[9][10] The town was named by settlers who were upset by the generous mining claims given to the earliest prospectors and promised a more equitable system for its residents.

It is a quiet town, and the roads surrounding it have a low volume of traffic.

The northern extension of Front Street along the river has been preserved and has become the site of relocated historic structures as an open-air museum called South Park City, intended to recreate the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush.

[4] Fairplay has a subarctic or subalpine climate (Koppen: Dfc) given its elevation, with short cool summers, and long, windy and cold winters.

Temperature ranges between day and night are large, due to the high elevation, low cloud cover, and dryness of the air.

The main feature of the festival is a 29-mile (46.7 km) burro race over rough terrain and approximately 3,000-ft (914 m) elevation gain from downtown Fairplay to the 13,185-ft (4019 m) summit of Mosquito Pass.

[18] For many years (in the 1960s and early 1970s) the Burro race took place from Leadville to Fairplay, or vice versa, crossing over Mosquito Pass.

This followed the route that Father John Lewis Dyer of the Methodist Episcopal Church used for circuit riding and for carrying mail.

[citation needed] Fairplay is part of Colorado's Bustang intercity bus network.