This Week in Aspen: Events & Things to Do

Aspen's Past to Present Tour (Mondays & Thursdays, 10:00 AM, Downtown Aspen) This classic historical walking tour of Aspen tells it’s history from humble mining camp to world famous resort. A casual 12 block stroll through historic downtown Aspen acclimatizes you to Aspen’s energy and possibility. A great experience for both the first time visitor and the regular. This tour visits historic landmarks of Aspen including the Wheeler Opera House, the Red Onion, the Pitkin County Courthouse & the Hotel Jerome among others when accessible. Native Legend, Mining Folklore & Local Tales bring History to life on an entertaining guided walk. 90 minutes long with distance of approximately 1 mile along sidewalks, pedestrian ways and parks of mostly flat terrain. Reservations required - reserve your spot here.

Mahjong Monday (11:00 AM, MOLLIE Aspen) Join MOLLIE Aspen for Monday Mahjong—an afternoon of strategy, conversation, and great food in a relaxed setting. Grab a seat at the table and enjoy a casual game of Mahjong with fellow players. This is a free-play event for guests who are already familiar with Mahjong and ready to jump right into the game. They’ll provide all Mahjong sets, boards, and cards, so all you need to bring is your game face. All tickets include one entrée and cafe drink from Petit Trois, making it the perfect afternoon of play, bites, and community. Guests are kindly asked to be flexible with table assignments, as tables may accommodate 2–4 players throughout the afternoon. SCHEDULE Lunch: 11:00am-12:00pm, Play: 12:00pm-2:00pm. Space is limited and advance registration is recommended. $42 per person. To register, click here.

Sewing with Jennifer (4:00 PM, Library Lab - Main Level) Whether you’re brand new to sewing or looking to sharpen your skills, this program offers a fun and supportive space to create and learn. Participants will work at their own pace with personalized guidance from sewing expert, Jennifer Hanson. Bring a project or get inspired by a variety of projects provided by the Library. To learn more, click here.

Heehyun Choi: Visiting Artist Lecture (4:30 PM, Anderson Ranch Arts Center) Join Anderson Ranch Arts Center for a Visiting Artist conversation with Heehyun Choi, a moving image artist and educator whose work explores the physicality and virtuality of projected images, unseen subjects beyond the camera’s frame, and the shifting nature of perception. Based in South Korea and the United States, Choi received her BA in Art & Technology from Sogang University and her MFA in Film & Video from the California Institute of the Arts. Her films have been screened internationally at festivals including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Images Festival, 25 FPS Festival, and Ann Arbor Film Festival, where she received the Mariam Ghani Juror Award. Her work has also been recognized through numerous fellowships and awards, including the 2024 KAFA Award. As a Visiting Artist at Anderson Ranch, Choi will engage with the Ranch community through studio visits, conversations, and a public lecture. Her Visiting Artist Lecture will take place October 20 from 4:30–5:30 p.m. in Schermer Meeting Hall. The lecture is free, open to the public, and available to attend in person or via livestream. To register, click here.

Changemaker Speaker Series Kiliii Yuyan: Indigenous Wisdom for a Modern World (7:00 PM, Wheeler Opera House) National Geographic Explorer and award‑winning photographer Kiliii Yüyan brings Indigenous Wisdom for a Modern World sharing stories rooted in generations of ecological knowledge and lived experience. Of Siberian Yupik and Chinese descent, Yüyan has traveled alongside sea‑ice hunters, reindeer herders, and Indigenous communities whose lives remain closely tied to the natural world. Drawing from his acclaimed book Guardians of Life, Yüyan explores how Indigenous stewardship has sustained coral reefs, rainforests, and Arctic tundra across centuries. Through vivid storytelling and striking visual work, he examines what these communities can teach us about resilience, adaptation, and responsibility in a rapidly changing climate. As part of the Changemaker Speaker Series, this program offers a thoughtful perspective on how cultural knowledge, passed down by Elders and shaped by place, can inform a healthier future for the planet—and all who depend on it. Presented in association with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. To purchase a ticket, click here.

Visit the Aspen Art Museum (Tuesdays - Sundays, Downtown Aspen) Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the Aspen Art Museum is a work of art itself. It's located in the heart of downtown Aspen and admission is free. During your visit, explore the exhibitions: Adrián Villar Rojas: First Gods, Lost Animals, Arch Connelly: Straighten Your Wig and Pray, and Kerstin Brätsch: Fossil Psychic Stone Mimicry (Aspen), and check out the rooftop café, Swedish Hill. Learn more here!

Lunch n' Learn (12:00 PM, Dunaway Community Room at Pitkin County Library) This monthly program provides assistance with personal technology, including your phone or tablet, as well as with navigating the internet, email, and social networks like Facebook. Join the Pitkin County Library on the third Wednesday of the month from 12:00-1:30pm. Lunch is provided - bring your questions, laptops and devices.Advanced registration or RSVP is no longer requested. To learn more, click here.

Aspen's DarkSide Ghost Tour (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, 7:00 PM, Downtown Aspen) True stories of Aspen's tarnished past of Ghosts, Murder & Mayhem from 1879 to today on an entertaining evening walk. This tour visits some of Aspen Colorado’s most haunted places and tells the stories behind them as well as some truly darker happenings. This is a great tour for the whole family or just the adults. To purchase tickets, click here.

The Color of Time: Photography by Summers Moore (September 14th - November 13th, CMC Aspen Art Gallery) Please phone 970-925-7740 to arrange a visit to the gallery, weekdays between 10am-7pm (Monday-Thursday) and 9-4 (Friday). Summers Moore is an artist and photographer based in Carbondale, Colorado. Her work is shaped by long-term engagement with landscape, lived experience, and the quiet disciplines of observation and making. Raised outside Chicago in Lake Forest, Illinois, Moore began photographing at a young age. She later moved west to study at the University of Denver, where the mountain environment became a lasting point of reference. After settling in Aspen, she built a life and studio practice in the surrounding ranges, where she raised her two daughters and continues to work from her home-based studio. Following the early loss of her husband, Moore’s artistic practice deepened and became central to her life. Art emerged not only as a form of expression but as a sustained commitment to study and craft. She has trained with Emily Soto, Frank Ockenfels, and Keith Carter. In addition to her studio work, Moore is actively engaged in the arts community. She has guest-curated photography exhibitions in Aspen, mentored emerging artists through innovative educational initiatives, and served in leadership roles on regional arts councils. Moore’s practice continues to evolve through ongoing education, travel, and sustained time in the mountain landscape. She divides her time between photographic projects and painting, maintaining a studio rhythm grounded in place, physical movement, and close attention to the natural world. She is currently preparing her first self-published magazine documenting her artistic journey and is converting her barn into a dedicated gallery and studio space, scheduled for completion in 2026. Learn more here!

Live Music Night (5:00 PM, MOLLIE Aspen) Ease into the evening with live acoustic music featuring Smokin' Joe Kelly on the Roof Terrace. Set against sweeping views of Aspen Mountain, it’s the perfect place to unwind as the light shifts and the day winds down. Nick Lenio is a unique solo guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known for his dynamic, visually captivating live-looping performances. Using guitar, bass, and cajón, he builds melodies, harmonies, and grooves entirely in real time – no backing tracks, no pre-recorded music. His set blends feel-good classics and modern favorites across classic rock, soul, reggae, and funk, creating an energetic and immersive experience. In 2024 and 2025, Nick was voted as Aspen’s “Best Local Musician” by The Aspen Times. To learn more, click here.

Aspen’s Off the Beaten Path Tour (Tuesdays & Fridays, 10:00 AM, Downtown Aspen) A scenic guided walking tour through Aspen’s West End neighborhood and trails along the Roaring Fork River. Participants will learn the stories behind Aspen’s Victorian & Modern architecture stitched together with hidden gems of nature. Reservations are required. To sign up, click here.

Pumpkin Painting (6:00 PM, MOLLIE Aspen) Celebrate the season with an evening of pumpkin painting on the Petit Trois patio. Your ticket includes a pumpkin and all the supplies you’ll need to create your masterpiece—just bring your creativity. Order your favorite food and beverages from the menu as you paint, sip, and enjoy a festive fall evening in Aspen. $25 per person. Reservations are recommended as space is limited. To sign up, click here.

Stories From Mawa's Kitchen: A Theatrical Culinary Journey (Friday & Sunday, Mawa's Kitchen) Stories from Mawa’s Kitchen is an immersive, five-coursed dinner with wine that takes guests through a theatrical journey tracing the story of chef Mawa McQueen’s life at her own Michelin-recommended restaurant. The evening invites audiences to sit and taste the global tapestry of Mawa’s journey across the world, serving Afro-Mediterranean cuisine with a French-American flair. Enjoy a one-of-a kind piece directed and devised by Broadway’s multi-hyphenate Adam Kantor, while indulging in the creations of James Beard Award semi-finalist and story protagonist, Mawa McQueen. The production will star Asmeret Ghebremichael and is co-directed and written by Charly Jaffe and as well as writer Leanne Antonio of StoryCourse. Enjoy a theatrical adventure where recipes carry memory and flavor becomes language. To purchase a ticket, click here.

Day of the Dead Arts & Crafts (11:00 AM, Pitkin County Library - Dunaway Community Room) Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Pitkin County Library invite the community to celebrate Día de los Muertos with a free, family-friendly arts and crafts gathering on Saturday, October 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pitkin County Library’s Dunaway Community Room in Aspen. Guests of all ages are invited to drop in and create traditional altars and colorful skulls while learning about the history and traditions of this vibrant cultural celebration. The event is free and open to all ages. To learn more, click here.

Cemetery Tour (4:00 PM, Ute Cemetery) This Halloween season, step into Aspen’s eerie past with a guided tour of the historic Ute Cemetery. Beneath the shadow of the Colorado Rockies, wander through weathered tombstones dating back to the 1880s and hear the haunting tales of Aspen’s earliest settlers. As the sun sets and the mountain air grows cold, feel the presence of those who faced untimely ends in the wild frontier. To register, click here.

Vienna Boys Choir (7:00 PM, Wheeler Opera House) The illustrious group of child musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm and diverse repertoire which includes everything from medieval to contemporary to experimental music. These gifted musicians with voices of unforgettable beauty are part of four touring choirs that hail from dozens of nations and together give over 300 concerts a year around the world. The Fort Worth Star Telegram raves “There’s no more gratifying sound than that of children singing. And there’s no more polished ensemble of children’s voices than the Vienna Boys Choir.” “[the] mix of purity and lung power, childlike simplicity and mature command of breath control and phrasing, is what this ensemble is all about…” The Washington Post “Pure and pristine sound…” San Francisco Chronicle. Presented in association with Aspen Music Festival & School. To purchase a ticket, click here.

Leisure Hike (Saturdays & Sundays, 10:00 AM, East Aspen Hunter Creek) This light hike connects trails, hidden neighborhoods and nature paths east of town along the Roaring Fork River and the Hunter Creek. The majority of the hike is adjacent to tranquil flowing bodies of water. A great beginner to intermediate hike full of scenic views. Register here!

Highlights of Aspen Tour (Saturdays & Sundays, 12:00 PM, Downtown Aspen) Embark on a leisurely stroll through town, where intriguing historical narratives, enchanting storytelling, and fascinating tidbits effortlessly blend together. This 60-minute scenic walk not only acquaints you with the local heritage but also grants you a genuine sense of belonging, acting as a splendid springboard to fully indulge in the abundant wonders that Aspen has to offer. To reserve a spot, click here.

Songs of the Heart: A Ceremonial Sound Journey (4:00 PM, Sanctum Aspen) Songs of the Heart is a live ceremonial sound experience designed to carry participants into deeper states of presence, connection, emotional release, and embodied awareness. Led by musician and facilitator Gabriela Mejia, this gathering weaves together ancestral songs, live vocals, percussion, instrumentation, and storytelling gathered through years of study with elders, wisdom keepers, and ceremonial communities from around the world. No musical experience is required. Only a willingness to listen, feel, and arrive more fully to the present moment. To purchase a ticket, click here.

Aspen's Past to Present Tour (Mondays & Thursdays, 10:00 AM, Downtown Aspen) This classic historical walking tour of Aspen tells it’s history from humble mining camp to world famous resort. A casual 12 block stroll through historic downtown Aspen acclimatizes you to Aspen’s energy and possibility. A great experience for both the first time visitor and the regular. This tour visits historic landmarks of Aspen including the Wheeler Opera House, the Red Onion, the Pitkin County Courthouse & the Hotel Jerome among others when accessible. Native Legend, Mining Folklore & Local Tales bring History to life on an entertaining guided walk. 90 minutes long with distance of approximately 1 mile along sidewalks, pedestrian ways and parks of mostly flat terrain. Reservations required - reserve your spot here.

Aspen Chapel Gallery presents FEAST D' ARTE (October 7 - November 11, 2026, Daily, Aspen Chapel Gallery) FEAST D’ARTE, a mixed media show in partnership with HARVEST FOR HUNGER, is on display at the Aspen Chapel Gallery. This is the 270th consecutive exhibition since the Gallery opened 41 years ago. Kathy Honea, curator, asked Mike Campbell, Bill Gruenberg, Lucy Congdon Hanson, Christie Interlante, Brenda Manes, Jessica T Mansor, and Cassidy Willey to join her in exhibiting their art. Learn more here!

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