Events & What’s Happening
Free three-day celebration of Salt Lake City's ethnic and folk arts communities held at Washington Square, featuring traditional music, dance, crafts, and international food vendors.
💡Kids love the dance performances and cultural crafts booths — the festival is entirely free and very stroller-friendly.
One of the largest outdoor arts festivals in the Intermountain West, held at Library Square, featuring visual arts, live music, food, and hands-on art activities for kids.
💡The Family Art Garden offers free hands-on projects for children — arrive in the morning before heat peaks and lines grow.
One of the largest and oldest parades in the western United States, celebrating the arrival of Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, with floats, marching bands, and equestrian units.
💡Stake out a spot on South Temple or Main Street the night before — bring chairs, sunscreen, and snacks for the long morning lineup.
Annual three-day festival hosted by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral featuring authentic Greek food, folk dancing, live music, and cultural exhibits.
💡Kids enjoy watching the traditional folk dancing performances and the pastry booths are a huge hit — arrive hungry.
Annual Halloween celebration at the unique and quirky Gilgal Sculpture Garden in Salt Lake City, featuring costumes, community gathering, and one of SLC's most unusual public spaces.
💡Visit the sculpture garden in daylight before the event with younger children — the sphinx and carved stones are fascinating and free to explore year-round.
Seasonal holiday lights display at Utah's Hogle Zoo featuring thousands of lights, animal encounters, train rides, and holiday-themed activities for families.
💡Purchase tickets online in advance as popular nights sell out — weeknights are less crowded and parking is easier.
Annual marathon and 5K run through downtown Salt Lake City with scenic views of the Wasatch Mountains, including a kids' run event on race weekend.
💡Sign kids up for the fun run held the day before the main race — it finishes at the same finish line for an exciting experience.
The Natural History Museum of Utah periodically offers free or reduced admission community days with access to world-class dinosaur exhibits, Native cultures galleries, and hands-on science activities.
💡Check the museum website for scheduled free days — the dinosaur hall alone is worth the visit and captivates kids of all ages.
Free weekly storytime sessions for young children at the main Salt Lake City Public Library and branch locations, featuring read-alouds, songs, and simple crafts.
💡Arrive 10 minutes early to get a good seat — sessions fill quickly and the beautiful main library building is itself worth exploring with older kids.
Salt Lake City's largest urban park offers free access to playgrounds, ponds, tennis courts, the Tracy Aviary, picnic areas, and seasonal paddle boat rentals every day of the week.
💡Sunday mornings are lively with families and the park is best in spring and fall when temperatures are mild — pack a picnic and plan to stay several hours.
Historic working farm operated by Salt Lake County offering free farm tours, animal feeding, wagon rides, and seasonal harvest and holiday events on weekends.
💡Wagon rides and animal feedings are extremely popular with toddlers and young children — the farm is free to enter with paid activities available on site.
Vibrant weekly outdoor market at Pioneer Park featuring over 150 local vendors selling fresh produce, baked goods, handmade crafts, and prepared foods.
💡Go before 10am for the best produce selection and cooler temperatures — kids love the prepared food vendors and there is usually live music.
Planning Your Visit
Neighborhoods & Areas
Local Tips for Families
- 💡The Discovery Gateway Children's Museum at the Gateway offers $3 admission on the third Friday evening of each month from 5–8pm — book ahead online because locals know this deal and it sells out.
- 💡Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon is one of the most kid-friendly hikes in the Wasatch, but the dirt parking lot at the trailhead holds only about 30 cars — if you arrive after 9am on a Saturday in July, use the UTA Route 972 canyon bus from the Fashion Place Mall transit center instead.
- 💡Tracy Aviary inside Liberty Park offers free admission on the first Wednesday of each month, and their free-flight bird shows happen at 11am and 2pm daily — the 11am show has shorter lines.
- 💡The Natural History Museum of Utah is free for Utah residents but even out-of-state families can get in free with a membership to any reciprocating science museum — check ASTC passport program membership before you leave home.
- 💡Salt Lake City's inversion season (typically January–February) can create some of the worst air quality in the nation, trapped in the valley bowl. Check the Utah Division of Air Quality app before planning any outdoor activity with kids on winter days — Red or Unhealthy days are common during prolonged cold snaps.
- 💡Park City Mountain Resort offers a 'kids ski free' program for children 12 and under with purchase of an adult lift ticket — call ahead to confirm availability for your dates since it's capacity-limited and not always advertised prominently on the website.
- 💡Red Iguana on North Temple, famous for its Oaxacan mole dishes, has a line stretching out the door on weekend evenings, but their smaller sister restaurant Red Iguana 2 just two blocks away on 900 West almost always has a shorter wait and the same menu.
- 💡The TRAX light rail Green and Red lines run directly from Salt Lake Central Station to the Natural History Museum stop at Stadium station for $2.50/adult — children 5 and under ride free, and the downtown free fare zone covers Temple Square and the Gateway entirely.
- 💡Gilgal Sculpture Garden in the Sugar House neighborhood is a completely free, bizarre, and genuinely fascinating outdoor art installation with sphinx sculptures and carved stones — it's fenced and easy to contain toddlers in while adults enjoy the oddity of it.
- 💡For ski days, Alta Ski Area still prohibits snowboarders and has one of the lowest child-to-adult pricing ratios of any Wasatch resort — children 12 and under ski free all season with no adult ticket purchase required, making it the best budget ski option for young kids in the metro area.