Mark your calendars! Aspen’s winter lineup offers something for everyone
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The Aspen Chamber Resort Association’s recommended lineup of things to do this winter in Aspen make it the ultimate winter destination for visitors and residents.
Wintersköl
Wintersköl will celebrate 74 years this Dec. 11-14 with its annual “toast to winter.” The tradition dates back to January 1951, according to a press release, “when locals chose to commemorate Aspen’s distinctive mountain way of life with a diverse weekend of events.”
The multi-day festival will feature on-mountain activities, snow sculptures, a soup contest, a beer festival, live music, a bonfire, and a torchlight descent and fireworks on Aspen Mountain.
Aspen Gay Ski Week
This will be the 49th year of Aspen Gay Ski Week, the oldest annual, week-long LGBTQ+ ski event in the nation — an annual fundraising event for AspenOUT, a local nonprofit and 501(c)(3) organization focused on inclusivity within the valley. AspenOUT has been producing this event since 1996, with the aim of funding local programs and supporting national organizations that fit its mission.
This year’s event takes place Jan. 11-18, 2026.
World-class competitions
Aspen Snowmass will once again host the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, X Games Aspen, and the second annual Snow League — all taking place at Buttermilk.
“Together, these events cement Aspen Snowmass as the epicenter of park and halfpipe competition and bring an unmatched blend of athletic achievement, live music, and vibrant festival energy to the heart of winter,” a press release reads.
The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix brings world-class slopestyle and halfpipe competition to the mountain Jan. 7-10, 2026. The official naming of the 2026 U.S. Olympic Ski & Snowboard Team will follow shortly thereafter.
X Games Aspen returns to Buttermilk Jan. 23-25, 2026, celebrating 25 years in Aspen. It will feature elite athletes, live music, and on-mountain entertainment.
And back by popular demand after its 2025 debut, The Snow League will be returning Feb. 27-28, 2026, with team-based, head-to-head heats and high-impact format.
Palm Tree Music Festival
The Palm Tree Music Festival will be a two-day outdoor event in the heart of Aspen Feb. 20-21, 2026, featuring Kygo, Calvin Harris, and more.
Wheeler Opera House shows
The Wheeler Opera House has announced a “dazzling lineup” of fall and holiday performances as part of its 2025 Wheeler Presents series. This season will feature a full-tilt tribute to Bruce Springsteen from Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band, and a New Year’s Eve celebration with Jen Kramer, Las Vegas’s award-winning illusionist.
“From the vibrant storytelling of Mountainfilm on Tour to the soulful sounds of Iris DeMent and the ABBA joy of Arrival from Sweden, the Wheeler continues to be Aspen’s home for unforgettable experiences,” a press release states.
John Mulaney will also kick off the new year with a special two-show engagement.
Free tours of Sculpting the Environment
The Aspen Institute is hosting free, hour-long tours of the exhibition “Sculpting the Environment” (on display until April 18, 2026) at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 3 p.m. Saturdays. Tour-goers will have the opportunity to learn more about “Bayer’s relationship with the landscape and his particular fondness for Aspen, where he was given free rein to sculpt the Aspen Meadows into a gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art,” a press release states.
To learn about more and register, visit aspeninstitute.org.
10 Days of Toklat Winter Celebration
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies will host the 10 Days of Toklat Winter Celebration at ACES’ Catto Center at Toklat this December. Each afternoon from Dec. 21-Dec. 30, visitors are invited to warm up with hot beverages, indulge in snacks, and share in the history and spirit of Toklat.
Challenge Aspen activities
Challenge Aspen provides year-round adaptive recreation and social opportunities for local adults, teens, and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities — winter activities will include skiing and Nordic skiing.
“With highly subsidized rates and available scholarships, Challenge Aspen ensures accessibility for all participants,” the press release reads.
Challenge Aspen will also host the Limitless Mountain Challenge on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Aspen Film screenings
This winter, Aspen Film will host a variety of specially curated screening events and collaborations leading up to its 34th Annual Shortsfest. Monthly Indie Showcase screenings at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre will kick off Dec. 4 to “celebrate some of the best in documentary, art-house, and global cinema.” Those screenings are free for members.
Aspen Film will also present Science on Screen in January, a unique film series that allows audiences to experience the intersection of film and science on the big screen. As part of each screening event, expert guest speakers will present on timely scientific topics.
Radical Wednesdays return in February with a series of “beloved retro ski + throwback winter sports films.” View the full Aspen Film winter schedule at aspenfilm.org.
DanceAspen programming
Aspen’s newest and only resident dance company, DanceAspen, will continue to bring high-caliber performing arts to the Roaring Fork Valley.
Comprised of eight local dancers from around the globe, a press release states, “DanceAspen brings power, grace, physicality, and emotion to the stage.” This winter, visitors and residents alike can attend “In Progress” at TACAW Nov. 14, Jan. 9, and Jan. 29, “A Snowy Soiree” at the Wheeler Opera House Dec. 22, and “re:imagine” Feb. 20, 21, and 22.
The full schedule is available at dance-aspen.org.
Winter yurt experiences
Both Angelo’s and Duemani restaurants will offer winter yurt experiences even earlier this year, the press release confirms.
At Angelo’s, Tuscan cuisine meets modern elegance, while at Duemani, the Mediterranean seafood restaurant transports Aspenites to the coasts of Italy, Greece, Spain, Morocco, and France.
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Mark your calendars! Aspen’s winter lineup offers something for everyone
The Aspen Chamber Resort Association’s recommended lineup of things to do this winter in Aspen make it the ultimate winter destination for visitors and residents.
