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- Josh Scheuerman
Summer Festivals 2017
By Scott Renshaw
Once Utah finally shakes off its snowy winter blanket, locals realize the pleasures of warm weather are all-too-fleeting. So when you're seeking entertainment, it only makes sense to look for it in concentrated doses at our summer festivals. Here's a look at a full-to-bursting calendar of events for a wide range of interests—from artsy gatherings and cultural-heritage celebrations to showcases for lovers of performing arts and food.
ARTS FESTIVALS
May 25-27, Moab Arts Fest: Start the summer off right with a trek to southern Utah on Memorial Day weekend, and a free-admission jubilee of pottery, glass, jewelry, fine art and more, with plenty of activities for kids and adult refreshments for the grown-ups. moabartsfestival.org
June 22-25, Utah Arts Festival: For four days, downtown Salt Lake City turns into a multi-venue theme park of visual arts booths, music headliners, dance performances, short films, food and general amazement at the range of the state's artists and artisans. uaf.org
Aug. 4-6, Park City Kimball Arts Festival: Head to the quaint charms of Park City's Main Street for a mountaintop celebration of more than 220 artists, local musicians and delicious eats. kimballartcenter.org
Also on tap: June 10-11, Ogden Arts Festival; June 16-17, Chalk Art Festival; July 8, Millcreek Arts Festival; Aug. 11-13, Craft Lake City; Sept. 16-17, Urban Arts Festival
ETHNIC, HISTORICAL & CULTURAL FESTIVALS
June 2-4, Utah Pride Festival: Party with the state's LGBTQ community over several days of events, from a Youth Pride Dance and interfaith service through festival-grounds happenings including movies, vendors and music headliners, plus the grand parade on Sunday morning. utahpridecenter.org/festival
June 10, Utah Asian Festival: For the 40th annual event, cultures from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and many more locales gather at Sandy's South Towne Expo Center for a huge showcase of art, crafts, food and fun. Come ready for the Asian Pop Dance and cosplay parade. utahasianfestival.com
July 22-24, Pioneer Days: My, how 170 years can fly by. Utahns of Mormon ancestry—and even those who aren't—enjoy the Days of '47 with rodeos, a family festival, a Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert and the big annual parade from South Temple and State Street to Liberty Park. daysof47.com
July 24, Native American Celebration in the Park Powwow & Festival: As an alternative to the Days of '47, Utah's Native American community celebrates those who were here first with arts-and-crafts booths, children's activities, tribal dances and fireworks. nacippowwow.wixsite.com
July 29, Pacific Islander Heritage Month Kick-Off: Utah's thriving Samoan, Tongan, Fijian and Native Hawai'ian communities begin a month-long celebration of their cultures with an event that traditionally includes food vendors, live entertainment and a youth rugby clinic at Sorensen Unity Center. facebook.com/utphim
Sept. 8-10, Salt Lake Greek Festival: It's all Greek to us at the popular downtown roundup of delectable food offerings, traditional dancing and fun for the whole family. saltlakegreekfestival.com
More festivals: June 17, Juneteenth; June 22-24, Taylorsville Dayzz; July 28-29, Peruvian Festival; Aug. 12, Pagan Pride Festival; Sept. 1-2, Midway Swiss Days; Sept. 16-17, Festa Italiana
PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVALS
June 23-Aug. 9, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theater: Epic operas and favorites of the Broadway stage are once again on tap on Logan's picturesque Main Street. The season kicks off with Seussical, and also features The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Madama Butterfly, The Music Man, The Pirates of Penzance and Rex. utahfestival.org
June 30-Oct. 21, Utah Shakespeare Festival: The award-winning theater showcase in Southern Utah presents its 56th season of stage classics from the 1500s to the present. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It share the spotlight with Guys & Dolls, Treasure Island, William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged) and a stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love. bard.org
July 28-Aug. 6, Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival: The third annual showcase of experimental theater, dance, music and art gives local residents a chance to see work with an edge that might not be expected on Utah stages. greatsaltlakefringe.org
POP CULTURE CONVENTIONS
July 7-8, Salt Lake Gaming Con: Whether your preferred jam is video games, role-playing or tabletop games, you'll find panels and tournaments to keep you entertained and vendors to introduce you to the next big thing. saltlakegamingcon.com
June 29-July 1, Nerdtacular The intimate Snowbird setting makes this event—celebrating its 10th anniversary a bit under-the-radar, but it's a great chance to enjoy nerdy movies and other geek-out fun with several hundred of your closest soon-to-be-friends. nerdtacular.com
Aug. 4-5, ToshoCON: The Salt Lake County Library's annual teen anime convention includes teen-led panels, vendor marketplace, viewing room, cosplay contests and more. viridiancenter.org
Sept. 21-23, Salt Lake Comic Con: It's another weekend of costumes, celebrities, vendors and fascinating pop-culture conversations at one of downtown's biggest annual events. Val Kilmer and Guardians of the Galaxy co-star Michael Rooker are among the headliners already announced, with many more to come. slcomiccon.com
FOOD & DRINK FESTIVALS
Aug. 12-Oct. 15, Snowbird Oktoberfest: snowbird.com/events/oktoberfest
Aug. 19, City Weekly's Utah Beer Festival: We're happy once again to invite everyone to the Utah State Fairpark for a jubilee of sampling the best that the state's talented brewers have to offer. Listen to some music and discover ways to combine grain, hops and water for flavors you never imagined were possible. facebook.com/utahbeerfestival
Sept. 6-9, Brigham City Peach Days: The fruits of summer inspire this peachy-keen, four-day gathering with a carnival, parade, live entertainment and, of course, plenty of delicious food. peachdays.org
