By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-02 13:54:57 | Updated at 2025-01-04 23:18:26
2 days ago
The swanky underground speakeasy was packed with famous faces four nights before Christmas at Aspen’s Hotel Jerome – where a bowl of chicken noodle soup costs $22 and the burger’s $29 – as Hollywood favorite Kate Hudson took the stage.
She wasn’t acting this time but rather singing; celebrating one year since her first live show, the 45-year-old regaled those assembled with original songs, covers and her own version of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, The Aspen Times reported – as stars including Diplo, Kevin Costner, Dakota Johnson, Heidi Klum and Hudson’s mother, Goldie Hawn, looked on.
Exactly one week later, just around the corner, a veritable who’s-who of the rich and famous gathered at Matsuhisa, the Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant where Jeff Bezos and his fiancee threw a lavish dinner. Costner, again, was on hand – along with heavyweights ranging from Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to Australian businessman James Packer (whose short-lived engagement to Mariah Carey ended in 2016).
And on the same night, two blocks away, the Aspen Art Collective celebrated the opening of a new ‘Fear and Loathing’ exhibit featuring the works of A-lister Johnny Depp … along with artwork by his late friend and gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson, who took his own life 20 years ago this February.
It’s likely the writer would’ve had a lot to say about all the glitz and glamour – along with high-flying power-players visiting a downtown exhibit named for his own writings – after campaigning for Aspen to be renamed ‘Fat City’ during an ill-fated 1970 run he made for sheriff of surrounding Pitkin County.
Thompson, whose ashes were later shot out of a cannon in a ceremony financed by Depp, had argued that the city’s streets should be ripped up by jackhammers and the name changed – in order to deter ‘greed heads, land-rapers, and other human jackals from capitalizing on the name “Aspen.”’
Almost a half-century later, droves of influencers and designer-clad celebrities wandered by the gallery showing his work alongside Depp's and art from longtime collaborator and artist Ralph Steadman … as private jets continuously jostled for landing spots at the airport he’d sought to preserve.
Isabelle Blake, a 23-year-old Snapchat reality show alum flying into Aspen for a family trip, went viral for an Instagram post in the days after Christmas blaming delays on Jeff Bezos’ rumored wedding.
Goldie Hawn and long-time partner Kurt Russell, who have lived for decades in nearby Snowmass, were pictured out and about during the holidays in Aspen; they also attended a private concert performance by Hawn's daughter, actor and singer Kate Hudson, four nights before Christmas at Aspen's famed Hotel Jerome
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner attended a dinner hosted by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - whose upcoming wedding to Lauren Sanchez was the buzz of the mountain town over the holidays - at Japanese/Peruvian fusion restaurant Matsuhisa the Saturday after Christmas
Yellowstone star Kevin Costner, who owns a sprawling ranch near Aspen, also attended the Bezos dinner and Hudson's show
Supermodel Heidi Klum showed off an array of outfits from the slopes and around Aspen over the holidays
Jennifer Lopez braved heavy snow for lunch in Aspen, where she joined legions of celebrities, influencers and moneyed tourists during one of the city's busiest seasons of the year
‘There were three commercial jets … out of the whole airport, three,’ Blake told DailyMail.com of her observations after finally landing at Aspen/Pitkin Airport.
Upon arrival, she bought two glasses of wine for $50 at a fancy Aspen establishment before finding a ‘local pub, and I got the same thing for like $8, $6,’ she said, as she listened to locals ‘talking about how crazy this year is compared to other years.’
‘As people see a private jet taxi by them while they’re sitting there waiting to depart, they automatically make the assumption, “Well, that’s a private jet getting in front of me,” or “It’s taking my spot” or whatnot,’ Airport Director Dan Bartholomew told DailyMail.com on Tuesday. ‘And that’s just not the case; it’s an air traffic control thing.’
He acknowledged ‘some congestion with flights, but it’s not based on private versus commercial activity,’ he said, noting Aspen’s constrained air space and one-way-in, one-way-out setup.
The season also featured the opening of a new art exhibition featuring the work of Johnny Depp, the late Gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson and the writer's longtime friend and caricaturist Ralph Steadman
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly were also pictured strolling through Aspen's swanky streets, which feature designer stores, galleries and upscale eateries
The Aspen Collective's Fear and Loathing Exhibit includes pieces such as this artwork from actor Johnny Depp
‘When the weather starts to hit – we had snow events over the weekend, for sure – those further impact things,’ he said, though he added: ‘We’ve had some high-profile individuals coming to town that may require extra security, so that tends to sterilize some of our ramp areas; that has an impact on air traffic a little bit.
‘But it’s just everything lumped together with the holiday season and some high-profile individuals traveling this year, but it’s not significantly different than past years.’
Among those high-profile names was likely the vice-president-elect JD Vance, who arrived in Aspen on Christmas Eve ‘for a personal holiday visit,’ according to a news release from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, the Aspen Daily News reported.
The release added that ‘limited local resources have been allocated to support the Vice President Elect’s visit so that the high level of services expected by the public are not compromised. Brief intersection stoppages or motorcade delays may occur, and the public can expect to see an increased security presence throughout the community.’
Vance was later pictured in head-to-toe ski gear alongside his wife and two children – and he was far from the only well-known name flaunting slopes style.
Heidi Klum showed off on social media an array of Aspen outfits, from a black bodysuit with matching fur boots to a different light pink ensemble and even a red suit with santa hat that she donned for some sledding.
Justin Bieber also rocked the Aspen powder with a black and white ski jacket and matching snowboard; celebs such as Jennifer Lopez showcased off-the-slopes style with floor-length fur (or faux fur) coats or, in the case of Ivanka Trump, more Yellowstone-inspired Western ensembles.
Mariah Carey stepped out in a Christmas-themed outfit on December 21 in Aspen, where she was celebrating the holidays with loved ones
Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos were also pictured swapping swanky dinners for the ski slopes
Jennifer Lopez showcased an array of wardrobe choices, from casual and Western-themed to more elegant coats, as she braved the bitter cold in Aspen
Mariah Carey, pictured in Aspen a week before her business mogul ex-fiance dined with Bezos on Saturday, stepped out during daylight hours in a red minidress, white sunglasses, white beanie and white platform boots – an appropriately festive choice for a woman whose hit All I Want For Christmas Is You seems perpetually on repeat all over the world during the holidays. (The song marked its 30th anniversary in 2024.)
For New Year’s Eve, the rich, famous and locals alike were flocking to star-studded performances by heavyweights such as Nelly – taking the stage at Belly Up – and David Guetta, who was scheduled to preside over the St Regis Grand Astor Ballroom.
There were free events also scheduled in Aspen and nearby Snowmass, where Kate Hudson spent much of her youth – but the hottest tickets in town also reflected the clientele’s wallets.
‘If you purchased the highest-level VIP ticket to the top five most expensive ticketed events in Aspen on New Year’s Eve, you’d spend upwards of $70,000,” the Aspen Daily News reported.
Revellers were swapping stories about star sightings during the celebrations, content creator Blake told DailyMail.com – but also about the prices, gossiping about how 'one sushi roll was $1000 ... [and] the minimum at one private event for a bottle of wine was $55,000.'
At the same time, both layperson and celebrity alike was emulating fashion magazine style.
'Everyone was dressed up insane - girls wearing Christian Louboutin heels walking through powder snow, because it did snow a lot, and super short skirts,' she said. 'Lots of people were falling into the ground with their luxurious fur coats.'
