De Beque is a statutory town located in Mesa County, Colorado.

The town was historically a location where wild horses, prevalent in the surrounding lands, were rounded up and sold.

In August 2001, the Town Board of Trustees designated De Beque as the only Wild Horse Sanctuary City in the West.

[9] The town now undertakes projects in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, as well as private organizations, to protect the remaining wild horses in the area.

Such measures include the construction of a public corral for the care of injured and sick mustangs awaiting adoption.

[8] On April 1, 2014, De Beque became the first incorporated town in Mesa County to approve the retail sale of recreational marijuana.

[10] The town sits along the north side of the Colorado River upstream from De Beque Canyon in a small ranching valley approximately 25 miles (40 km) northeast and upstream from Grand Junction.

The festival was originally begun to promote awareness to the wild horse population and raise funds for a corral and rodeo grounds.