🏆 The Wasatch Front’s Top 10 Upcoming Events
The Events That Define Spring & Summer 2026 Along the Wasatch Front
1 ROD STEWART: ONE LAST TIME
Friday, June 19 | Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, West Valley City | Tickets: livenation.com
The British rock icon’s farewell tour arrives in Utah, and this may be the last chance to see one of music’s most electrifying showmen under an open sky. Rod Stewart’s One Last Time World Tour has been selling out venues across five continents since 2024, earning some of the best critical reviews of his storied career. The Salt Lake City stop comes just days after a show at Red Rocks and features special guest Richard Marx. With more than 250 million records sold worldwide and two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions to his name, Sir Rod will deliver a setlist spanning decades–from “Maggie May” and “Forever Young” to “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” Expect leopard print. Expect confetti. Expect a night you’ll talk about for years.
2 THANKSGIVING POINT TULIP FESTIVAL
Now Open Thru May 16 | Ashton Gardens, Lehi | Tickets: thanksgivingpoint.org
Utah’s signature sign of spring returns for its 20th year, and the numbers are staggering: nearly half a million tulip bulbs imported from Holland, more than a million total flowers, and 50 acres of gardens transformed into one of the most photographed landscapes in the Mountain West. Voted Utah’s Best Festival for a decade running, the Tulip Festival is far more than a walk through pretty gardens.
Fridays and Saturdays bring live music, food trucks, artisan vendors, and hands-on classes ranging from watercolor painting to yoga among the blooms. New for 2026 are reimagined topiary displays and the Fragrance Garden, showcasing 168 different tulip varieties–one of the most diverse collections you’ll find anywhere in the country. There’s also the Tulip 5K for the runners in the family, chauffeured VIP golf cart tours for those who prefer a more relaxed pace, and a Spring Staycation package that pairs admission with an overnight stay minutes from the gardens.
All admission is time-ticketed, so plan ahead and purchase online—tickets purchased at the gate carry a $3 surcharge. (Editor’s Note: This one sells out on weekends. Book early, especially for Saturday mornings.)
3 50TH ANNUAL UTAH ARTS FESTIVAL
June 18–21 | Library Square, Downtown Salt Lake City | Tickets: uaf.org
A golden anniversary for Utah’s largest multi-disciplinary arts celebration. For five decades, the Utah Arts Festival has been transforming downtown Salt Lake City every June, drawing 35,000-plus attendees to a sprawling, four-day showcase of visual art, live music, dance, film, street theater, and culinary artistry. This year’s milestone 50th edition promises to be the most ambitious yet.
With more than 800 artists and performers, an internationally recognized short film program, an urban arts showcase, and a children’s art yard packed with hands-on projects, there is truly something for every age and interest. The Festival generates over a million dollars in art sales each year and remains one of the only remaining large-scale multi-disciplinary arts events of its kind in the nation. The 50th anniversary celebration kicked off in March with a Studio 54-themed masquerade gala–a signal that the organizers intend to make this year one for the history books. (Editor’s Note: Mark the calendar. This is a cultural cornerstone.)
Bull Riding photo by © Danny Raustadt | Dreamstime.com
4 FORT HERRIMAN PRCA RODEO — 20TH ANNIVERSARY
May 28–30 | W&M Butterfield Park, Herriman | Tickets: herrimanrodeo.com
Twenty years ago, a rodeo committee in a fast-growing Salt Lake County community had an idea: bring professional rodeo home. What they built has become one of the most respected PRCA events on the Wasatch Front — and the 2026 edition marks two full decades of bull riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc, calf roping, and steer wrestling right in the valley's backyard. Gates open at 5:30, a kids' money calf competition kicks off around 6:30, and the full show launches at 7:30 — opened by a 62-foot by 120-foot American flag national anthem ceremony. Rodeo This year's rodeo is also airing on The Cowboy Channel and streaming on Cowboy Channel+ Herriman City — which says everything about where Fort Herriman stands in the professional rodeo world. Memorial Day weekend, three nights, fireworks Friday and Saturday. Buy early — this one regularly sells out before show night. Herriman City (Editor's Note: The 20th anniversary makes this one worth going out of your way for. A genuine Wasatch Front tradition.)
5 LIVING TRADITIONS FESTIVAL – 40TH ANNIVERSARY
May 15–17 | Washington Square & Library Square, Downtown Salt Lake City | Free Admission | saltlakearts.org
Forty years in, Salt Lake City's longest-running free cultural festival still does what almost no other event on the Wasatch Front does — turns the lawn of the City & County Building into a walking tour of the world. Three days of traditional music, dance, food, and craft from the Ecuadorian, Samoan, Mexican, Polish, Greek, Bosnian, Tibetan, Navajo, and dozens of other communities that call Utah home. More than 70 performances across three stages, 20-plus food vendors serving everything from cevapi to momos, and a craft market where master artisans work on-site.
This year carries additional weight: Living Traditions is one of a small group of festivals selected by the Smithsonian to collaborate on the national Folklife Festival tied to America 250. That designation puts Salt Lake City's 40-year-old tradition on a national stage alongside festivals from Baltimore to Juneau. Free admission, family-friendly, and one of the most genuinely diverse three days you can spend downtown. (Editor's Note: Go hungry. The food market alone is worth the trip.)
6 KILBY BLOCK PARTY
May 15–17 | Utah State Fairpark, Salt Lake City | Tickets: kilbyblockparty.com
What started as a one-day celebration of Kilby Court’s 20th anniversary has grown into one of the most respected indie festivals in the country. Headliners Lorde, The xx, and Turnstile top a 70-artist bill. Last year’s festival drew over 25,000 attendees per day, and the 2026 edition expands its footprint with improved staging and the addition of the Days of ‘47 Arena. Craft vendors, record shopping, and the Crusher Cup skateboarding competition round it out. Three-day passes from $249.
7 RIVERDANCE: 30TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR
May 22–24 | Eccles Theater, Downtown Salt Lake City | Tickets: Riverdance tickets link
Our Family Pick. Thirty years ago, Riverdance changed the way the world thought about Irish dance — and the 30th Anniversary World Tour is a reminder of why it became a phenomenon in the first place. What began as a seven-minute intermission act at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest grew into one of the longest-running and most widely seen live productions in history, performed for over 30 million people across 60 countries.
This anniversary production has been retooled from the ground up, featuring a new generation of elite Irish dancers alongside returning legends, reimagined choreography, and a live orchestra that fills the Eccles from floor to rafters. The show draws on the full range of the Riverdance catalogue — the thundering ensemble numbers, the intimate solos, the flamenco and tap sequences that have always set it apart from anything else in live performance.
Three nights at the Eccles Theater means multiple showtime options for families, couples, and anyone who has always meant to see it but never quite got around to it. This is one of those shows that earns a standing ovation before the curtain even finishes falling. (Editor's Note: If you've seen it before, the anniversary production is worth seeing again. If you haven't — this is the one.)
#8 KID CUDI: THE REBEL RAGERS TOUR
Sat., June 13 | Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, West Valley City | Tickets: livenation.com
Grammy-winning hip-hop visionary Kid Cudi brings his Rebel Ragers world tour to the big outdoor stage. Since breaking through in 2008, Cudi has carved out a singular lane—blending introspective lyricism, psychedelic production, and emotional honesty that has influenced an entire generation of artists.
#9 PITBULL & LIL JON
Wednesday, June 3 | Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, West Valley City | Tickets: livenation.com
“Mr. Worldwide” teams with the King of Crunk for the highest energy night of early summer. A setlist packed with global hits and the kind of crowd energy that turns strangers into friends by the second song.
#10 RINGO STARR AND HIS ALL-STARR BAND
Monday, June 1 | Eccles Theater, Downtown Salt Lake City | Tickets: live-at-the-eccles.com
A Beatle. On stage in Salt Lake City. That sentence alone should be enough — but there's more. Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band is not a nostalgia act in the tired sense of the word. It's a rolling rock summit, with a rotating cast of legendary musicians performing their own hits alongside Ringo's, turning every show into a setlist that spans decades and genres. The result is something looser and more joyful than a standard concert — more like watching rock history have a reunion with itself. At 85, Ringo Starr is still the real deal, and this is one of those nights you'll be glad you didn't talk yourself out of.