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A Vail weekend looks different in every season. Summer brings the Sunday farmers' market, festivals at the Ford Amphitheater and both gondolas. Fall is short: Oktoberfest and the last markets. Winter starts when the mountain opens, planned for November 13 in 2026, and spring is quiet until Taste of Vail in April. Festival dates change every year, so each one below carries the year it applies to. For a specific Saturday, the town's official calendar is the place to look.
The calendar to check first
Discover Vail's events calendar filters by date, by category (music, family, outdoors, dining) and by free events. Concerts at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater are announced show by show, so look at the individual dates rather than assuming a weekly pattern.
Summer weekends, June to early September
- Vail Farmers' Market and Art Show. Sundays on East Meadow Drive in Vail Village, from mid-June to early October, with more than 150 vendors selling produce, prepared foods, crafts and art. The 2026 season runs June 14 to October 4, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A smaller Thursday Meadow Market runs Thursday afternoons at the International Bridge until mid-September. Details are on the Vail Farmers Market listing.
- Festivals. The GoPro Mountain Games fill the first weekend of June (June 4 to 7 in 2026). Bravo! Vail's orchestral season runs from late June to early August (June 25 to August 6 in 2026). The Vail Dance Festival follows, with performances from July 31 to August 10 in 2026, most of them at the Ford Amphitheater.
- Gondola and Epic Discovery. Both gondolas carry sightseers, hikers and bikers in summer. Epic Discovery, the mountaintop activity area at Eagle's Nest, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Labor Day weekend and then Friday to Sunday in September; see the Epic Discovery listing. In 2026, gondola service drops to Friday through Sunday from September 11 and ends on September 27.
- Trails. The Gore Valley Trail is a paved shared path along Gore Creek, from the villages toward East Vail, and the easiest walk in town. The Berry Picker Trail is the opposite: it starts at the base of the Lionshead gondola and climbs 3.1 miles one way, about 2,200 feet, and is rated advanced (Berry Picker guide). Booth Falls is also advanced, and there is no parking at its trailhead, so read the hiking guide before driving out.
Late summer and fall weekends
Labor Day weekend belongs to the Vail Jazz Festival (September 4 to 6 in 2026). Vail Oktoberfest follows across two September weekends, Lionshead Village first and Vail Village second, with free entry, music, contests and beer tents; in 2026 the dates were September 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 (Oktoberfest guide). The Sunday market runs into the first weekend of October. The October guide covers the rest of the month.
Winter weekends
Everything starts with opening day, planned for Friday, November 13 in 2026 and dependent on snow (when Vail opens). From then until January 3, Vail Après fills the villages with events, many of them free. The 2026-27 schedule includes:
- Stoke Sessions, free live music at Checkpoint Charlie in Vail Village, 4 to 7 p.m. on Fridays November 13 and 20 and December 4.
- A Silent Disco in Lionshead on Wednesdays from November 18 to December 30, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Free 15-minute elite skating shows at the Arrabelle rink in Lionshead and the Solaris Plaza rink in Vail Village, on November 27 and then Saturdays from December 5 to January 2, at 4:45 p.m.
- Kringle Crossing, a small holiday village with chalets in both villages, from mid-November to early January.
Outdoor skating at the Alderhof rink at Arrabelle at Vail Square in Lionshead and at Solaris Plaza in Vail Village runs from about November to April, with skate rentals on site. The indoor Dobson Ice Arena in Lionshead is reopening in November 2026 after a renovation. For December specifically, see what to do in Vail in December.
Spring weekends
Spring is the quietest stretch. Taste of Vail is held every April, on and off the mountain, and the Mountain Games return in early June. Month-specific ideas are in things to do in Vail in April and Memorial Day weekend.
Getting around and eating out
The Town of Vail's buses are free year-round; the summer 2026 schedule runs from June 8 to mid-December. Pets other than trained service animals are not allowed on the buses, and bikes are not allowed on the in-town buses. For parking on a busy weekend, see where to park at Vail.
Two village restaurants suit a weekend night: Sweet Basil, at 193 Gore Creek Drive, serves New American dinners, with lunch Wednesday to Sunday, and Vendetta's, at 291 Bridge Street, is an Italian restaurant and pizza bar whose bar stays open late. More options by area are in the nightlife directory, the evening guide and the restaurant directory. Tables fill early on festival weekends.
Between meals, Viator lists Alley Kat Adventures’ Vail Venture scavenger hunt, led by a remote host who sends you clues around the villages.
