Ever hear about the Aspen Idea?  Modern-day founders, Walter and Elizabeth Paepke, instilled the idea of nurturing mind, body and spirit, in what is now known as the Aspen Idea.  Aspen brings the arts and culture of the big city to you sans the honking horns. 

Winter and summer calendars are chock full of events from the world renowned ballet and music for all tastes, to art openings and lectures by talented individuals from all over the world, and even some from our own backyard.  Since the summer of 1949 the Aspen Music Festival & School has supplied classical music to concert halls and quaint street corners alike. 

The Aspen Ideas Festival is a world-renowned gathering of some of the brightest and most innovative minds in the world, the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen has become an iconic Aspen event, Jazz Aspen Snowmass continues to draw the biggest acts in the music world, the Aspen Art Museum is a globally recognized leader in contemporary art, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet annually garners rave reviews, Theatre Aspen pulls the curtain on a terrific playbill every year; and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

A cultural "outpost" famed for its embrace of the arts, Aspen is a small town with big city cultural appeal. Click here for a full Calendar of Arts & Culture Events.

In 2013,  Aspen was awarded the Colorado Creative Industries Governor's Arts Award along with Pueblo, Colorado. The award recognizes excellence in the arts in your community. The below video was presented at the Awards Ceremony in April 2013, and was designed to showcase all the culture offerings that Aspen has.