Evenings at Ideas

Journalist Roundtable: Health Policy and the 2024 Election | $30

7:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Aspen Meadows

During a live podcast recording, health policy journalists talk about hot-button health issues and what they mean for the upcoming election, from the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion and prescription drug prices to reproductive rights, gender-affirming care and veterans’ health. As many as 15 states will consider abortion-related ballot initiatives and others have put funding for mental health services, firearms-related taxes and financing mechanisms for long-term care up for a vote.

Sandhya Raman, CQ Roll Call

Julie Rovner, KFF Health News

Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times

EVENINGS AT ASPEN IDEAS: HEALTH | $100

A discussion about the “Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence in Health,” plus dinner, drinks, live music, and book signings.

5:15 PM – 8 PM 

Aspen Meadows, Marble Garden and Doerr-Hosier Center

5:15 – 5:45 PM | Meet the Authors and Book Signings with authors Jerome Adams, Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Patric Gagne, Pooja Lakshmin, Lisa Mosconi 

5:15 – 7 PM | Dinner, Drinks, and Live Music at the Marble Garden

Ticket includes food and beverage. Enjoy listening to live music while trying creative cuisine from Aspen’s innovative food trucks. Sip JUSTIN Wines, Woody Creek Distillery cocktails, A Cut Above and RSRV non-alcoholic craft cocktails, and Gruvi non-alcoholic wines and beer. 

7 – 8 PM | Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence

AI is transforming health, with implications for early disease detection, diagnostic accuracy, medical decision making, precision surgery and personalized treatments. It can accelerate research, refine drug development, identify disease outbreaks and enhance remote patient monitoring. But efficiency is not a substitute for empathy, and AI cannot replicate the rapport between patients and providers.

Jodi Halpern, UC Berkeley

Shinjini Kundu, The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Peter Lee, Microsoft Research

Moderator: Jon LaPook, CBS News

EVENINGS AT ASPEN IDEAS: HEALTH | $100
A panel discussion asking, “Will Psychedelics Go Mainstream?” Plus dinner, drinks, live music, and book signings.

5:15 PM – 8 PM 

Aspen Meadows, Marble Garden and Doerr-Hosier Center

5:15 – 5:45 PM | Meet the Authors and Book Signings with authors Austin Chiang, Sloane Crosley, Renée Fleming, Sebastian Junger, Ernesto Londoño

5:15 – 7 PM | Dinner, Drinks, and Live Music at the Marble Garden

Ticket includes food and beverage. Enjoy listening to live music while trying creative cuisine from Aspen’s innovative food trucks. Sip complimentary JUSTIN Wines, Woody Creek Distillery cocktails, A Cut Above and RSRV non-alcoholic craft cocktails, and Gruvi non-alcoholic wines and beer.

7 – 8 PM | Will Psychedelics Go Mainstream?
Scientific investigation is laser focused on psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ease end-of-life anxiety and address mental health challenges, including addiction. The FDA has issued draft guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapy, but is unlikely to approve MDMA for use in PTSD care. The role of psychedelics in medicine is heightening public acceptance, but the emotional risks, abuse potential and concern for patient safety underscore the imperative of a more cautious, evidence-based approach.

Rebecca Brendel, American Psychiatric Association

Rick Doblin, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

Ernesto Londoño, Author

Moderator: Shayla Love, The Guardian

EVENINGS AT IDEAS | $200
A League of Your Own - Investing in Pro Sports, plus a performance by Son Little.

Alex Rodriguez, David Rubenstein, and Gregg Lemkau talk about the boom in sports investing, plus a performance by Son Little. Your Evenings at Ideas ticket includes dinner, drinks, book signings, a culinary conversation, the Aspen Ideas Evening session, and live “Music in the Garden.”

5:15 PM – 9 PM 

Aspen Meadows, Marble Garden and Doerr-Hosier Center 

5:15 – 6:45 PM | Dinner & Drinks
With your ticket purchase, enjoy creative global cuisine from Aspen’s innovative food trucks. Sip JUSTIN Wines, Graham + Fisk’s Wine-in-a-Can, and Free Spirits non-alcoholic craft cocktails. A cash bar with beer, wine, and cocktails will also be available.

5:15 – 5:45 PM | Meet the Author and Book Signing
Jonathan Blitzer, Author of “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis”

6 – 6:40 PM | Culinary Conversation & Tasting

Plant-based burgers have a long and checkered history, but Beyond Meat — driven by idealistic founder Ethan Brown, a Henry Crown Fellow — has changed perceptions, menus—and, most important, taste. In this session, Ethan serves up market knowledge, as well as samples of a brand-new, simple-ingredient burger with heart-friendly avocado oil.

Ethan Brown, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Beyond Meat

7 – 8 PM | A League of Your Own: Investing in Pro Sports
Two legends — a baseball superstar and a Wall Street titan — discuss how they are leveraging their passion for professional sports as a team stakeholder and an owner.

Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod Corp

David Rubenstein, The Carlyle Group

Moderator: Gregg Lemkau, BDT and MSD Partners

8 – 9 PM | Music in the Garden: Son Little
Aaron Earl Livingston - better known as Son Little - is known to “revolutionize the modern understanding and expectation of R&B sound.” He plays a solo set based on his latest album Like Neptune.

EVENINGS AT IDEAS | $200
Climate of Hope, a discussion with photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, plus a performance by Wildermiss.

Photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen discuss hope in conservation efforts around the world with Katie Couric, plus a performance by Wildermiss. Your Evenings at Ideas ticket includes dinner, drinks, book signings, a culinary conversation, the Aspen Ideas Evening session, and live “Music in the Garden.”

5:15 PM – 9 PM 

Aspen Meadows, Marble Garden and Doerr-Hosier Center 

5:15 – 6:45 PM | Dinner & Drinks
With your ticket purchase, enjoy creative global cuisine from Aspen’s innovative food trucks. Sip JUSTIN Wines, Graham + Fisk’s Wine-in-a-Can, and Free Spirits non-alcoholic craft cocktails. A cash bar with beer, wine, and cocktails will also be available.

5:15 – 5:45 PM | Meet the Author and Book Signings
Griffin Dunne, “The Friday Afternoon Club”
Adam Gopnik, “The Real Work: On Mystery and Mastery” and “All That Happiness Is”

6 – 6:40 PM | Culinary Conversation & Tasting
As traditional restaurants struggle, Reverence NYC is flourishing as a Black-owned, tasting-menu restaurant with a “Harlem for Harlem” ethos. Its food is legendary, and its chef has become a voice for restaurant owners and workers. Chef Jackson will share a wild rice dish — a delicious part of his quest for zero food waste — from his new Cali x Reverence restaurant.
Chef Russell Jackson, Reverence, New York City

7 – 8 PM | Climate of Hope

Amid the stark realities of our planet's degradation, there are bright glimmers of hope in conservation efforts around the world. Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier use masterful storytelling and breathtaking imagery to show audiences a future where humanity works in harmony with nature to preserve our planet for future generations.

Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, photographers
Moderator: Katie Couric, journalist

8 – 9 PM | Music in the Garden: Wildermiss

Dance with indie-rock band Wildermiss in the wilderness.

AFTERNOON OF CONVERSATION | $150

2:30 – 5 PM
Klein Music Tent

The signature event of Aspen Ideas Festival, the Afternoon of Conversation features a series of discussions about the most prominent ideas of our time. This year’s event includes a conversation between Jane Fonda and Katie Couric; a panel on the American vortex with Adam Gopnik, Sherilynn Ifill, Kara Swisher, and Mike Madrid; and NBC anchor Lester Holt interviews Sam Altman and Brian Chesky about designing A.I. for our lives. 

Jane Fonda, actor and activist, interviewed by Katie Couric, journalist

Adam Gopnik, New Yorker staff writer; Sherilynn Ifill, NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Kara Swisher, writer and podcast host; Mike Madrid, political consultant

Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI, and Brian Chesky, CEO Airbnb, interviewed by Lester Holt, Anchor, “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt”

EVENINGS AT IDEAS | $200
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Talks Easy with Sam Fragoso, plus a performance by Hurray for the Riff Raff.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is interviewed by Talk Easy podcast host Sam Fragoso, plus a performance by Hurray for the Riff Raff. Your Evenings at Ideas ticket includes dinner, drinks, book signings, a culinary conversation, the Aspen Ideas Evening session, and live “Music in the Garden.”

5:15 PM – 9 PM 

Aspen Meadows, Marble Garden and Doerr-Hosier Center 

5:15 – 6:45 PM | Dinner & Drinks
With your ticket purchase, enjoy creative global cuisine from Aspen’s innovative food trucks. Sip JUSTIN Wines, Graham + Fisk’s Wine-in-a-Can, and Free Spirits non-alcoholic craft cocktails. A cash bar with beer, wine, and cocktails will also be available.

6 – 6:40 PM | Culinary Conversation & Tasting
What is the difference between a good cheese and a great cheese? Or a good food market and a great food market? The founder of Zingerman’s food empire is with us to answer both questions. He’ll offer cheese samples and incredible insights about the way we view food — and discuss why his secret ingredients are humility, service and “a revolution of dignity.”
Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman’s, Ann Arbor, MI

7 – 8 PM | Julia Louis-Dreyfus Talks Easy with Sam Fragoso (live recording)
Whether as Elaine Benes from Seinfeld or Selina Meyer from Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus delivers laughter. But in the upcoming film “Tuesday,” she communicates with death — in a quite unexpected form. The acclaimed actress sits down with Sam Fragoso for a live recording of the podcast “Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Actor
Interviewer: Sam Fragoso, podcast host

8 – 9 PM | Music in the Garden: Hurray for the Riff Raff
Americana band Hurray for the Riff Raff plays a set from their latest album, “The Past is Still Alive,” a mosaic of memory and an ode to life lived on the outskirts.

EVENINGS AT IDEAS: Debate Night at Ideas | $200
Watch the first Presidential Debate at Aspen Ideas with expert analysts including Eddie Glaude, Jr., Celinda Lake, Sarah Longwell, Mike Madrid, and moderator Jonathan Capehart.

Your Evenings at Ideas ticket includes dinner, drinks, book signings, a culinary conversation, and the Debate Night in Aspen session.

5:15 PM – 9:15 PM 

Aspen Meadows, Marble Garden and Doerr-Hosier Center 

5:15 – 6:15 PM | Dinner & Drinks
With your ticket purchase, enjoy creative global cuisine from Aspen’s innovative food trucks. Sip complimentary JUSTIN Wines, Graham + Fisk’s Wine-in-a-Can, and Free Spirits non-alcoholic craft cocktails. A cash bar with beer, wine, and cocktails will also be available.

5:15 – 5:45 PM | Meet the Authors and Book Signings

Steven Brill, “The Death of Truth: How Social Media and the Internet Gave Snake Oil and Demagogues The Weapons to Destroy Trust and Polarize the World – And What We Can Do About It”

Eddie Glaude Jr., “We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For”

Mike Madrid, “The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy”

Ari Weinzweig, “The Power of Belief in Business”; “A Revolution of Dignity in the Twenty-First Century Workplace”; “A Taste of Zingerman’s Food Philosophy”

 5:30 – 6:10 PM | Culinary Conversation & Tasting
When she was about to open her dream Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon Social, in New York City’s Lower East Side, Helen Nguyen had worked for famed chef Daniel Boulud and was already a familiar TV presence. Its grand opening coincided with the exact start of the COVID lockdown. Hear how she achieved the impossible task of building a restaurant and a loyal fan base during the pandemic and beyond — and taste one of the dishes that built her reputation.
Helen Nguyen, Saigon Social, New York City, NY 

6:30 – 10 PM | Debate Night in Aspen
Join our panel of expert analysts for a pre-debate conversation about how the 2024 election is shaping up. Stay for the debate watch party and refreshments, then hear the panel weigh in on the debate performances and what we should watch for as we head into the national party conventions.

Eddie Glaude, Jr., Princeton University

Celinda Lake, pollster

Sarah Longwell, political strategist

Mike Madrid, Grassroots Lab

Moderator: Jonathan Capehart, MSNBC

No musical performance on June 27.

EVENINGS AT IDEAS | $200
The Court Decides, a discussion on recent Supreme Court rulings, plus a performance by Common. 

As the Supreme Court concludes another term, hear from experts George Conway, Neal Katyal, and Melissa Murray. Grammy-winning rapper Common delivers something special for a set in the Marble Garden. Your Evenings at Ideas ticket includes dinner, drinks, book signings, a culinary conversation, the Aspen Ideas Evening session, and live “Music in the Garden.”

5:15 PM – 9 PM 

Aspen Meadows, Marble Garden and Doerr-Hosier Center 

5:15 – 6:45 PM | Dinner & Drinks
With your ticket purchase, enjoy creative global cuisine from Aspen’s innovative food trucks. Sip JUSTIN Wines, Graham + Fisk’s Wine-in-a-Can, and Free Spirits non-alcoholic craft cocktails. A cash bar with beer, wine, and cocktails will also be available.

5:15 – 5:45 PM | Meet the Author and Book Signings
Rhania Cohen, “The Other Significant Others”
Lucy Sante, “I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition”

6 – 6:40 PM | Culinary Conversation & Tasting
Monica Talbert, Mind Blown and The Plant Based Seafood Co.

7 – 8 PM | The Court Decides
As the Supreme Court concludes another contentious term, it is once again reshaping the legal landscape. With cases on abortion, gun rights and social media — and potentially democracy itself — on the docket, this year’s rulings couldn’t be more consequential.

George Conway, Society for the Rule of Law

Neal Katyal, Georgetown University

Melissa Murray, NYU School of Law

Moderator: Liz Kreutz, NBC News

8 – 9 PM | Music in the Garden: Common
Grammy-winning rapper Common delivers something special for a set in the Marble Garden.

ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL SATURDAY PASS | $750
Purchase an all-access pass to the Saturday of Aspen Ideas Festival.

8 AM – 2 PM
Aspen Institute, 1000 North Third Street, Aspen CO

New this year, immerse yourself in big ideas with a half day of programming previously open only to full Festival passholders. Register at the Ideas Pavilion starting at 7:30 AM, enjoy breakfast and choose from sessions throughout the morning that delve into diverse topics such as the inclusivity of AI, the science of conversation, life beyond Earth, understanding our roots and more. Then gather in Greenwald Pavilion for the always captivating Closing Session (11:30 – 12:30 PM). Finally, join all attendees for the Aspen Ideas Closing Picnic in the Marble Garden (12:30 – 2 PM). See event agenda here for full details. 

Speakers include writer Charles Duhigg, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, funder and founder Domonique Fines, actor Alok Vaid-Menon, astrophysicist Paul Sutter, strategist Queenstar Akrong and former CIA director David Petraeus.

Don't miss out on what promises to be the most magical Aspen Ideas Festival yet. Register today.