🏆 The Wasatch Front's Top 10 Upcoming Events

Updated Oct. 5, 2026

Garth's Weekend, a Utah White Out — and Notre Dame Comes to Provo

This is the busiest weekend of the fall. Garth plays the Delta Center four nights in a row starting Thursday. BYU hosts Iowa State under the lights Friday, Utah wears white for Kansas Saturday night, and Harry Potter takes its final bows at the Eccles Sunday. Snowbird's Oktoberfest is down to its last weekend, and Thriller moves into the Grand Theatre Friday. Later in the month, No. 3 Notre Dame visits No. 8 BYU on the 17th, the Delta Center hosts a string of big concerts, and the fall's best meteor shower arrives on the 21st. This is a living list. As one event passes, another takes its place, so check back before you make your weekend plans.

#1 GARTH BROOKS — FOUR NIGHTS STARTING THURSDAY

Seats are still available for all four nights. As of Oct. 5, SeatGeek had seats for every show, including pairs together. The Sunday matinee has the most to choose from.

Two shows became three, and three became four. More than 100,000 people joined the queues for Brooks's original Friday and Saturday dates. Minutes into that sale, the system showed every ticket gone, and SeatGeek began investigating what the venue called bot activity. Brooks responded by adding a Sunday matinee. When bots hit the Sunday sale on Sept. 22, sales were shut down. Brooks told fans that every ticket that got through is valid and that the Sunday show will be played. The next day he added a Thursday opening night.

What you're buying. This is a deliberate throwback to Brooks's catalog from 1997 and earlier: "The Thunder Rolls," "The Dance," "Friends in Low Places" and roughly twenty more over two hours. It is played in the round inside a circular LED rig the crew calls "the halo." Salt Lake has a long history with him. His four-night Delta Center run in 2015, which ended on Halloween night, is still the most-attended event in the arena's history.

(Editor's Note: Buy only through SeatGeek. Brooks has fought resale markups this entire tour, and anything offered elsewhere is a gamble. If you want the widest choice of seats, go Sunday. Thursday is the easiest downtown night of the four. BYU hosts Iowa State Friday night, Utah plays Kansas at 8:15 Saturday night up the hill at Rice-Eccles, and Harry Potter closes at the Eccles Sunday. A Sunday matinee lets you do Garth and still be home for dinner.)

#2 MAMMOTH BACK HOME OCT. 13, JAZZ OPEN OCT. 23

The Mammoth opened with a statement. Utah blanked Chicago 6-0 on Thursday night. Dylan Guenther scored twice on the power play, Anders Lee scored in his Mammoth debut, and Karel Vejmelka stopped all 15 shots for the first home shutout in franchise history. Utah has now won all three of its home openers.

The team is on the road through Oct. 10, then comes home for a strong stretch. Toronto visits Oct. 13, and Connor McDavid and Edmonton come in Oct. 17. It is the first 84-game NHL season since 1993-94, and it includes a New Year's Eve Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Jazz follow. Preseason games are Tuesday, Oct. 6 against Denver and Monday, Oct. 12 against San Antonio. The regular season opens on the road Oct. 21, and the home opener is Oct. 23 against New Orleans. The Lakers visit Sunday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m., with Walker Kessler making his first trip back. Memphis plays here Oct. 26. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs come in Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Portland closes the month on Halloween. It is also the first home look at rookie Darryn Peterson.

(Editor's Note: The Delta Center sits in the downtown Free Fare Zone, and the Arena TRAX stop is at the door. For a first NHL game with kids, a Saturday like Edmonton on Oct. 17 lets you go early without a school night to worry about. The preseason Jazz games are the cheapest way to see the new roster up close.)

#3 HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD — FINAL WEEK

Through Sunday, Oct. 11 | Delta Hall at the Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main St., Salt Lake City | Tickets: arttix.org · saltlakecity.broadway.com

The biggest thing on a Salt Lake stage this fall, and it closes Sunday. Broadway at the Eccles is running the national tour of Cursed Child through Oct. 11. The play won six Tony Awards, including Best Play.

The story picks up years after the books. Harry's headstrong son Albus becomes friends with the son of Draco Malfoy, and the two set off a time-travel adventure that threatens to rewrite the past. People mostly talk about the stagecraft: spells, transformations and illusions performed live, with no screens. Kids who grew up on the books are now parents bringing their own kids, and this is the rare show that works for both.

It opens the 2026/2027 Broadway at the Eccles season, an eight-production lineup that includes six Salt Lake City premieres.

Know before you go: The last audio-described performance is Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. The last captioned performance is Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. The last ASL-interpreted performance is Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m.

(Editor's Note: ArtTix is the official seller. Buy there and skip the resale sites. The Eccles is a block from City Creek TRAX. The closing weekend overlaps with all four Garth shows and a night game at Rice-Eccles, so a Tuesday or Wednesday performance is the easy way in.)

#4 LITTLE COTTONWOOD: OKTOBERFEST'S FINAL WEEKEND

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10–11, noon–6 p.m. | Snowbird Center, 9385 S. Snowbird Center Dr., Little Cottonwood Canyon | Free admission; parking $15 at Entries 1, 2 and 4 | Info: snowbird.com

One weekend left. Snowbird's 54th Oktoberfest wraps on Oct. 11. It began in 1972 as a small gathering of German and Swiss immigrants with one grill, and it now draws more than 60,000 people a season. The festival has more than 50 beers, brats and pretzels, a Marktplatz with 50-plus local vendors, and alphorns echoing from the top of Hidden Peak.

The color is past its best up high, but the canyon is still worth the drive. Forecasters had the Cottonwoods peaking in late September and the first week of October, with the high country fading by mid-month, so this weekend catches the tail end. One cold storm can end it early. The Aerial Tram takes you to 11,000 feet for the view from the top. It is ticketed separately from the free festival.

(Editor's Note: Take the free shuttle from the park-and-ride at 9400 South and Highland Drive. It runs up and down the canyon throughout the day, spares you the parking fee, and keeps the driver question simple. Saturday is also Garth night downtown and Utah's night game at Rice-Eccles, so Sunday is the calmer day to go. Bring a jacket. It's 20 degrees cooler up there than it is in Draper.)

#5 NOTRE DAME COMES TO PROVO — AND A BIG HOME WEEKEND FIRST

BYU vs. Iowa State, Fri., Oct. 9, 8:15 p.m., Provo (ESPN) | Utah State vs. Washington State, Fri., Oct. 9, 7 p.m., Logan (The CW) | Utah vs. Kansas, Sat., Oct. 10, 8:15 p.m., Rice-Eccles (ESPN) | Notre Dame at BYU, Sat., Oct. 17, LaVell Edwards Stadium | Utah vs. Houston, Sat., Oct. 24, Rice-Eccles | Tickets: byucougars.com · utahutes.com · utahstateaggies.com

Both big programs are 4-0, and both are climbing. BYU won a rainy, grinding game at TCU 17-10 on Saturday. Bear Bachmeier ran for two touchdowns, including a 21-yarder with just over two minutes left that sealed it. The Cougars are 2-0 in Big 12 play and moved up two spots to No. 8, though they lost running back LJ Martin and linebacker Isaiah Glasker to injuries during the game. Utah, idle on its bye week, moved up a spot to No. 12.

This weekend, both are home under the lights. BYU hosts Iowa State Friday at 8:15 on ESPN. Utah State hosts Washington State that same night at 7 on The CW. Utah hosts Kansas Saturday at 8:15 on ESPN in a White Out at Rice-Eccles. Garth plays downtown all four nights.

Then Oct. 17, the one everybody wants. No. 3 Notre Dame, 5-0, makes its first trip to LaVell Edwards Stadium since 2004, when BYU won 20-17 in the season opener. With BYU at No. 8, it is now a top-10 matchup. The game has been sold out since August, and resale seats started above $500 before school even began. The stadium's all-time attendance record, 66,247, was also set against Notre Dame, in 1993.

For most of us, this is a TV game. Kickoff time and network haven't been announced, but expect a national slot. A week later, Utah hosts No. 22 Houston.

(Editor's Note: Wear white Saturday if you're going to Rice-Eccles. TRAX to Stadium Station is still the best way to handle parking, and an 8:15 kickoff means a late ride home, so check the last train times. If you're shopping resale for Notre Dame, use a platform with a buyer guarantee, and don't buy from strangers on social media. Fake tickets show up for games like this. Big 12 kickoff times are usually announced 12 or six days out, so the Notre Dame time should come any day now.)

#6 OCTOBER AT THE DELTA CENTER: KACEY, GORILLAZ, PHOEBE AND THE PUMPKINS

All shows at the Delta Center, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City | Disney Worlds Collide Concert Tour, Wed., Oct. 14, 7 p.m. | Kacey Musgraves, Thu., Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m. | Gorillaz, Tue., Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Phoebe Bridgers with Alex G, Wed., Oct. 21 | The Smashing Pumpkins, Thu., Oct. 29 | Dan + Shay, Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m. | Tickets: deltacenter.com

One building, six big concerts, and something for nearly every taste. After a summer closed for renovation, the Delta Center has packed October. Along with Garth, the Mammoth and the Jazz, it hosts a run of arena shows that would be a full season anywhere else.

Kacey Musgraves brings the Middle of Nowhere Tour on Oct. 15, touring her new album, with Gabriella Rose opening. She has eight Grammys, including Album of the Year for Golden Hour. Five nights later, Gorillaz bring The Mountain Tour with Little Simz and Deltron 3030. Phoebe Bridgers plays the next night. The Smashing Pumpkins and Dan + Shay play back to back on Oct. 29 and 30, which makes that the rock-then-country weekend before Halloween.

For families, Disney's Worlds Collide tour on Oct. 14 brings songs from Descendants, ZOMBIES and Camp Rock.

(Editor's Note: The Delta Center has a no-bag policy. Clutches and small medical or diaper bags are the exceptions, so check the size limits before you leave home. Arena TRAX is at the door, and the building is in the Free Fare Zone. With an event nearly every night from Oct. 23 on, don't count on easy parking any night that week. Our full concert calendar is at mountainandmain-ut.com/utah-concerts.)

#7 FESTIVAL TRANSYLVANIA AT MILLCREEK GARDENS

October 8–30 | Monday–Saturday, 6:30–8 p.m.; closed Sundays | Millcreek Gardens, 3500 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City | Tickets: $11 weekdays, $13 weekends; children 2 and under free | millcreekgardens.ticketspice.com | SCAN THE QR CODE above for a discount on tickets

Our Family Pick. The gentlest Halloween event on this list, and the one to know about if you have kids who want to participate in spooky season without being chased through a cornfield.

Millcreek Gardens — a Salt Lake garden center since 1955 — turns part of its grounds into an outdoor story-walk each October, and Festival Transylvania has quietly become one of the valley's better family traditions. Attendance doubled last year to about 4,000. The premise is a walk-through narrative rather than a scare gauntlet: a spooky forest leading to the gates of Transylvania, a fortune-teller, a botched laboratory experiment, the headless horseman, a 1950s hearse on loan from a local mortuary. No gore, no blood, no chainsaws, and nobody jumping out at you. This year's story has Dracula and Frankenstein running against each other for mayor of Transylvania, with the audience voting.

The walk takes 40 to 60 minutes and ends at the Spooky Hollow Munchery, where most treats run a dollar. Timed-entry tickets, online or at the door. Costumes encouraged; pets stay home.

A dollar off, for our readers. Millcreek Gardens set up a code for Mountain & Main readers: enter MOUNTAINFRIEND at checkout for $1 off every ticket in your order. A family of five saves five dollars.

(Editor's Note: Go on a weekday if you can — two dollars cheaper per ticket, shorter line, same event. It's entirely outdoors at 6:30 in late October, so dress everyone one layer warmer than you think. And the plant-pun signage along the route is genuinely funny if you're the adult trailing the group.)

#8 REDWEST COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Friday–Saturday, Oct. 16–17 | Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1000 West, Salt Lake City | Tickets: redwestslc.com

Two days, two stages, and a comeback. Ella Langley headlines Friday with Koe Wetzel and Shaboozey on the bill. Sam Barber and Tucker Wetmore co-headline Saturday, with Wyatt Flores and Cameron Whitcomb also playing. An acoustic stage runs both days. In total, more than 30 artists play across two main stages plus a VIP+ stage.

This is year three. Last year's festival ended early when severe weather forced the cancellation of Saturday night, and this lineup is a clear effort to win back fans. It leans hard into the artists who are defining country right now rather than the legacy acts. If Garth is the Wasatch Front's nostalgia event this October, Redwest is where the next generation of country fans will be.

It's an all-ages event, with no camping on site.

(Editor's Note: Take the Green Line TRAX to the Fairpark station and skip the parking lot. October nights on the west side of the valley get cold fast after sundown, so bring layers you can tie around your waist. Saturday is also Notre Dame in Provo, so if you don't have a ticket to that one, the Fairpark is a good place to spend the night.)

#9 ANTELOPE ISLAND: GREBES BY DAY, METEORS BY NIGHT

Draconids, evening of Thu., Oct. 8 | Orionid meteor shower peaks before dawn Wed., Oct. 21 and Thu., Oct. 22 | Antelope Island State Park, Davis County | Info: stateparks.utah.gov

The busiest birds on the lake, and the closest dark sky to home. Every fall, millions of eared grebes stop on the Great Salt Lake. State wildlife biologists have counted as many as 5 million. Each bird eats 20,000 to 30,000 brine shrimp a day and doubles its weight before the long flight south. They molt while they're here, which leaves them flightless for part of the stay. The flocks stay into early winter, and the causeway to Antelope Island is one of the easiest places to see them.

Stay after sunset. Antelope Island is a certified International Dark Sky Park and the closest one to Salt Lake City. This month, the sky gives you a reason to look up. For a family-friendly start, the smaller Draconid shower comes this Thursday evening, Oct. 8, under a nearly moonless sky, early enough for kids to stay up for. The Orionids, made of debris left by Halley's Comet, peak in the early mornings of Oct. 21 and 22. On a dark sky you may see up to about 20 meteors an hour. A bright moon sets after midnight, so the best viewing is the dark stretch between moonset and first light.

Want more options? East Canyon State Park, North Fork Park in Ogden Valley, and Timpanogos Cave National Monument are also certified Dark Sky Places within an easy drive. Our October/November cover story on Utah's dark sky getaways arrives in mid-October.

(Editor's Note: Check the park's hours and the causeway fee before you plan a night visit. Give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust, and keep your phone screen off. You don't need a telescope for meteors. Lie back and take in as much sky as you can. Bring more layers than the forecast suggests, because nights on the lake get cold fast.)

#10 ODYSSEY DANCE THEATRE'S THRILLER

Salt Lake City: Fri., Oct. 9–Sat., Oct. 24, no Sunday performances | The Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State St., Salt Lake City | Tickets: grandtheatrecompany.com | Park City: through Wed., Oct. 7, Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St. | parkcityshows.com | Info: odysseydance.com

The Halloween show Utah keeps coming back to. Odyssey Dance Theatre's Thriller is two hours of dance built around the monsters of the season: Frankenstein's creature and his bride, skeletons, mummies and a few slasher-film villains. It tours the state every fall. It finishes its Park City run Wednesday and opens Friday at the Grand Theatre in Salt Lake for the rest of the month.

The lineup includes crowd favorites like the title number "Thriller," "The Curse of the Mummy," "Dem Bones," "Frankenstein," "Jason Jam," "Salem's Mass" and "The Lost Boys," plus a few new surprises. It's campy, athletic and loud, and it's the rare dance show people bring their friends to year after year.

(Editor's Note: The Grand Theatre is on the SLCC South City campus, about 20 minutes up I-15 from Point of the Mountain, with parking on site. The company offers discounts of up to 30%, including buy-one-get-one tickets for students, so check odysseydance.com/discounts before you buy. If the Grand's website won't take your card, turn off any VPN or call the box office at 801-957-3322. Parents should know the show leans spooky and is aimed at older kids and adults.)

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