Founded in 2005, the Aspen Ideas Festival is a week-long event that includes discussions, seminars, panels, and tutorials from journalists, designers, innovators, politicians, diplomats, presidents, judges, musicians, artists, and writers.

The Aspen Ideas Festival is a program of the Aspen Institute. The AIF format is modeled after educational seminars. Topics covered during the festival include global politics and economics, U.S. Policy, the environment, technology, science, health, education, the arts, and economic issues.