11 Feb Telluride AIDS Benefit: Overview!
The Telluride AIDS Benefit (TAB) is a nonprofit whose mission is to fight HIV/AIDS by heightening awareness across demographics and generating financial support for educational programs and client care from the Western Slope to Subsaharan Africa.
TAB week launches with the Student Fashion Show and continues into TAB Fashion Week, which culminates with the Gala Fashion Show. Check out the full schedule below.
Click here for tickets to one of the shows.
Can’t attend? Click here to donate to the cause.
Click here to volunteer.
Click here to learn about the beneficiaries TAB helps to support big time.
Let’s talk about the other pandemic, the one that has since dropped from the headlines; red ribbons off lapels. The one that has been enmeshed in the fabric of our global community since 1981.
Let’s talk HIV/AIDS.
Back then, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out a report about “five young, previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles” suffering from strange infections that had already killed two of them. Throughout that summer, doctors across the United States trumpeted similar cases of “GRID” (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency).
From the get-go and since, AIDS victims and their families have flocked like moths to flames of hope – a miracle cure whispered here; a sudden recovery talked about there. The silver bullet everyone is seeking, however, is the still-elusive vaccine.
At the same time, as people have watched friends cut down in the prime of life, they have tried to make sense of the scourge by channeling their experience into ways to help. The Telluride AIDS Benefit evolved from that impetus.
In 1994, the fledgling event that blossomed into TAB was all about helping a local and friend, Robert Presley, battle the disease and pay his mounting medical bills. But what Presley wanted was to help others who faced with the same challenges he faced.
Presley died in 1997 from causes related to HIV/AIDs, but his selfless wish came true: the nonprofit he inspired, TAB, helps individuals and families dealing with HIV/AIDS on the Front Range all the way to sub-Saharan Africa through a growing list of beneficiaries. They all use these funds to support AIDS services for individuals and families alike in large part because, unlike HIV/AIDS money that originates from government programs or larger foundations, TAB funds are distributed with no strings attached.
TAB’s goal (aligned with global organizations) is ZERO new infections in the state of Colorado, across the country, and around the world is reached. TAB (and other AIDS crusaders) believe that goal is attainable by 2030.
Since its inception TAB’s mission has remained unchanged: Fight. Fund. Educate.
GET READY FOR TELLURIDE FASHION WEEK!
Through its high-energy, chic Fashion Week events + shows, education programs, and community partnerships, Telluride AIDS Benefit (TAB) is not only funding education programs and life-saving services but also igniting crucial conversations about HIV, its disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, and the ongoing fight for equity in healthcare.
The schedule for TAB 2025 follows:
STUDENT FASHION SHOW
FEBRUARY 13 + 14 • 6PM • BUY TICKETS
A record-breaking 100 local high school volunteers have teamed up to create this amazing fashion show for a great cause! Learn more about TAB’s student initiatives.
Location: Michael D. Palm Theatre
FREE HIV TESTING + SWAG BAG GIVEAWAY
FEBRUARY 13 – MARCH 1 • While Supplies Last • 9AM – 5PM
Free and confidential HIV tests and cute totes to boot! Win win! Learn about our regional partners and testing locations.
Location: Sunshine Pharmacy
FASHION POP-UP AT TELLURIDE ARTS HQ
Featuring: Alan Gonzalez, Borris Powell, Flying Hatter, Marla Meredith, Realm Supply, The Vault, Zingara Vintage by Erin Silvers
FEBRUARY 21 – 22 • 10AM – 4PM (FRI), 10AM – 2PM (SAT) • FREE ENTRY • 15% of Proceeds Benefit HIV Awareness
Shop til you drop, meet the designers and get dressed for the fashion show! Learn more about our fashion partners.
Location: Telluride Arts Headquarters • 220 West Colorado Ave
THURSDAY SNEAK PEEK FASHION SHOW
FEBRUARY 20 • Doors + DJ 7PM • Show 8PM • BUY TICKETS
Telluride’s world-renowned theatrical fashion show—a dazzling fusion of New York Fashion Week and Broadway-level spectacle—blends high fashion, dance and electrifying performance art.
Location: Telluride Conference Center
BORRIS POWELL + ALAN GONZALEZ NIGHTLY GALA POP-UP
FEBRUARY 20 – 22 • 6 – 8PM • Nightly at the Gala, 15% of Proceeds go to TAB
Borris and Alan are ON SITE to show you their latest designs, and have even been known to dress a guest or two!
Location: Telluride Conference Center
FRIDAY GALA FASHION SHOW
FEBRUARY 21 • Doors + DJ 7PM • Show 8PM • BUY TICKETS
Telluride’s world-renowned theatrical fashion show—a dazzling fusion of New York Fashion Week and Broadway-level spectacle—blends high fashion, dance and electrifying performance art.
Location: Telluride Conference Center
BENEFICIARY BRUNCH + MEET THE TAB FRONTLINE PARTNERS + MODELS
FEBRUARY 22 • 11AM – 1PM • FREE ENTRY
Join TAB at Telluride Arts HQ for our annual complimentary brunch! Rub shoulders with fabulous models and connect with frontline partner organization representatives from all over Colorado. Enjoy Tito’s sponsored cocktails, delightful brunch offerings, and shop with fashion partners! Discover more about TAB’s mission from those we serve.
Location: Telluride Arts Headquarters • 220 West Colorado Ave
APRÉS SKI AT COMMUNION WINE BAR, PRE TAB FASHION SHOW GALA – HOSTED BY TELLURIDE GAY SKI WEEK (TGSW)
FEBRUARY 22 • 4 – 7PM • FREE ENTRY
Kick off Telluride Gay Ski Week and Après-Ski with Telluride AIDS Benefit Special Guests at the fabulous Communion Wine Bar before the Gala Fashion Show! See TGSW’s schedule of events.
Location: Communion Wine Bar
MEET THE DESIGNERS PATRON PARTY *INVITATION ONLY*
FEBRUARY 22 • 5 – 7PM • Double Diamond Ticket Holders • BUY TICKETS
Location: Disclosed via Email a Week Prior to the Event
SATURDAY GALA FASHION SHOW
FEBRUARY 22 • Doors + DJ 7PM • Show 8PM • BUY TICKETS
Telluride’s world-renowned theatrical fashion show—a dazzling fusion of New York Fashion Week and Broadway-level spectacle, blending high fashion, dance and electrifying performance art.
Location: Telluride Conference Center
TELLURIDE FASHION WEEK AFTER PARTY WITH DJ WARREN WILL
FEBRUARY 22 • 10:30PM • TICKETS ON SALE 2/17 • BUY TICKETS
Join the fashion week celebration with models, designers, and fashion week guests. Expect dancing, lasers by Pivotal Effects, gogo dancers, and more dance-filled excitement!
Location: Sheridan Opera House
TAB DESIGNER SAMPLE SALE
FEBRUARY 24 • 10AM – 6PM • FREE ENTRY
Shop til you drop on all the runway looks + fashion from Telluride Fashion Week!
Location: Ah Haa School for the Arts
PHENOMENAL NEON: WEARABLE ART LOOKS FROM THE RUNWAY
MARCH 6 – 31 • 10AM-5PM • FREE ENTRY
Love TAB’s Wearable Art? A treasured local tradition, this year’s Phenomenal Neon theme transforms the runway into a glowing spectacle of imagination and impact – featuring emerging designers to seasoned artists from across the country. Experience the 2025 artworks off the runway and in the Ah Haa gallery this March! Read more about TAB’s Wearable Art.
Location: Ah Haa School for the Arts
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