TACAW (The Arts Campus at Willits) - Basalt, Colorado

Austin R.

Last night (Friday July 8th, 2022), I attended a free concert at the relatively-new The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW) located at the Willits Town Center in Basalt, Colorado.

Tickets were free if you registered in advance and were $5 at the door without a reservation. The bar was open serving drinks, and the TACAW had free bites for everyone out on the outdoor patio.

Parking is free and easy in the Willits Town Center.

It was a beautiful evening, and many concert-goers were enjoying the weather outside before heading inside to the performance venue when the show started at 8pm.

When the show started, the venue filled up quickly and was standing room only. Before too long, most of the crowd had broken out into dancing, and the sound system and lights were top notch.

I am so excited to have the TACAW in the neighborhood and would highly recommend it for a live musical performance whenever you can get there.

Samantha A.

I think this venue is the hidden jewel of Basalt. The last couple times we’ve been there the atmosphere was amazing, the drinks great, and the shows absolutely hilarious. It’s a small cute theater with a local feeling and they put up great shows.

Devin F.

Beautiful room for a show. Amazing staff. Great technical team. Can't wait to go back.

Amanda G. D.

Absolutely wonderful venue and excellent staff! Definitely go see a show here!

beth E. R.

After living in Aspen, why did I buy a loft in Willets? A big reason: there was a hole in ground proclaiming The Arts Campus at Willits was on its way.
Covid nixed its grand opening last October. After ironing out issues that plague any new venue, TACAW got its footing.
Today it is one of the kewlest new arts venues in Colorado. That's saying a lot since Aspen has Theater Aspen, the Aspen Art Museum and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
TACAW is small and scrappy. It books a broad array of performers: Grammy winners, poets, film festivals, dance, even discussions. Many of the offerings expand my horizons since I have no clue what they are about. (The Aspen Music festival does Mozart and Theater Aspen loves Broadway. Me too! But TACAW stretches beyond).
The foyer doubles as Tabl, TACOW's Colorado-sourced restaurant. The food is unusual, tasty with Aspen prices. There is a nice selection of wine and beer, which most people enjoy. (and take into the performance area.)
The theater itself is small, which makes it deliciously intimate. Many concerts are standing-room only. That means the joyous crowd dances.
The lights are Vegas-worthy.
One of the walls is covered with shimmering chains. What a kewl idea.
They finally got the sound system right. The last concert I attended the mixing was spot on. And it wasn't too loud for this fossil.
There are also outdoor performances too.
I was surprised there was a sumptuous FREE buffet of tapas before our 8 pm concert. I enjoyed watermelon with paprika and chewy chocolate brownies. When was the last time a performance venue fed you for FREE?
TACAW reminds me from that lyric from Hamilton, "I am young, scrappy and hungry." It chose not to compete with the other performance venues in the Roaring Fork Valley and instead to educate and entertain.
And I love the fact I can walk home!

hutch H.

Great venue for so many different kinds of shows. Movies, live performances, Talks, Presentations, etc.

The outside area is also a wonderful spot for a wide variety of events.

Richard G.

Outstanding small local arts venue. Thoroughly enjoyed a top-name concert in a space with less than 250 seats, making for an intimate musical experience. Recommended.

Madziunn

Great venue! I love the programming of TACAW. Thanks to them I am exposed to culture. Recently went with my family to see Opera and it was a delightful experience! We also went before to a plenty other events. Thank you all for organizing it!