Very poorly run and organized in my opinion. Music was great so that's a positive. Venue is beautiful but poorly set up to maximize viewing and the large audience. read more

We went to this festival excited to see Brandi Carlile. Of course Aspen Snowmass is a beautiful setting but it is not a venue for a concert; it's flat field and you have to stand the entire time to see the performance. Most of the crowd around us were not there for a concert they were there to party. No consideration for others around them. Talking loudly and having a good time. Unaware of how their behavior was spoiling the concert for others. Not a good experience if you're looking for a concert; great if you want to hang out and party but you could do that in a honky tonk. read more

To be fair, I'm comparing my experience at Jazz at Aspen to Telluride Bluegrass,which I prefer by a wide margin. Some Pros: -4 hours from Denver (versus 6 to Telluride) -Tickets are Reasonable ($200 for 6 bands over 3 days) -Something for Everyone (Steve Miller Band, Mumford and Sons, Michael Franti and Kid Rock were the big namesake there were other wonderful and less widely known bands like Trombone Shorty) -Decent Food(BBQ, Creole and Indian to name a few genres) Some Cons:: -Lack of Identity as a Tradeoff for Wide Variety of Music(versus Telluride where bluegrass prevails with a few more mainstream acts thrown in) -Festival Prices for Food and Beverage (i.e. $6 for Coors) -Not Much to the Festival Other Than Music/Few Food Vendors Going to have to agree with the previous poster who mention that the organizers have this festival dialed. Cleanest outdoor ahem...facilities ever, fast lines, many shuttles, speedy ticket takers. Also agree that the website make certain rules seem strictly enforced (no cameras, no outside food or beverage, etc) but they seemed less so inside and all those working for the festival were pleasant. 2 tips: That sundress that looked adorable in the 3pm heat will leave you shivering around 5 when the sun goes down. Bring layers! If you have to leave before the very last song is played for any reason (We left during the middle of the last song of the Mumford and Sons encore.) you will be able to see/hear perfectly (and perhaps better than inside the festival) as you wait in the bus line. All in all a solid festival. Will be back for the last night tomorrow and likely next year as well. read more

This is such a sweet little music festival. In addition to being affordable ticket-wise, everything else here just seems to go smoothly. Quick moving lines, fast bag checkers, short portapotty waits, multiple free water stands (you can bring in empty bottles to fill up) and separate wristbands for the bars that prevent you from having to dig out your ID each time. Hotels and transportation are very cheap in Aspen during the off season, even on this holiday weekend. I can't wait to go back! The lineup is quite varied, though there are some snoozers. Last year's old fogies like Lynyrd Skynyrd kept me away, and Steely Dan this year was no better, but every other band made up for it. There is something for everyone (for example this year Thievery Corp, Girl Talk, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Michael Franti, Fitz and the Tantrums, Ryan Bingham, Porter Robinson and the Zac Brown Band), being three stages and all - one of which was electronic music and strangely always surrounded by children breakdancing and tossing beach balls. You can bring low chairs (under 6") like Crazy Creeks and in our experience, plenty of booze if you're smart about it but don't quote me on that. The long food lines were the only annoyance but there was a wide variety including plenty of veg/vegan options. We got free crappy Bud Light coozies here a few years ago, but this year Skinceuticals was handing out sunscreen each day from two tents, skincare samples AND fancy schmancy neoprene stitched coozies that actually listed the year's lineup and playtimes. Freaking genius and a lovely souvenir to take home (all 10 of them we ended up with over 3 days). And FREE. There was a free photobooth that uploaded pics right to Facebook with a pretty backdrop of the stage, very cool. I love that the late headliners aren't that late (9pm Friday and 7pm Sat/Sun) because there is so much else to see and do in Aspen/Snowmass that I like to tuck in early. Okay I always like to tuck in early. Free shuttles cart you to the stages from pretty much anywhere in Aspen or Snowmass and you can even bring food and open containers (like keg cups) on board. Did I mention free? It's super relaxed and super fun. If only they could fix the traffic jam coming home on Monday... read more