,” Cain said. “It’s where people can post photos of their cats who have passed on, or just write their names. But there are little statues and candles at the altar and it’s all bright and shimmering gold. When we did it in Denver, it got so full. I couldn’t even walk over there without crying.”

And for live music fans, Cat Fest will feature Tuna & The Rock Cats.

“That’s the grand finale,” Cain said. “They will do a concert performance. If you’ve never seen a band of actual cats playing actual instruments, it’s like nothing else. They call it freeform jazz, because it’s not like they’re going to play ‘Stairway To Heaven,’ but they’ll have a show and a meet and greet after.”

From celebrity cats on social media to rock stars and artists and much more, Cat Fest will be a fountain of opportunity for cat lovers in the Colorado Springs area.

What: Colorado Springs Cat Fest

Where: Colorado Springs Event Center

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday

Price: $20, danacainevents.regfox.com/tickets-cat-fest-colorado-springs-2023

Cat Fest will see its second year and first time in Colorado Springs on July 29. Courtesy

Cat Fest will see its second year and first time in Colorado Springs on July 29. Courtesy

Cat Fest will see its second year and first time in Colorado Springs on July 29. Courtesy

Cat Fest will see its second year in Colorado and first time in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

Courtesy photo