2007 Summer Festivals in Aspen
Jazz & Classical Music, Food & Wine, Great Ideas & More
The chic ski resort of Aspen, Colorado, morphs into festival central as soon as June arrives in the Rocky Mountains. Mark your calendar with these key dates.
Hardly a summer weekend in Aspen passes by without some sort of fun (or thought-provoking) festival going on in this upscale mountain resort. Many beloved annual events have been taking place for decades. Here’s the lowdown on the town’s five most significant events:
June 15-17: The high summer season officially kicks off once the Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen gets underway in mid-June. Cooking demonstrations, food samples and lots of wine tastings take place under giant white tents in the heart of town. In-the-know foodies already have their passes for the 25th anniversary of this wildly popular event. The 2007 Classic, featuring appearances by Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay and Mario Batali, is sold out, but you can get on the waitlist in case available tickets to individual events become available.
June 21-August 19: The Aspen Music Festival, which brings world-renowned classical musicians to town to perform for nine weeks each summer, is in its 58th season. This year, the Festival’s theme is “Blue Notes,” taking a look at how Jazz has influenced classical music in conjunction with Jazz Aspen Snowmass (see below). Wynton Marsalis, opera singer Kathleen Battle and perennial favorite violinist Sarah Chang among many other musicians will make appearances. Listen to any concert for free simply by sitting on the lawn outside the Benedict Music Tent.
June 24-28: Aspen Summer Words, a writing retreat and literary festival organized by the Aspen Writers' Foundation, allows novice writers to interact with first-rate novelists, screenwriters and magazine editors in the morning, while the afternoon brings lectures and readings by established authors. This year, retreat faculty includes novelist Pam Houston, poet Dorianne Laux and screenwriter John Romano. The afternoon literary festival focuses on work by Africans, including Wole Soyinka and Leila Aboulela. Chair of Harvard’s African Studies Department Henry Louis Gates will moderate the panel discussions.
July 2-8: Like Food & Wine, multi-day passes for the Aspen Ideas Festival is already sold out, but visitors can be placed on a wait list. A festival infant, compared to some of the more longstanding annual events in town, the “Idea Fest,” sponsored by the Aspen Institute gathers scientists, politicians, environmentalists, authors, filmmakers and representatives from many other industries and field to basically get together and talk—in lectures, panel discussions, one-on-one interviews and debates. Program tracks run the gamut from “Global Dynamics” and “Media & Community” to “America’s Children” and “The State of the Environment.” Speakers and moderators this summer include CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, former Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein, Queen Noor of Jordan and Colin Powell.
August 31-September 3: The summer season comes to an end not with a whimper but with a bang with the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival—four days of live concerts in Snowmass Village (10 minutes from downtown Aspen), lots of food and drink, and plenty of good fun. The 2007 line-up hasn’t been announced yet, but past world-class acts have included Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Kenny Loggins, Willy Nelson and Widespread Panic.
For a full calendar of summer events visit the Aspen Chamber Resort Association’s website.
For more things to do during the glorious summer months in Aspen check out this article. If you’re making a budget-conscious trip, read these tips. And if you’re traveling to Aspen with children, you don’t want to miss this round-up of local summer camps.
