Memorial Day weekend falls before Vail's summer season starts, which changes what to plan around. In 2026 the scenic gondolas did not open until June 12 and June 19, the Sunday farmers' market began in mid-June, and paid summer parking started on May 29, four days after the holiday. What is on that weekend is the Vail Comedy Festival, early-season golf, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, lower-elevation trails and a public ceremony in Edwards. Memorial Day 2027 is May 31, and the Comedy Festival is set for May 29 to 31.
What is not running on Memorial Day weekend
| Activity | Timing |
|---|---|
| Scenic gondolas | Vail Mountain's 2026 summer season ran June 12 to September 27. Gondola One opened June 12 and the Eagle Bahn Gondola June 19. Memorial Day was May 25 that year. |
| Epic Discovery and Adventure Ridge | Reached from the Eagle Bahn Gondola, so it cannot open before that gondola does (June 19 in 2026). |
| Vail Farmers' Market and Art Show | Every Sunday from mid-June through early October. |
| Summer parking rates | Paid parking in the Town of Vail's structures and outlying lots began Friday, May 29, 2026. From that date the Vail Village and Lionshead structures charged nothing under an hour, $2 for one to two hours and up to $10 for five hours or more, with free entry after 3 pm. |
What is on
Vail Comedy Festival
The festival takes over Vail Village on Memorial Day weekend. The 2026 edition, May 22 to 24, sold out with more than 20 events across comedy, film and magic, and the 2027 festival is May 29 to 31. Pass-holder events are within a short walk of the covered bridge, and free family entertainment returns in 2027. The events are spread across seven venues in the villages. Because the festival sells out, buy passes early.
Golf at Vail Golf Club
The Vail Recreation District opened early-season golf on May 15 in 2026, well before the holiday, at $68 for a guest to walk 18 holes. Conditions and rates change yearly; see the Vail Golf Club listing and the Vail Golf Club rates guide.
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
The outdoor gardens in Ford Park, at 8,200 feet, are open daily from dawn to dusk and the Education Center from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free, with a $20 suggested donation per person. Betty Ford Alpine Gardens posts a Top Ten Blooms list each week showing what is flowering.
Lower trails, and trails to skip
Discover Vail's hiking season runs May through November, but snowpack at higher elevations varies, so stop at a Welcome Center for current conditions. The paved Gore Creek Recreation Trail is rated easy and runs 12 miles in total. Higher routes such as the Berry Picker Trail, a 3.2-mile climb from Vail Village or Lionshead to Eagle's Nest, depend on how much snow remains. The guide to hiking in Vail gives distances and difficulty for other trails.
In East Vail, late spring is when bighorn sheep lambs are small and easily separated from their mothers. In a May 2022 notice the Town of Vail, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Forest Service asked hikers to skip the Booth Lake and Pitkin trails until June 6, keep dogs leashed and choose the lower Bighorn and Gore trails when they are not muddy. There is no parking at the Booth Lake trailhead from May 31 or in the surrounding neighborhood, and East Vail buses run from 6 am with 15-minute service to trailhead stops including Booth Falls and Main Gore/Bighorn.
Whitewater races on Gore Creek
The Vail Recreation District runs a Tuesday-evening whitewater race series through Vail Village in spring. In 2026 it held five races from April 28 to May 26, all at 5 pm, and confirmed the May 26 race only the day before because creek flows were high enough. Dates depend on the year's runoff, so check the district's page.
Memorial Day observance
Eagle County holds an annual public Memorial Day ceremony at Freedom Park in Edwards, at the flagpole plaza on Miller Ranch Road near I-70 exit 163. In 2026 it took place Monday, May 25 at 3 pm, conducted by the Freedom Park Memorial Committee and VFW Post 10721, with a color guard and a reading of the names of Eagle County service members and emergency responders who died in the line of duty. County offices were closed that day.
Eating out and weather
Many Vail restaurants, bars and nightlife spots close for part or all of the off-season, so call ahead and book early. Discover Vail updates its spring restaurant guide weekly; use it for the weekend you plan to visit rather than assuming patios are open. Wintry weather is possible even in May, so pack layers. For a broader picture of the month, see what to do in Vail in May, and for the season that follows, things to do in Vail in summer.
