Comedy WKND! returns to Snowmass for 2nd year

Sarah Sanders is not only the producer of Comedy WKND! she is a comedian herself. The second annual Comedy WKND! returns to Snowmass Village July 11. The event features comedians from all over the country and will take place at venues across Snowmass Village.

When Sarah Sanders helped ignite the comedy scene in Snowmass back in 2021, she had no idea that she would actually become a comedian herself. Four years after booking the first comedy acts in town, Sanders recently announced her biggest comedy event yet: t he second summer edition of Snowmass Comedy WKND!, July 11-13 at multiple venues across Snowmass Village. Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.



m. at thecollectivesnowmass.com Not only will Sanders be emceeing several events featuring a lineup of national, regional and local comedians, she’ll likely be telling a few jokes herself.

Sanders is director of plaza venues and events for East West Partners, which manages the venues in Base Village in Snowmass . She developed a love for comedy when she worked at the Wheeler Opera House, which hosts Aspen Laugh Festival. Sanders went to work for East West Partners right as the pandemic broke out in March 2020 and, under the name Snowmass Live, she immediately set out to produce socially-distanced comedy shows to provide audiences with some relief from the stress of COVID-19.

The series was canceled but when things opened up in the summer of 2021, Sanders started a comedy series at The Collective producing shows twice nightly. “Over the last few years we’ve grown the series,” Sanders said. “We do typically eight to 10 events in the high season in the winters and the summer.

We’ve sold out just about every single one over the last few years, and it's been so fun to see it evolve and see it grow.” Every June, The Collective hosts a comedy competition where local comedians do stand-up and are judged by the audience. Whoever wins the competition gets to open for a national act on a larger stage.

In 2023, Sanders threw her comedic hat in the ring and entered the competition to see how she fared. She finished third place out of close to 20 comedians and decided to start doing stand-up herself. “It’s such an easy way to connect with people,” Sanders said.

“It’s fun, it’s healing, it’s therapeutic. It’s such a great way to talk about life’s challenges in a fun and relatable way.” Sanders’ vision from the start was to host a large-scale comedy festival in Snowmass.

Last summer Snowmass Live produced the inaugural Comedy WKND! With some big names including an evening of comedy with Alex Edelman who had just recently won a Tony Award for his one-man show (he would go on to win an Emmy for his HBO special). This year’s lineup includes Jackie Tohn, an actress, writer, stand-up comic, and show creator who stars in the Netflix series “Nobody Wants This” alongside Kristen Bell. Tohn is also the host of the top-rated Netflix cooking competition, “Best Leftovers Ever.

” She can also be seen in Bill Burr’s feature “Old Dads” starring alongside Burr, Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine in the ensemble comedy. Audience members at the 2024 Comedy WKND! enjoy the performance of comedian Alex Edelman. The second annual Comedy WKND! happens July 11-13.

Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. at thecollectivesnowmass.

com . Irene Tu is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, actor and writer. Her first comedy album “We’re Done Now” debuted at No.

1 on the iTunes comedy charts. Paste Magazine praised Irene’s “quick wit, relaxed stage presence, and hilariously off-the-wall observations” in this album that “ticks all the boxes of a winning introduction and then some.” One of Netflix’s “Introducing” comics of 2022, her show in 2024 was named one of the funniest by the LA Times.

Some of her viral stand-up clips have amassed over 30 million views on social media. Dino Archie has toured widely and become known for his sharp, laid-back style that is both “toxic but safe,” delivering stories that hit close to home. Archie has released five comedy albums.

He appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and he won the 36th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition and the best crowd work award at the Just For Laughs Northwest Fest. Usama Siddique (formerly known by his stage name “Usama Bin Laughin”) is a Bengali-American stand-up comedian and actor based in New York. He is on Netflix’s “Inventing Anna,” HBO’s “And Just Like That,” Comedy Central’s “Nora from Queens” and FX’s “Better Things.

” Brittany Brave is a NYC-via-Miami based comedian, actress, writer, producer and host who’s been seen on TBS, MTV, Quibi, “The Wendy Williams Show” and SiriusXM. In 2023, Brave was named best comedy act by TimeOut Miami. In 2021, she was hailed as best comedian by the Miami New Times.

In 2019, she was named best new comic at the NY Comedy Festival and Caroline’s on Broadway. Additional pop-up events and free community events will be announced in June. When asked what she hopes people will take away from coming to the Comedy WKND! Sanders said, “My hope is that everyone who joins us for the festival leaves with unforgettable memories, laughing alongside friends, discovering incredible talent, and experiencing the unique charm of Snowmass Village.

We’ve worked hard to create a weekend with top-tier comedy and entertainment, all at an accessible price point, so that more people can enjoy everything this place has to offer.” Snowmass announces summer music on the hill The 33rd Snowmass Free Concert Series returns to Fanny Hill on Thursday evenings from June 12-Aug. 21, plus one Friday night show on July 4.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with shows starting at 6:30 p.

m. “The summer lineup is unlike any we have had,” Julia Theisen, tourism director of Snowmass Tourism said in a release. “With such high-caliber performers, a brand -new stage and an upgraded sound system, the experience will look and sound better than ever.

This is a chance for the community to come together and enjoy incredible free music set against the breathtaking backdrop of Snowmass and the surrounding mountains.” 2025 Snowmass Free Concert Series band lineup June 12 - The Burroughs June 19 - Charlotte Sands June 26 - Certainly So July 3 - Ozomatli *Friday, July 4 - Spazmatics July 10 - Neal Francis July 17 - The Rumble ft. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.

July 24 - Boy Named Banjo July 31 - Goldie Boutilier Aug. 7 - The Talbott Brothers Aug. 14 - Jon Muq Aug.

21 - O’Connor Brothers Band.