Top 10 Aspen & Snowmass Events

1. Aspen Food & Wine Magazine Classic

Top Chef ? That’s exactly what you’ll get each summer at the annual Aspen Food & Wine Magazine Classic. Experience a pleasure-packed weekend as celebs, chefs and foodies converge for a weekend of cooking demonstrations, food samplings and wine tastings from the finest chefs in the world - all set against the spectacular backdrop of Aspen, Colorado.

2. X-Games Aspen

It doesn’t get any more extreme. For nearly ten years the Winter X-Games has called Aspen home and each year debuts the youngest, hottest, extreme sports athletes, consistently raising the bar for the next generation. But the X-Games may very well be known as much for the parties off the slopes as the party on them. You’ll find no shortage of hip soirees to keep you moving well into the night – no doubt about it, Aspen is a town that knows how to throw a party.

3. Jazz Aspen Snowmass

Leave it to Aspen to spice up what began as a traditional jazz festival by inviting an eclectic mix of American, hip hop, blues and popular music to the stage. In addition to providing the perfect end-of-summer celebration for locals and visitors alike, this Labor Day festival also focuses on diverse education programs reaching gifted musical students, dedicated teachers and young audiences. JAS has earned a reputation for its unique marriage of world-class music, unparalleled natural setting and impeccable hospitality.

4. Aspen Ideas Festival

Explore your inner Gandhi. Even if getting together to ponder the meaning of life doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, the Aspen Ideas Festival is sure to open your mind. Described by many as: inspiring, thought-provoking, invigorating and life-changing, the festival brings the world foremost innovators, philosophers, thinkers and doers to converge and discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time. Panel discussions and lectures cover a vast range of critical topics from the environment to the economy, science and the arts.

5. Aspen Film Festival

Since 1979 the Aspen Film Festival has been creating unique and memorable experiences for audiences of all ages. Intimate in scale and celebratory in tone, this festival offers new features and documentaries, as well as unique presentations, special events, and family films. With a solid mission to entertain, enlighten, enrich, and educate through film, the festival program’s foster appreciation for the art of movie making and its power to inspire and communicate a richness of ideas and cultures. The festival’s four annual events cover every season and reach over 3,000 people annually.

6. Chili Pepper & Brew Fest

Get ready to heat it up a little! The 5th Annual Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brew Fest combines three fiery components into one smokin' weekend. The International Chili Society holds its two chili prestigious tasting competitions in Snowmass, while microbrewers face off in a prestigious summer ale competition with two brew sampling sessions for festival-goers, featuring over 30 local and national breweries.

7. Bud Light Spring Jam

Spring break has never been better. The 9th annual Bud Light Spring Jam, the premier spring festival in the Rocky Mountains, continues like never before with two weekends of new-school ski and snowboard competitions, downtown concerts and late-night parties. Ski hard and play hard – you’re in Aspen.

8. CoverGirl Snow Angels Invitational

Victoria’s Secret has nothing on these Angels. Aspen/Snowmass Mountain and Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler have teamed up to celebrate chicks who ride with the CoverGirl Snow Angels Invitational. This all-female event features the world’s best women doing more than just looking good, as they compete in a cutting-edge snowboard superpipe contest.

9. Ruggerfest

If you’re not ready to hit hard, get dirty in the scrum and slam your way down the pitch, then Ruggerfest isn’t for you. The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Club defends a forty-one-year tradition and their national title each year against hungry rugby teams from across the nation. This traditional European sport may be brutal, but finesse is prized on the pitch in Aspen and if you’re not a fan already, you’re sure to be one after you experience Ruggerfest.

10. Colorado Freeride Championships

Black diamond, double black diamond… this means nothing to the free ride competitors in the Colorado Freeride Championships. These dare-devils compete on the most rugged, steep, cliff-littered terrain of Snowmass on slopes that would make even the most experienced skier or rider shake in their boots.
The Colorado Freeride Championships (CFC) consists of entry-level events for beginners and the Championships for advanced skiers and snowboarders