While there are more acres to ski in Vail than anywhere else in Colorado, there is plenty more to do in Vail than just snowboard. Great places to eat, hot tub, and a vibrant but relaxed nightlife. Better still, there are events in vail all winter–all year, too. Here are some of the best events that happen during the ski season.
2014-15 Vail Events List
We are in the process of updating this list for the current season. Some of the events have been updated. Not all. Bear with us.
Minetti Quartet–February 19, 2014–Vilar Center, Beaver Creek. The Minetti Quartet is a classic string quartet of young men and women from Austria. They are quite the musical sensation in Europe and not to be missed. If you’re into this sort of thing. www.minettiquartett.at
The Ten Tenors: Broadway’s Greatest Hits–February 26, 2014–Vilar Center, Beaver Creek. This is a limited run opportunity of (obviously) some of Broadway’s Greatest Hits, sung by ten of the hottest tenors in Australia who have been called some of the “hardest working touring acts around today.” They average 250 shows a year and have sold more than 3.5 million concert tickets, not to mention four gold and two platinum CDs. It’s a special treat to have them in Vail this year, and a nice addition to the Vail Winter Events List.
Burton U.S. Open–March 3-8, 2014–This is the second annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI and it is back again at Vail. Some of the best riders in the world will compete for honors in Slopestyle and Halfpipe. Plus, there will be great musical acts all week long, activities for kids, and more. www.burton.com/USO for the complete schedule.
Haifa Symphony Orchestra–March 6, 2014–Vilar Center, Beaver Creek. Their site is so unbelievably slow that we just couldn’t get much information from it without going circus-freak crazy. But from what little we got, this sounds like a long-standing (began in 1950) symphony orchestra from Haifa, on the Northern coast of Israel. The conductor seemed world-renowned, but we couldn’t find his name. Here is their site, if you have all day: www.haifasymphony.co.il
Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo–March 18, 2014–Vilar Center, Beaver Creek. From esteemed General Director Eugene McDougle and Ballet Master Paul Ghiselin. They will be performing all over Sweden for the three weeks previous to heading to the US Southwest and Colorado, with four performances in Colorado. As thrilling as ballet can be. www.trockadero.org
Midtown Men–March 21, 2014–Vilar Center, Beaver Creek. A broadway hit that has gone on the road. Come enjoy. themidtownmen.com
Rhapsody in Blue: Lasser, Debussy, Gershwin, with the Boulder Philharmonic–March 24, 2014–Vilar Center, Beaver Creek. Chart-topping recording artist Simone Dinnerstein joins the Boulder Phil for not one, but two, concertos: George Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue and the Colorado premiere of Phillip Lasser’s Piano Concerto, written especially for Dinnerstein. Claude Debussy’s La Mer (“The Sea”) and Steve Heitzeg’s Ghosts of the Grasslands complement Lasser’s French-American heritage.
Vail Film Festival–March 27-30, 2014–The Vail Film Festival has been a mainstay in Vail–and the mountain film community for a long time. in 2007, MovieMaker Magazine named this festival as one of the Top Ten Best Destination Film Festivals anywhere in the world. With new independent features–like DRINKING BUDDIES staring Olivia Wilde and Anna Kendrick–as well as some of the most spectacular skiing films and documentaries. This is Sundance without the crowds. Come check out some of the films, attend VIP parties, or watch panel discussions from some of the industry’s best. For this year’s programming, go here: www.vailfilmfestival.com
Taste of Vail Food & Wine Festival–April 8-11, 2015–Rated among the top food and wine festivals by outlets such as USA Today, Forbes.com and Travel ChannelTaste of Vail is like no other, with a backdrop like no other. If you haven’t before, you should. This is the 25th year of this event, featuring a Colorado Lamb Cook-off and a Mountaintop Picnic. For more information, visit www.tasteofvail.com
Pink Vail–April 5, 2014–This is the world’s biggest ski day to conquer Cancer. It’s a lot of fun, and we hope we don’t need to tell you that it’s for a worthy cause. If you want to be an awesom person and volunteer, email Christine: christine.albertson@vvmc.com http://www.shawcancercenter.com/shaw-events-outreach/pink-vail.aspx
Free Outdoor Concerts–April 11-12, 2014. Not sure what yet, they haven’t been announced.
World Pond Skimming Championships & Free Outdoor Concert–April 20, 2014. You don’t want to miss this which takes place on the closing day at Vail, which is all at the same time the worst day at Vail, but also a pretty good day, too. It’s like that chocolate that is both bitter and sweet.