Monday, June 27
Aspen Institute Ideas Festival (Saturday 25th – Friday July 1st, Aspen Meadows) From Aspen Lectures to debates to one-on-one interviews and more, days are filled from early morning to late evening. Attendees have exceptional opportunities to interact with public officials, artists, scientists, authors, business executives, scholars, economists, foreign policy specialists, entrepreneurs, and leaders of all kinds — on footpaths and sidewalks, over lunch on the lawn or coffee at the espresso bar, in auditoriums and in small seminar rooms. The intimacy of Festival gatherings renders the experience unique and unforgettable.
Know your Trees at ACES (4:00 pm, Hallam Lake) Come explore the ACES backyard with us and discover up to a dozen species of conifers and deciduous trees. And let’s not forget about the great variety of tall shrubs that are all around us! Advanced registration is required.
Mountain Top Yoga (Monday – Friday 10:30 am, Sundeck) Rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit with a yoga class atop Aspen Mountain. The Hatha-style yoga is held outdoors and costs $20 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Caring for Community Fund, with emphasis on the mental health support program. All levels are welcome, and participants must bring their own mat. Ride the Silver Queen Gondola using your season pass or purchase a sightseeing pass for the day at the Aspen Mountain ticket office. You can also hike up Aspen Mountain and ride the gondola down for free. Allow 1-2 hours to reach the top depending on your pace.
Gypsy: A Musical Fable Presented by Theatre Aspen (7:30 pm, Hurst Theatre) This iconic musical kicks off our 2022 Summer Season! Gypsy is the ultimate tale of an ambitious stage mother fighting for her daughters’ success – while secretly yearning for her own. Directed by Hannah Ryan, and music direction by Andy Einhorn. Gypsy runs from June 27 – July 23. For more information click here.
Tuesday, June 28
Gallery Exhibition at the Red Brick Center for the Arts: Round and Around (9:00 am daily until July 8th, Red Brick Center for the Arts) Scientists have long known that humans are drawn to patterns. We recognize them as a means of survival and to derive meaning from our surroundings. The basic building blocks of our humanity – our DNA – is a repeating structure that infuses our biology. In this exhibition, patterns are explored by artists in ways that represent our personal, natural, biological, and cultural curiosities.
Hotel Jerome History Tour (1:30 pm, Hotel Jerome) Bask in the history of Aspen as you relax in the lobby of the iconic Hotel Jerome, which has been at the center of community life since its doors opened in 1889. The tour includes a brief overview of the lobby and first floor area as you experience the history of Aspen as seen through the eyes of the Hotel Jerome.
Birds of Prey Demonstration (4:00 pm, Hallam Lake) This program will focus on educating around ACES’ resident birds of prey and new training protocols. Flight demonstrations and/or feedings will be included in this program. Learn all about the important role raptors play as keystone predators! Advanced registration is required.
Wednesday, June 29
Historic Downtown Walking Tour (10:30 am, Wheeler Opera House) A guided walking tour of historical buildings in downtown Aspen, with interesting stories around every corner. This tour begins in front of the Wheeler Opera House and ends at the historic Hotel Jerome. This tour lasts 1.5 hours, register here.
Mountain / Time at Aspen Art Museum (May 27th - September 11th 10am, Aspen Art Museum) Mountain / Time is a major exhibition exploring ideas of re-mapping, migration, Black and Indigenous geographies, storytelling, and time, in themes inspired by the intertwined histories and geographies of the mountains and their ecological systems. The exhibition, drawn from two of the most significant collections of time-based media—the Rosenkranz Foundation and the Whitney Museum of American Art—brings together a group of moving image installations by Kahlil Joseph, Kandis Williams, Arthur Jafa, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Tourmaline, Anicka Yi, Ian Cheng, Maia Ruth Lee, Clarissa Tossin, Mark Leckey, Doug Aitken, and Alan Michelson.
Wheeler Opera House Tours (1:30 pm, Wheeler Opera House) Enjoy a guided tour inside the Wheeler Opera House; the center of Aspen’s arts and cultural scene since it was built in 1889. This free tour in partnership with the City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House offers an insider’s look at the iconic building, including its recent renovations and storied past. Space is limited, first come first serve basis no reservations necessary.
Film Screening: The Art of Making It (6:00 pm, Anderson Ranch Arts Center) From the producer of the Emmy-nominated The Price of Everything, The Art of Making It is a film about who gets seen and who gets left behind in today’s seductive, secretive and unregulated art world. The film follows a diverse group of compelling young artists on the brink of unimaginable success or failure as they challenge systems, break barriers and risk it all with the goal of making it in an industry where all the rules are currently being rewritten. 6PM cocktails and light bites, 7PM film screening with a panel discussion immediately following moderated by Douglas Fogle. Purchase tickets here.
Thursday, June 30
Victorian West End Walking Tour (10:30 am, Wheeler/Stallard Museum) A guided stroll through Aspen’s Victorian West End residential neighborhood, with a focus on history and architecture. Learn little-known facts about the neighborhood’s homes and the people who lived in them. This tour ends at the historic Hotel Jerome. Register here.
Decade by Decade: Aspen Revealed Exhibition (Tuesday – Saturday 11:00 am, Wheeler Stallard Museum) The Wheeler/Stallard house is a Queen Anne style Victorian built in 1888. The first floor of the Museum is interpreted as a Victorian Aspen home and the second-floor gallery features rotating exhibitions to explore area history. The new exhibition Decade by Decade: Aspen Revealed explores the stories that shaped the community’s distinct identity: from mining boom to dilapidated ranching town to today’s international recreational and cultural resort, Aspen forged a unique path. Featuring photographs and artifacts that represent Aspen’s connection to national events and trends, the exhibition reflects on the community’s place within the larger historical landscape of the nation – sometimes congruent, sometimes divergent – but always exciting. Decade by Decade: Aspen Revealed will appeal to visitors and locals of all ages, showcasing the depth of the AHS Collection.
History Coach Tour (1:30, Wheeler Opera House) A guided tour of historic downtown Aspen in Aspen Historical Society's unique electric vehicle – complete with a visit to both the Wheeler/Stallard Museum and the Holden/Marolt Mining and Ranching Museum. Gain a totally new understanding of Aspen’s transformations from a mining town to ski town to year-round, world-famous resort! Tour duration is 2 hours 15 minutes. Meets and ends in front of the Wheeler Opera House, register here.
Aspen Music Festival & School: A Recital by Hung-Kuan Chen (7:30 pm, Benedict Music Tent) Born in Taipei and raised in Germany, Hung-Kuan Chen has synthesized Chinese philosophy and German Classicism into a unique artistic personality. A long-time AMFS faculty member, Mr. Chen suffered a hand injury in 1992 which he cured through meditation and his own research. He returned to performing in 1998 to triumphant reviews. An artist in many media, he has painted, drawn, danced, and plays other instruments. He is a serious chef, bakes his own bread, is an artisan of home improvement, a skilled woodworker, an electronics whiz, a meticulous piano tuner, a knowledgeable jazz fan, and an avid hiker. If contemplating his accomplishments doesn’t make you breathless, this program of fiendishly difficult variations just might.
Friday, July 1
Garden Tours at The Little Nell (4:00 pm, The Little Nell) Join for our weekly garden tour from 4 – 4:30 pm led by our head gardener Arabella of Busy Beavers Gardening. Recognized for being both beautiful and sustainable, The Nell Gardens include Aspen’s only living wall, an herb garden, a cutting garden and more. Learn about high altitude gardening plus pick up tips for maintaining your own garden at home. This complimentary tour is open to all; no need to register.
Red Butte Cemetery Tour (1:30 pm, Wheeler Stallard Museum) A guided tour of one of Aspen’s oldest cemeteries, including insight into the lives of the locals who are buried there. Tour duration is 1 hour. Meets and ends at the Wheeler/Stallard Museum 620 W. Bleeker. Includes transportation to and from the cemetery in Aspen Historical Society's History Coach electric vehicle. Register here.
Aspen Chamber Symphony (5:30 pm, Benedict Music Tent) The extraordinary Matthew Whitaker joins celebrated Aspen alumna and former Colorado Symphony music director Marin Alsop for the Aspen Chamber Symphony’s first concert of the season. Hear Whitaker, a unique musical voice and national sensation, in Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin’s first work to fuse classical and jazz.
JAS Café: John Pizzarelli (7:00 pm, Aspen Art Museum) World-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli has been hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” Purchase tickets here.
Z-Trip at Belly Up Aspen (9:30 pm, Belly Up Aspen) Z-Trip is often referred to as a young Rick Rubin. His roots are based in Hip Hop, but he covers and loves all music styles. Considered by many as the godfather of mash-ups, his style of mixing and producing reaches way beyond that. Z-Trip received the award for America’s Best DJ and still remains on the top 10 lists year after year. He has collaborated with some of the very best to ever do it: Nas, Bassnectar, Public Enemy, DJ Shadow, Rakim, Shepard Fairey, Talib Kweli and many others. Purchase tickets here.
Saturday, July 2
Aspen Saturday Market (8:30 am, Downtown Aspen) Spend your Saturday morning at the Aspen Farmer’s Market. Since 1998 it has been a local’s tradition to stroll through the market buying Colorado-grown produce and Colorado-produced artisan products. Open on Saturdays from 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM, the market offers Colorado-grown fruits, vegetables, bread, meats, jams, and more as well as a food court for lunch or a snack.
Holden Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum (11:00 am, Mining & Ranching Museum) The Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum explores the industrial and agricultural history of the area. From mining to railways to ranching, the past comes alive at this pastoral museum that sits on the site of the largest industrial complex in the history of Pitkin County, the Holden Lixiviation Works. The historical Zupancis homestead buildings are being restored to tell the story of the “Quiet Years” and immigrants who helped shape the area. The Holden/Marolt Museum is directly adjacent to a public bike trail near the entrance to Aspen. First admission on the first Saturday of each month.
John Fogerty at Belly Up Aspen (Saturday & Sunday 7:00 pm, Belly Up Aspen) John Fogerty is a true American treasure. As leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty forged a distinctive, groundbreaking sound all his own, equal parts blues, country, pop, rockabilly, R&B, swamp boogie, and Southern fried rock ‘n’ roll, all united by his uniquely evocative lyrical perspective. Fogerty is a Grammy winner and has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Purchase tickets here.
JAS Café: Ranky Tanky (7:00 pm, Aspen Art Museum) Ranky Tanky have achieved many firsts for South Carolina’s West African-rooted Gullah community since their formation, earning yet another milestone at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards by taking home the Best Regional Roots Album prize for their sophomore release, Good Time. The album, which also hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart, combines songs carried down through generations in the Sea Islands of the Southeastern United States with the band’s own original compositions in the Gullah tradition.
Sunday, July 3
Gaetano Pesce My Dear Mountains (May 27th – October 9th 10:00 am, Aspen Art Museum) In Spring 2022, the Aspen Art Museum will present a new large-scale project by Gaetano Pesce (b. Italy, 1939. Lives and works in New York City), one of the world’s most influential living multidisciplinary artists and creative minds, celebrated worldwide for his provocative and experimental pursuit of material, technological as well as social innovation. Driven by risk-taking curiosity and radical thinking, Pesce’s work is renowned for blurring boundaries between art, design, and architecture.
Aspen Festival Orchestra (4:00 pm. Benedict Music Tent) Headlined by star soprano Renée Fleming, this gorgeous and sensuous program charts the romantic journeys of two famous pairs of lovers. Pulitzer-Prize-winner Kevin Puts’s. The Brightness of Light is an expansion of Letters to Georgia, written for and premiered by Fleming. The original set was built around letters from O’Keefe to the photographer Alfred Stieglitz. At Fleming’s suggestion, Puts added an equal part for Stieglitz, sung here by two-time Grammy nominee, singer, and actor Rod Gilfry. Purchase tickets here.
Kemo Sabe Trunk Show Bohlin Buckles & Nancy Rose (11:00 am, Kemo Sabe) For over a century, The Bohlin Company has crafted handsome buckles and other accessories for clients throughout the United States. Their custom buckles are made with the highest quality materials and exceptional attention to detail to bring your ideas to life. Kemo Sabe is also featuring vintage turquoise curator Nancy Rose will be popping up at Kemo Sabe Aspen. Nancy Rose's vintage jewelry is made with a passion for the history of jewelry. Stop by to shop her incredible collection of hand-picked turquoise jewelry!
Monday, July 4
Old Fashion 4th of July in Aspen (10:00 am, Downtown Aspen) Aspen’s Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration will be on Monday, July 4 with the parade from 11 am – 12 pm and the Community Village from 10 am – 2 pm. Other events include: Boogie’s Run, Kids’ Parade Bicycling Decorating, Community Village, Laser Lightshow and more. Click here for more information regarding 4th of July Festivities.
Boogies Buddy Race (8:00 am, Wagner Park) 36th Annual Boogie's Buddy Race Presented by East Coast Asset Management Mike Connolly, Aspen. The Race on the 4th of July is a long-standing tradition in Aspen! The race starts and finishes at Wagner Park. Options include: 5 mile, 5k or 1 mile Family Fun Walk. Click here to register and for more information.
4th of July Concert (4:00 pm, Benedict Music Tent) The annual free Fourth of July celebration brings the Aspen Music Festival School band to the Tent stage with stirring patriotic favorites. A beloved tradition. The concert will be broadcast live on Aspen Public Radio.
Sunday Sunset Dance Party at AAM (5:00 pm, Aspen Art Museum) Join the Aspen Art Museum Sunday’s from 5–9 PM for our new weekly Sunday Sunset Dance Party on the Aspen Art Museum’s rooftop! We’ll be featuring cocktails from The Slippery Slope, snacks from the Rooftop Café, and music by Golden, our resident DJ for the summer. This inaugural event on Sunday June 19th will serve as the kick-off to our summer. Expect parties weekly, so mark your calendars!
Sofi Tucker at Belly Up Aspen (8:30 pm, Belly Up Aspen) SOFI TUKKER, the genre-defying duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, is celebrated for their inclusive and global perspective on electronic music as well as their work’s themes of liberation, unity, and self-empowerment. They began daily livestreams at the start of the pandemic, eventually doing hundreds of streams for millions of viewers, becoming the second most live-streamed artist of 2020. Purchase tickets here.
Experience Aspen Virtually with these Ongoing Online Events!
Learn about the history of Aspen with Aspen Historical Society. They post daily images to social media from their archive of more than 12,000 historical images. Visit archiveaspen.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram for a daily dose of Aspen history.
Aspen Shakti has released virtual courses available online here.
Each week Aspen Institute curates timely conversations from across Aspen Institute programming. They seek to elevate formidable leaders, inspiring thinkers, and remarkable stories. Subscribe to receive weekly emails from Aspen Ideas Now here.
Join Theatre Aspen’s Director of Education Graham Northrup for his series on their YouTube channel called “From The Director’s Chair.”
Subscribe to the Aspen Institute’s weekly podcast, “Aspen Ideas To Go” which gives listeners front-row access to events presented at the Aspen Institute including the Aspen Ideas Festival. New episodes come out every Tuesday.
If you missed Aspen Center for Environmental Studies' Naturalist Nights, you can watch videos of previous presentations available online here.
The Red Brick Center for the Arts is offering virtual adult and kids online arts classes; Check out their blog, Creative Connections, for updates on current offerings.
Bring Aspen to life with our coloring book pages, download them here.
Connect with Aspen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
For all COVID-19 resources click here.