If the complete summer calendar of events in Aspen and Snowmass were to be printed, like Herbert Bayer’s World Geo-Graphic Atlas, it would make for quite a hefty tome. After all, since the 1949 debut of the Aspen Music Festival and School,  Aspen has had 75 years to build on its transformation from a backwoods mining town to a buzzing arts and culture destination. And it has done in spades—building a critical mass of residents and visitors passionate about all types of music, dance, and drama, while developing the infrastructure necessary to support this broad array of programming and share it with the world.

To help you divide and conquer (and savor) the best of Aspen’s jam-packed arts and culture high season, we’ve split the offerings into two categories: Blockbusters, marquee events that require securing seats or passes in advance (sometimes months)—with insider tips on how to score tickets, and suggested restaurant pairings—and Classics, our picks of local favorites that should be on every culture buff’s itinerary but don’t require much (if any) prior planning.

BLOCKBUSTERS

Aspen Food & Wine  Classic 

June 14–16 

Just as a Sunday morning celebratory feast breaks a fast, the Aspen Food & Wine Classic marks the end of the town’s spring hibernation and the beginning of its fully caffeinated summer event season. This year’s feast for foodies and oenophiles includes more than 70 celebrity chefs and wine and beverage experts leading 15 cooking demonstrations and over 50 wine, cocktail, and beverage seminars. 

The weekend’s main course, the Grand Tasting Pavilion in Wagner Park, features more than 150 winemakers, distillers, and global culinary producers. For lucky ticket and pass holders, it’s also a chance to rub elbows and snap selfies with culinary royalty, this summer including Tom Colicchio, Kristen Kish, and David Chang, along with the Top Chef season 21 finalists and Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs of 2023. On the beverage side, coffee, cocktails, spirits, and beer are celebrated and dissected alongside the usual abundance of vino, with notables including Tiffanie Barriere, Toni Tipton-Martin, Mark Oldman, and Anne Becerra. 

New this year: the Best New Chefs Reunion Cookout and a tour of the Grand Tasting Pavilion led by wine expert Anthony Giglio.

TICKET TIP:
Food & Wine Classic passes typically sell out months in advance, but as of press time, consumer passes, which grant entry to the five Grand Tastings and seminars throughout the weekend, were still available. Volunteering has long been a way to get a taste of the action, but keep an eye out for food- or wine-themed events around town that are not officially part of the Classic but include guest stars plucked from the event’s firmament.

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
You may be nibbling all day, but you’ll likely need to have a proper light meal to soak up all that wine. Fronting Wagner Park is chef (and James Beard Award semifinalist) Mawa McQueen’s Crêpe Shack, offering a culturally diverse selection of savory and sweet crêpes. 

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet 

July 10–Aug 27
After a reorganization and venue remodel, the company is back in full force this summer, presenting five sure-to-be-stellar evenings of ballet and contemporary dance at the Aspen District Theater. Appropriately, the season kicks off with a Gala Performance (July 10 & 11), featuring dancers from Joffrey Ballet, Royal Ballet, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Ballet West. It continues with Martha Graham Dance Company (July 23) in its centennial anniversary season, Parsons Dance (Aug 3), and Ballet West (Aug 27), which helped spark Aspen’s ballet tradition in the 1970s.

danceAspen 

June 15–Sept 6
Contemporary ballet company DanceAspen, founded by former Aspen Santa Fe Ballet dancers after the latter dissolved its in-house group, offers local audiences a few chances to be wowed this summer (as of press time; check the troupe’s website for updates): Take Flight: a dance and wine pairing at the Hotel Jerome (June 15), the Old Hollywood Edition Gala (July 12) also at the Jerome, and performances at the Aspen District Theater (Aug 16) and at TACAW in Basalt (Sept 5 & 6).

TICKET TIP:
With limited opportunities to see world-class dance, act fast on tickets.

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
A blend of tradition and innovation can describe both today’s dance companies and the menu and ambience at Sway Thai, Restaurant Row’s newest addition serving modern takes on Thai classics. 

Theatre Aspen 

June 17–Aug 24; Solo Flights, Sept 3–8
Theatre Aspen says it produces “big theatre in a small space,” and while that may refer to bringing world-class productions to its intimate, 200-seat seasonal venue in Rio Grande Park, the 41-year-old nonprofit has also cast its net wider locally in recent years. The result? An invested community (2024 season passes sold out in an unprecedented three days) and diverse programming that appeals to (and sometimes involves) a broad range of locals, visitors, and part-time residents.
The biggest draws are, of course, the summer’s three headline shows: long-running Broadway comedy-drama Steel Magnolias (June 17–29); award-winning movie-and-book adaptation Legally Blonde: The Musical (July 5–27); and Come from Away (Aug 2–24), a musical based on the true story of how the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland, unexpectedly welcomed the passengers of 38 planes grounded on 9/11.

But there’s also more uniquely Aspen programming: in collaboration with the Aspen Music Festival and School, a presentation of the Tony Award–winning musical Fiddler on the Roof in Concert (July 23), with an all-star cast and a 60-piece orchestra in the Michael Klein Music Tent, and a themed, music-centered Summer Cabaret Series (July 2 & 14, Aug 4 & 11) at the Hotel Jerome. Additionally, Theatre Aspen’s education program presents three shows: Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing (June 27–29, grades 9–12); Finding Nemo Jr. (July 18–20, grades 4–7); and Xanadu (July 25–27, grades 8–12). Finally, the Solo Flights festival (Sept 3–8) presents one-person shows in development.

TICKET TIP:
The opening night of each headline show will sell out, but with additional performances over two to four weeks, chances of scoring a seat are good.

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
It’s a quick stroll from the theater to the Clark’s Market complex across Mill Street, where tasty choices include a new authentic Mexican eatery, Taco Piña, plus Phatt Pho + Sushi and Bangkok Happy Bowl, which share a kitchen.

Jazz Aspen Snowmass 

June 20–Sept 1
With two festivals and a series that together span most of the summer and encompass musical styles far beyond its organizational name, Jazz Aspen Snowmass delivers a cultural journey through music like no other.
Featuring jazz, soul, blues, funk, world music, gospel, and more, the JAS June Experience (June 20–23) offers multiple staggered shows each day at 12 different Aspen venues, including the Belly Up, Wheeler Opera House, and, new this year, Unravel Coffee + Bar and the VIP tent in Rio Grande Park. Artists include The Headhunters, the jazz/funk/rock band started by Herbie Hancock, on their 50th-anniversary tour; Grammy-winning composer, multi-instrumentalist, and keyboard master Cory Henry; third-generation hill country bluesman Cedric Burnside; and legendary vocalist Lisa Fisher and the JAS Academy Big Band, conducted by Christian McBride, performing a tribute to Aretha Franklin. The festival wraps up with a Gospel Brunch on Sunday morning featuring the Blind Boys of Alabama. Purchase single-show tickets; general admission passes good for one, two, or three days of programming; or a VIP pass that covers everything, plus food and drink.

“Intimate yet powerful” is a fitting description for JAS Café Summer Series performances (July 12–14, Aug 10, and Aug 16–18), held at the Aspen Art Museum’s aesthetically pleasing Rooftop Café, which seats only about 100 people. A dozen shows span six evenings over two weekends, highlighted by trumpeters Bria Skonberg and Benny Benack III in July and Shemekia Copeland in August. New this year is a celebration of Harry Belafonte (Aug 10), with vocalist René Marie, pianist Monty Alexander, and the inaugural JAS Academy Afro-Caribbean Big Band led by Etienne Charles, at the Hotel Jerome Ballroom.
The JAS Labor Day Weekend Experience (Aug 30–Sept 1) closes out Aspen’s summer cultural season, bringing big musical names to one of the state’s most spectacular outdoor performance venues: mountain-ringed Snowmass Town Park. Standouts this year include Brandi Carlile with Lukas Nelson on opening night (Aug 30), Sting preceded by OneRepublic and Michael Marcagi the next evening (Aug 31), and Tim McGraw headlining the final night (Sept 1), with The Black Crowes and The War and Treaty beforehand.   

TICKET TIP:
The bigger the name and the smaller the venue, the more likely an act will sell out (a handful of JAS Café performances were waitlisted almost immediately after they were announced in April). But options abound, with artists often performing more than one show, and high-capacity venues like Snowmass Town Park (which holds up to 10,000 people) absorbing most if not all who want to partake in the Labor Day Experience.

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
With JAS’ two Aspen-based events practically taking over downtown, pre- or post-show meal choices are plentiful. Try the varied all-American menu at the Boat Tow if attending a show next door at Unravel. If at the Wheeler, dine at modern gastropub Aspen Public House, or if at the W, savor the international menu and jazz lounge feel of 39 Degrees. For a quick bite before or after the Labor Day Experience, grab some tapas or tacos at Latin-inspired Mawita in Base Village.

Aspen Ideas Festival 

June 20–29
What happens when you bring together more than 300 of the world’s greatest thinkers and doers to present, discuss, and debate the day’s issues and ideas along with 3,000 curious, motivated, and sometimes well-connected or deep-pocketed attendees? Out of this heady stew, festival organizers hope ideas can be elevated into action, meaningful progress, or the foundation for a vision of the future. 

In its 20th iteration, the Aspen Institute’s flagship event has placed award-winning editor Tina Brown at the helm as guest curator. A sampling of speakers includes former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers talking about AI’s impact on the economy, NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly interviewing leaders working toward peace in the world’s worst places of conflict, Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner sharing secrets of the world’s longest-living peoples, and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on improving well-being. Also on the guest list are anti-Putin activist Bill Browder, business leaders Indra Nooyi and Satya Nadella, and personalities including Jane Fonda, Alex Rodriguez, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 

TICKET TIP:
If passes to the main event sell out, you might score a single event ticket, or try Aspen Ideas: Health (June 20–23), a preview event that’s just as good, and rarely sells out. 

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
The menu at West End Social, the revamped main dining room at Aspen Meadows Resort on the Aspen Institute campus revolves around a locally sourced seasonal menu focused on shareable plates that invite conversation.

Aspen Music Festival  and School 

June 26–Aug 18
With its 75th anniversary season theme “Becoming Who You Are” (a reference to 1949 keynote speaker Albert Schweitzer’s reference to Goethe’s philosophy on the human potential of becoming), the Aspen Music Festival and School has plenty of programming in store by alumni and other returning artists who have been shaped by their time in Aspen—and have in turn shaped the organization. But the season also looks forward, with new music, experimentation, and emerging artists.

Past and future are evident in the festival’s first week alone. Opening night features a piano recital by Harmony Zhu, a former student, returning as a guest artist. Two nights later (June 28), highly in-demand pianist Daniil Trifonov plays Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 (hearkening back to his 2018 Chopin Evocations recital at the festival) and Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. The 4 p.m. Festival Orchestra event on June 29 includes the world premiere of three songs by AMFS CEO Alan Fletcher, performed by notable alumna and soprano Renée Fleming.

Fleming also leads the Aspen Opera Theater and Vocal ARTS program, this summer presenting Hansel and Gretel (July 19) and The Marriage of Figaro (August 12, 15 & 17), in which Fleming first sang in 1984, as a student, on the Wheeler Opera House stage.   

Four artists with deep Aspen relationships have curated reminiscence recitals that tell the stories of their time with the festival in music and words: American String Quartet (July 8), Gil Shaham and Adele Anthony (July 25), Sharon Isbin (July 30), and Robert McDuffie (Aug 14). Other notable alumni to perform include conductors James Conlon and Leonard Slatkin, violinists Joshua Bell and Midori, cellist Zlatomir Fung, and bassist Edgar Meyer, who has returned every summer since his student days.

Focusing on the teaching legacy of the festival, Aspen Conducting Academy concerts are held on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. throughout the summer, while a full week (July 29–Aug 4) honors 30-year Aspen violin teacher Dorothy DeLay, including performances by her students Midori and Gil Shaham, with all classes on the Bucksbaum campus (at 225 Music School Road) open to the public. 

TICKET TIP:
Thanks to the sheer number of events and the capacity of the Music Tent (2,000), plenty of festival events won’t sell out. But those mentioned above, along with others featuring big names in the classical music world, high-demand Harris Hall concerts, and some Friday and Sunday tent concerts, could. Even then, at least for the Music Tent, there’s a hack: Unpack a picnic and spread a blanket on the lawn outside—you won’t be able to watch the music being made, but you’ll hear it just as well—and more comfortably than those on the inside. 

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
A historic Aspen event demands a classic dining experience. In the first years of the Aspen Music Festival, the Hotel Jerome may have been the only game in town. Today, the landmark hotel’s fine dining room, Prospect, offers tastes of the local terroir, reflecting its rich agricultural history, while its J-Bar, possibly the oldest eatery in town, remains the more casual social hub for dining. 

CLASSICS

Snowmass Free  Concert Series 

June 13–Aug 22
For longtime locals, walking onto Fanny Hill on a summer Thursday evening, camp chair in hand and picnic goodies tucked in a backpack, is the mountain-town equivalent to walking into the Cheers bar. Many who have been attending the Snowmass Free Concert Series for most or all of its 32 years set up in the same spot every week; you can also count on people knowing your name in the dance area close to the stage, in line for the bar, or just wandering up and down the gently sloping grassy venue. Those newer to the experience will simply find it a fun, authentic, carefree way to spend an evening in the open air.

Spanning musical styles from rock to folk to country to every imaginable iteration—all of it danceable—the artist lineup sets the mood. This year’s series kicks off with New Orleans bluesman Sonny Gullage & the Blues Groovers (June 13), ends with the high-energy, horn-driven Huntertones (August 22), and in between features acts like the thoroughly entertaining ’80s cover band the Spazmatics (July 4) and Celtic rockers the Young Dubliners.

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
Venga Venga and The Tavern Kitchen & Bar

Aspen Words 

June 23–28
The literary arm of the Aspen Institute, Aspen Words in the warm-weather months focuses mainly on Summer Words (June 23–28 at Viewline Resort Snowmass), a writing conference for which most participants apply well in advance. But for bibliophiles and amateur writers who don’t, passes to the conference’s craft talks, panel discussions, and social activities are available to the public. Three non-juried workshops may have space: Reader’s Retreat, Generative Writing, and Inside the World of Book Publishing & Author Branding.

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
Starks Alpine Grill or Viewline Lobby Bar

Anderson Ranch Arts Center 

July 8–Aug 8
Nestled among trees in an eclectic collection of refurbished ranch buildings, Anderson Ranch Arts Center is both a destination for and a wellspring of creative energy. And while a wide array of ceramists, painters, photographers, woodworkers, digital artists, and more come to hone their work through residencies and other opportunities throughout the year, summer is when planned and unplanned interactions among artists, students, and audiences spark dialogue, inspiration, and deep thinking.

The ranch’s Summer Series comprises five free public conversations between world-renowned artists and guest moderators (Charles Gaines, July 9; Jerry Saltz, July 18; Pedro Reyes, July 25; Derek Fordjour, Aug 1; Hilary Pecis, Aug 8). The Critical Dialogue Program has two free public conversations planned about contemporary art and art-making (Mothers of Invention: The Feminist Roots of Contemporary Art, June 26; Collaboration Between Sight, Sound & Performance, July 29). Recognition Week (July 8–13) includes a benefit dinner (July 11) recognizing an artist and arts advocate and one of the ranch’s longest-standing traditions: the Annual Art Auction and Community Picnic (July 13).

The Patton-Malott Gallery features the art of ranch faculty, visiting artists, and others associated with educational programming, along with several opening receptions throughout the summer. And visitors are invited to simply wander the five-acre campus, with its artist studios, outdoor sculpture exhibition, cafe, and more (a self-guided tour is available).

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
Anderson Ranch Café (lunch, on campus), Aurum (dinner, Snowmass Village)

Aspen Film 

June 12–Aug 14
If you miss the main event of the year (Aspen Filmfest: a carefully curated package of arthouse, documentary, foreign-language, and independent films that highlight unique stories exploring the human condition; Sept 17–22), Aspen Film has penty of other programming on tap. Dubbed “The Summer of Cinema” and taking place (mostly) at the nonprofit’s Isis Theatre, the robust lineup of special screenings and collaborations includes a $1 weekly kids’ film series, a classic foreign-language film series, blockbuster movies dubbed in Spanish on Sunday afternoons, the ongoing monthly Indie Showcase, and, in partnership with The Little Nell, the open-air Cinema Under the Stars.

RESTAURANT PAIRING:
Silverpeak Grill (with kids), Ajax Tavern (date night) 

Aspen Art Museum 

Through Sept 29
To commemorate its 45th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of its  Shigeru Ban-designed building—a light-filled, largely glass box with a woven-wood facade that itself is a work of art—the Aspen Art Museum is staging In the House of the Trembling Eye. Curated by London-based artist Allison Katz in collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the summerlong exhibition features artworks by over fifty artists as well as a series of fragments of frescoes from Pompeii, and takes over the entire museum. Only the open-air rooftop space is occupied by another exhibit: Lena Henke’s ou and Your Vim. Open Tuesday through Sunday, admission is free.

RESTAURANT PAIRING: MOLLIE Aspen