Aspen Ideas Fest to host five-day virtual festival

The Aspen Institute’s Aspen Ideas Festival will host infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, musician David Byrne, Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and other luminaries in five days of free virtual events running June 28 to July 2.

Events will begin daily at 5 p.m. and run between an hour and 90 minutes.

“Much of the programming will engage directly with the defining events of this moment, including COVID-19 and the national outcry against systemic racism over the past week,” said an Institute spokesperson. “We’ll also touch on many areas you would usually expect from the Ideas Festival, including the arts, our economy, health and geopolitics.”

The in-person Ideas Fest and Aspen Ideas: Health events were canceled in March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The full virtual lineup is expected to be announced this week.