Friday, August 18

Zoppé Italian Family Circus
Times vary through Sunday, Snowmass Base Village

This crowd-pleasing troupe, whose legacy dates back 175 years, mixes daredevil acts, comedy, and charm while drawing on age-old circus traditions for seven shows over the weekend. From $20, zoppecolorado.com

Aspen Chamber Symphony
6 p.m., Benedict Music Tent

Alisa Weilerstein, the cello superstar of her generation, performs Shostakovich’s introspective and biting Second Concerto, composed for Mstislav Rostropovich, who coached her in the piece. $80, aspenmusicfestival.com

JAS Café: Eliane Elias
7 p.m. & 9:15 p.m., Aspen Art Museum

The Grammy Award–winning Brazilian pianist/vocalist returns to JAS Café with a special guest percussionist celebrating the high-energy, native Brazilian rhythm—samba. From $45, jazzaspensnowmass.org

Hairspray
7:30 p.m., Hurst Theatre

Get your beehives ready for the Tony Award–winning musical based on the 1988 John Waters film. The Theatre Aspen production will be helmed by director and choreographer Mark Martino, whose Hurst Theatre credits also include Les Misérables, Cabaret, and Mamma Mia! Hairspray runs through August 19. From $29, theatreaspen.org 

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
8 p.m., Aspen District Theatre

The company performs a brand-new ballet by young Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo (who also created 2016’s Re:play) that combines dance and video projection. Also on the program: Alejandro Cerrudo’s Little mortal jump, an ASFB favorite, and Cherice Barton’s Eudaemonia, a moving crowd pleaser that debuted earlier this year. From $36, aspensantafeballet.com

Robert Randolph and the Family Band
9 p.m., Belly Up Aspen

An Aspen favorite, the talented pedal steel guitarist brings back his infectious mix of funky jams to town on the heels of a new album, Got Soul. From $25, bellyupaspen.com 

Saturday, August 19

Zoppé Italian Family Circus
Times vary through Sunday, Snowmass Base Village

This crowd-pleasing troupe, whose legacy dates back 175 years, mixes daredevil acts, comedy, and charm while drawing on age-old circus traditions for seven shows over the weekend. From $20, zoppecolorado.com

Aspen Saturday Market
8 a.m.–3 p.m.

The best way to spend a summer Saturday morning in Aspen? At the U-shaped farmer’s market in the heart of town, perusing plenty of locally grown produce, handmade crafts, jewelry, and souvenirs. Free, aspenchamber.org

Hairspray
3 p.m. & 8 p.m., Hurst Theatre

Get your beehives ready for the Tony Award–winning musical based on the 1988 John Waters film. The Theatre Aspen production will be helmed by director and choreographer Mark Martino, whose Hurst Theatre credits also include Les Misérables, Cabaret, and Mamma Mia! Hairspray runs through August 19. From $29, theatreaspen.org 

pARTy at the Art Base
5:30 p.m., The Art Base, Basalt

The Art Base’s annual gala benefit honors the Wyly Coyotes—a group of volunteers who have supported the nonprofit from the beginning. Join the festive celebration featuring dinner and drinks, live music, and the “10 x 10 Name Unseen Silent Auction,” including 100 artworks donated by local artists, beginning at a $100 bid. From $200, theartbase.org

Mozart's La clemenza di Tito
7 p.m., Wheeler Opera House

Political intrigue, divided loyalties, and a treacherous assassination plot take center stage in this dramatically complex work, completed just before Mozart's death and boasting a rich score indicative of the composer's maturity. $50, aspenmusicfestival.com

JAS Café: Nnenna Freelon
7 p.m. & 9:15 p.m., Aspen Art Museum

Six-time Grammy–Award nominee Nnenna Freelon has earned a well-deserved reputation as a compelling and captivating live performer who's toured with Ray Charles, as well as many other greatest jazz artists, including Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, and George Benson. From $45, jazzaspensnowmass.org

A Recital by Vladimir Feltsman
8 p.m., Harris Concert Hall

The incomparable Vladimir Feltsman returns to Harris Concert Hall for autumnal Romantic masterworks by Schubert and Brahms. $65, aspenmusicfestival.com

Jamestown Revival
9:30 p.m., Belly Up Aspen

At the heart of this Los Angeles–based band is a friendship that spans more than a decade and harmony-laden, Western-tinged Americana-folk rock. $25, bellyupaspen.com

Sunday, August 20

Zoppé Italian Family Circus
Times vary, Snowmass Base Village

This crowd-pleasing troupe, whose legacy dates back 175 years, mixes daredevil acts, comedy, and charm while drawing on age-old circus traditions for seven shows over the weekend. From $20, zoppecolorado.com

Basalt Sunday Market
10 a.m.–2 p.m., Downtown Basalt

We love the community and family-friendly vibe at this weekly farmer’s market filled with local produce, unique art, handmade crafts, and freshly prepared foods. Plus, there’s live music. Living or staying up valley? We recommend biking down the Rio Grande Trail in the morning to get there (the bike rack–outfitted RFTA bus can bring you back). Free, basaltsundaymarket.com

Bluegrass Sundays
12–3 p.m., Aspen Mountain

Take a hike up Ajax; once you make the summit, nothing beats a cold beer and a free open-air concert on top of the world as a reward. The roster of local bluegrass bands rotates each week, and if you’re not up for the hike, catch the Silver Queen Gondola ($22), which starts spinning at 10 a.m. Free, aspensnowmass.com 

Literature Out Loud
2 p.m., Pitkin County Library

Come savor the latin flavor from Franz Alderfer and Eileen Seeley, who will deliver the goods from authors Rudolfo Anaya and Isabel Allende. Free, pitcolib.org

Aspen Festival Orchestra Season Finale: Damnation of Faust
4 p.m., Benedict Music Tent

The Aspen Music Festival closes the season of "enchantment" with Berlioz’s masterful and complex piece, which is rarely performed in its entirety. Robert Spano conducts the Aspen Festival Orchestra, accompanied by three soloists and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra Chorus. $90, aspenmusicfestival.com 

JAS Café: Jacob Collier
7 p.m. & 9:15 p.m., Aspen Art Museum

This British pianist/vocalist and multi-instrumentalist is now signed to Quincy Jones Music and is best known for crating trademark multi-faceted YouTube videos from his music room at home, where he sings all parts, plays all the instruments, and visualizes every component with a mosaic of screens. From $45, jazzaspensnowmass.org

Whitewater Ramble
10 p.m., Belly Up Aspen

Wind down your weekend at what’s always an all-out dance party when this Colorado-bred bluegrass quintet takes the stage. $5, bellyupaspen.com