12 Days of Aspen
Cultural Family Friendly Aspen Central Core
Celebrate the last 12 days of December during 12 Days of Aspen. Each day, enjoy fun, free, and family-friendly activities. 12 Days of Aspen activities include performances by carolers, photo ops with Santa, holiday crafts, film screenings, live music, cookie decorating, storytime for kids, and more. On New Year’s Eve, check out the torchlight parade and New Year’s Eve fireworks at the base of Aspen Mountain.
Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House
Cultural Family Friendly Snowmass Village Owl Creek
A festive community event that gets everyone in the holiday spirit, the annual Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House is a great opportunity to view and purchase artwork by Anderson Ranch artists-in-residence and faculty, tour the beautiful Ranch grounds, and meet fellow art lovers. During the Holiday Open House, the studios are open to all visitors, offering a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse at the art-making process.
Each art-making method has its own large studio space, so from building to building, visitors are immersed in the world of photography, then painting and printing, and then ceramics and sculpture and woodworking.
As the Holiday Open House is usually held in mid-December, the event is the perfect opportunity to do a little holiday shopping, as well as to support local, national, and international artists. Most, if not all, of the artworks on display in each of the studios is for sale. Oftentimes, the artists are in their studio to discuss their work with visitors and interested buyers.
In addition to each of the studios, Anderson Ranch also has a gallery space, so be sure to swing by the gallery building, which is located near the parking lot.
After touring the campus, head over to the Ranch Café for a casual holiday dinner. Enjoy a delicious meal, and chat about all of the incredible artwork that you just saw.
Anderson Ranch is a beautiful place any time of the year, but is especially so during the holiday season. Make the most of this special time of the year by attending the Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House.
For more information on the Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House and other local events, contact Alpine Property. We can also assist you with booking a Snowmass vacation rental. Call Alpine Property at 1-800-543-0839, or send us an email.
Photo: Snowmass Tourism
Free Snowmass Summer Concerts
Cultural Family Friendly Nightlife Outdoor Snowmass Village Slopeside Mall
The free Snowmass summer concerts on Fanny Hill are held on Thursdays during the summer season. Fanny Hill is an amphitheater venue at 8500 feet with a 4000 person capacity. Each week, a new band performs a free, outdoor concert, and musicians range from rock 'n' roll to funk to R&B to country. Check out one or all of these free concerts, since there's nothing like spending a beautiful summer evening on Fanny Hill, listening to live music. The Snowmass free summer concerts welcome new names each summer, so you're guaranteed to discover a favorite, new band year after year.
Concerts are held on the Fanny Hill Concert Stage at the end of the Snowmass Mall. We recommend taking the free RFTA bus service from Aspen and the Intercept Lot, or the free Village Shuttle service throughout Snowmass. It is best to get off at the Snowmass Mall stop.
Schneetag
Family Friendly Outdoor Snowmass Village
What better way to close out the end of a spectacular ski season than by watching, or participating in, an outrageous on-mountain event involving DIY watercraft and a pond? Schneetag, which is German for "snow day", has become a popular closing day activity on Snowmass Mountain. The activity involves teams barreling down a run on Snowmass Mountain in a homemade watercraft. Sometimes, these fun DIY watercraft make it over the pond, but there are also times when engineering fails the participants, and leaves them swimming their way out of a chilly man-made pond. Check out Schneetag during all of the Snowmass Mountain closing day festivities!
Snowmass Balloon Festival
Family Friendly Snowmass Village
Held in September when the weather is perfect for soaring above the Rocky Mountains in a hot air balloon, the Snowmass Balloon Festival is three days of hot air balloon shows, races, an outdoor barbecue, and live music. Balloonists from all over the Rocky Mountain region come to Snowmass to participate in the festival each year, with some of these balloonists having showcased their brightly-colored hot air balloons in the festival for decades. The Snowmass Balloon Festival takes advantage of the beauty of a fleet of gem-colored hot air balloons as they take flight in the early morning hours, and catch the light of the rising sun. Snowmass Balloon Festival events are also held under the cover of darkness when the hot air balloons light up like enormous lanterns in the night sky. Attend the Snowmass Balloon Festival, and delight in the incredible sight of hot air balloons floating high above the surrounding mountains.
Wintersköl
Cultural Family Friendly Aspen Central Core
Wintersköl is a unique Aspen celebration of winter that began in 1951. This nordic festival includes a canine fashion show, a snow sculpting competition called Wintersculpt, a torchlight parade, fireworks show on Aspen Mountain, and lots of other activities and events happening around town.
