5 Can't-Miss Aspen Events To Add To Your Social Calendar This Winter

Calling all party people. Here are the see and be seen events on the docket this winter.

Dusk settles over Aspen, ready for another night of fun.

1. From Dec. 19 to 31, downtown Aspen is transformed into a winter wonderland with everything from ice skating and holiday treats to carolers. The 12 Days of Aspen celebration concludes with a fireworks extravaganza over Aspen Mountain.

2. Held in January each year, Aspen Gay Ski Week is the country's longest-running gay ski week, Jan. 17 to 24. Because of the pandemic, however, there are no large events this season—but the organization is offering discounts on lift tickets, rentals and hotel bookings that will help fundraise for AspenOUT.

3. Aspen’s biggest party returns to Buttermilk Mountain Jan. 28 to 31 for four days of intense competition. Kids and adults catch the thrill of watching more than 200 world- class action-sports athletes vie for coveted medals and prize money in freestyle snowboarding, skiing and snowmobiling. The ESPN Winter X Games is coupled with concerts—Alesso, Bazzi, Rae Sremmurd—and interactive exhibits at the base area.

Winter in Aspen means slopes for every skill level.

4. The seventh annual Ascendigo Blue Aspen benefit will take place Feb. 15. Hosted at Hotel Jerome during the height of Aspen’s winter season over the busy Presidents Day weekend, the gala is the signature fundraising event of Ascendigo. The mission is to raise both awareness and much-needed funds to assist families and children on the autism spectrum in the Roaring Fork Valley and Western Colorado communities.

5. For Aspen Laugh Festival’s 11th year, the Wheeler Opera House produces its own comedy festival, focusing on the best and brightest—and funniest—comedians in stand-up. The Wheeler has been the place for comedy in Aspen for almost 20 years. It served as a principal venue for the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival for its 13-year run in Aspen and has since established itself on the comedic map.

Editor’s Note: Due to COVID-19, some of the dates for Aspen area events couldn’t be confirmed by press time; please be sure to check the organization’s website for details.