Downtown Aspen's off-season ends on two separate schedules. The parking meters run on the calendar, so peak pricing returns on Dec. 1. The restaurants reopen on their own dates. Those run from Nov. 8 to Dec. 12, and the biggest new room downtown is aiming for New Year's Eve. The last November weekend falls between the two. Ski season has started, most of the core's kitchens are back, and street parking on Saturday and Sunday still costs nothing.
The Meter Runs on the Calendar
In February, the City of Aspen raised parking rates for the first time since 2018, effective Feb. 16, 2026. The schedule splits the year into two seasons. November is off season and December is peak. Every plate is limited to four hours a day in both seasons.
| Paid hour | Off season: Apr., May, Oct., Nov. | Peak: Dec., Jan.–Mar., June–Sept. |
|---|---|---|
| 10–10:59 a.m. | $3 | $5 |
| 11 a.m.–2:59 p.m. | $5 | $7 |
| 3–5:59 p.m. | $3 | $5 |
| Paid days | Monday–Friday | Monday–Saturday |
| Free days | Saturday and Sunday | Sunday |
Here's what that means for a four-hour stay from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On a November weekday it costs $18. The same four hours cost $26 on a weekday in December, and on a December Saturday. On a November Saturday it costs nothing. Under the same release, residential day passes are $9 Monday through Friday and free on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
There should be more curb space this month as well. Aspen's right-of-way season, when excavation or any other alteration in the public right of way can proceed, runs April 1 through Oct. 31. In an Aug. 17 report, Aspen Public Radio said construction reserved an average of 25.1 parking spaces a day in the downtown core in July 2026. The core has 682 spaces. A year earlier, the July average was 2.4. City infrastructure work accounted for about 18.1 of those daily spaces. Some of those projects involved replacing the city's electrical distribution cable, and this was the final year of that electrical work in the core.
Mayor Rachel Richards explained the trade-off to Aspen Public Radio: "I sometimes have to remind myself and other people that this is a real town, and when people have to fix the underground electric transformers, it's a disturbance and parking is lost."
Some private projects keep going. The RH Guesthouse at Monarch Street and Hyman Avenue, the RH Gallery at Galena Street and Cooper Avenue, and the Base Lodge hotel redevelopment at 730 E. Cooper Ave., the former Buckhorn Arms site, are all under way. The summer reports on them gave no completion dates.
What Stays Open in November
November parking is cheap, but downtown is at its thinnest. The Aspen Chamber's fall dining guide, published Oct. 22, lists most of the closures in the core. Kenichi closed Oct. 26 with no reopening date listed. Spring Café closes Oct. 31 and reopens Nov. 11. Paradise Bakery closes Nov. 2 and reopens Nov. 8, and Aspen Brewing Company closes Nov. 9 and reopens Nov. 17.
eatAspen's off-season guide lists these as open all off season:
- Aspen Public House
- Campo de Fiori
- CP Burger
- Crepe Therapy Cafe
- Matsuhisa, where the upstairs room is closed from Oct. 6 until Dec. 11, with a Monday exception
The Chamber guide lists many more places as simply "Open," including Acquolina, Brunelleschi's, Butcher's Block, Clark's Oyster Bar, Explore Books & Coffee, Jimoto, JUS, Little Ollie's, New York Pizza, Poppycock's, Sant Ambroeus and White House Tavern. It does not say whether that status holds through every week of November.
A few places have opened downtown since summer. Eddy's Marketplace at 315 E. Hyman Ave. is listed as a daily grab-and-go shop. Eddy's Kitchen, its kitchen and bar, is open Thursday through Monday. The Aspen Daily News reported in May that the Golden Horn was opening a gastropub and sports bar in the basement of its building on the Mill Street pedestrian mall. Owners Sam Hayes and John Bukac planned to open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Bukac described the menu as "approachable food and drink for the workhorses in town." For shopping, Déjà Nu, the upcycled luxury-goods brand run by founder Killeen Brettmann and her daughter Eryn, opened its first downtown location, Le Petit Salon, at 315 E. Hyman Ave. in September. The Aspen Times reported that the shop is open by appointment only through winter.
Reopening Dates, Nov. 8 to Dec. 12
Reopenings start in early November and pick up pace around opening day. These dates come from the Chamber's Oct. 22 guide unless noted.
- Nov. 8 to 17: Paradise Bakery on Nov. 8, Spring Café on Nov. 11 and Aspen Brewing Company on Nov. 17.
- Nov. 18: Yuki Aspen.
- Nov. 20: Three Little Nell rooms reopen together: Ajax Tavern, Element 47 and The Wine Bar.
- Nov. 21: Velvet Buck.
- Nov. 25: French Alpine Bistro, plus Petit Familia, the rooftop concept at MOLLIE Aspen. According to the Chamber's winter release, Petit Familia will serve Wednesday through Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m.
- Nov. 26: Aspen Mountain opens for the 2026-27 season on Thanksgiving Day. Bad Harriet at Hotel Jerome, Betula, Monarch and The Wild Fig reopen the same day.
- Dec. 4: Duemani.
- Dec. 9 to 12: Meat & Cheese on Dec. 9, BOSQ on Dec. 10, Cache Cache on Dec. 11 and PARC Aspen on Dec. 12.
Ellina's date depends on the source. The Chamber lists Dec. 9, while eatAspen's guide shows the closure ending Nov. 12.
By Thanksgiving, nearly all of the core is back. The meter is still on its off-season schedule for four more days. Saturday, Nov. 28, is the last free Saturday on the meter until April. That weekend comes after Aspen Mountain opens and after Ajax Tavern, Bad Harriet, Betula, Monarch and The Wild Fig have reopened. On Tuesday, Dec. 1, the meter switches to peak rates. Midday parking goes to $7 an hour and Saturdays become paid days, while Sundays stay free. Five more restaurants on the list above haven't reopened yet at that point.
December Fills Up Fast
Wintersköl overlaps the last reopenings. Aspen Snowmass lists the festival for Dec. 10 through 13, 2026, and the schedule is still being finalized. Events in the core and on Aspen Mountain so far:
- Thursday, Dec. 10: The Icebreaker Bash at the JAS Center Aspen from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., then a free 7:30 p.m. screening of the 1993 film "Aspen Extreme" at the Wheeler Opera House.
- Friday, Dec. 11: Anderson Ranch Arts Center's KIDSCULPT on the Mill Street Mall from 9 a.m. to noon, and the AVSC Rail Jam on Aspen Mountain's Little Nell Run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Chamber's Wintersköl page also lists a drone show at Wagner Park.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: The beer festival, Soupsköl, a bonfire, and a torchlight descent with fireworks on Aspen Mountain. Aspen Snowmass is offering $80 lift tickets on Dec. 12 and 13 for its 80th anniversary.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: The Little Nell's tree lighting runs 5 to 7 p.m., with the ceremony at 5:30.
The year's biggest new opening downtown comes later. The Aspen Times reported that Guest House, a 220-seat restaurant and lounge, is aiming for a Dec. 31 opening at 415 E. Hyman Ave., the former Madame Ushi space. It's a partnership between Grammy-winning DJ Cedric Gervais and RDM Hospitality CEO Raj Kumar, who told the paper they want it to feel "distinctly Aspen." eatAspen also reports that Le Cafe will replace ZigZag in the former Mezzaluna space, but no opening date has been announced.
That puts the busiest weeks of downtown's year in the fully paid period. Wintersköl, the last of the reopenings and the Guest House debut all fall after Dec. 1, when the four-hour cap is still in place and Saturday parking is paid.
If you own in the core or are thinking about it, the off-season calendar matters as much as the address. It shapes what a lock-and-leave home is like in November and in December. Lex Tarumianz can walk you through the downtown buildings and blocks with this season in mind. Request a Confidential Consultation.
