Updated September 2026
Aspen's winter calendar runs well beyond the ski slopes. Between early December and mid-February, the season packs in festivals, competitions, and performances that give visitors a reason to plan a trip around something other than lift tickets. The ten events below are the season's recurring anchors, the ones that return year after year and shape the rhythm of a winter in Aspen for residents and visitors both. Dates shift slightly from year to year, so confirming the current season's exact schedule before booking travel is always worth the extra step.
Event | Approximate Timing |
|---|---|
Wintersköl | Early-to-mid December |
World Snow Polo Championships | Mid-December |
Holiday Tree Lighting & Downtown Shopping | Late November through December |
Winter Season at the Wheeler Opera House | December |
New Year's Eve Torchlight Descent & Fireworks | December 31 |
Ullr Nights | Select evenings in January |
Aspen Gay Ski Week | January 17-24, 2027 |
X Games Aspen | Late January |
Aspen Winter Words | January-February |
Full Moon Snowshoe & Ski Tours | Scattered through winter, tied to the lunar calendar |
1. Wintersköl
Wintersköl kicks off the winter events calendar in early-to-mid December with a four-day celebration spanning Aspen and Snowmass. Expect torchlight descents, live music, bonfires, fireworks, and elaborate snow sculptures scattered across both towns. It's the closest thing Aspen has to an official opening ceremony for the ski season.
2. World Snow Polo Championships
Mid-December brings the World Snow Polo Championships to town, drawing professional polo players and a well-known crowd of spectators to watch matches played directly on snow. The event has run for over a decade and pairs high-level competition with the kind of après-match social scene Aspen is known for.
3. Holiday Tree Lighting and Downtown Shopping
Downtown Aspen's holiday season kicks off with tree lighting festivities and an extended stretch of evening shopping hours through the following weeks. It's a low-key, walkable way to spend an evening downtown, and it pairs naturally with the best spots for holiday shopping in Aspen for visitors looking to combine the two.
4. Winter Season at the Wheeler Opera House
The historic Wheeler Opera House runs its own holiday programming throughout December, mixing family stage productions, film screenings, and live music into a lineup that changes year to year. For a closer look at what to expect from a given season, see the full guide to winter events at the Wheeler.
5. New Year's Eve Torchlight Descent and Fireworks
Aspen Mountain and Snowmass both close out the year with torchlight ski descents followed by fireworks displays, one of the most reliably crowded nights of the entire season downtown. Arriving early for a good viewing spot is standard practice among locals who do this every year.
6. Ullr Nights
Named for the Norse god of snow, Ullr Nights runs on select January evenings at Snowmass Base Village, combining gondola rides, tubing, the alpine coaster, and a community bonfire into one event. For more on this and other outdoor activities through the season, see the full guide to getting outside in Aspen this winter.
7. Aspen Gay Ski Week
Aspen Gay Ski Week is the nation's oldest annual LGBTQ+ ski event, and the 2027 edition, running January 17 through 24, marks its 50th anniversary with a "Golden Jubilee" celebration. The week mixes on-mountain group ski days with a full slate of parties and social events downtown.
8. X Games Aspen
X Games Aspen returns to Buttermilk for its 26th consecutive year in 2027, typically held in late January, with specific dates confirmed closer to the season. Aspen Snowmass and X Games have extended their partnership through the 2028-29 season, so this event remains a fixture of the winter calendar for the foreseeable future. Expect free public access to most competitions alongside concerts and sponsor activations at the base area.
9. Aspen Winter Words
The Aspen Institute's Winter Words author series brings well-known writers to town for readings and conversations through January and February, a lower-key counterpoint to the more athletic events dominating the rest of the calendar. It's a reliable pick for visitors looking for an evening indoors that doesn't involve a ski boot.
10. Full Moon Snowshoe and Ski Tours
Guided full moon tours, often run out of Ashcroft and through the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, offer a quieter alternative to the season's bigger events. These outings pair well with the broader list of winter outdoor activities in Aspen for visitors who want at least one evening away from crowds.
Main Takeaway: Aspen's winter calendar has real structure to it, from Wintersköl's early-December kickoff through Winter Words in February. Building a trip around two or three of these events, rather than just ski days, gives a much fuller sense of what the season here actually feels like.
A winter spent bouncing between these events is often what convinces visitors to start looking seriously at what it would take to spend more time in Aspen. Carrie Wells has helped families turn winter trips into second homes across the valley for more than three decades. Reach out to start that conversation.
