What To Do In Salt Lake

Friday, October 16 – Sunday, October 18

What to do in Salt Lake this weekend

Everything on the Salt Lake calendar for Friday through Sunday, grouped by day, with start times, venues, and prices.

Once the weekend is underway this narrows to the days that are left — on a Sunday afternoon you'll see Sunday, not six days from now.

48 events, in order.

Tonight

Tomorrow

Sunday, October 18

How a Salt Lake weekend tends to go

Friday is the densest night of the week and it's mostly downtown: shows at The Depot, The Complex, Urban Lounge and The State Room, curtains at the Eccles Theater and Capitol Theatre, and a steady run of comedy and DJ nights in between. On the third Friday of the month the Gallery Stroll turns the downtown galleries into a free, walkable evening whether or not you know anything about art.

Saturday has two halves that barely resemble each other. Mornings belong to the Downtown Farmers Market at Pioneer Park in the warm months, neighborhood markets and races, and whichever canyon you can get up before the parking fills — Millcreek, Big and Little Cottonwood, and City Creek all start within about half an hour of downtown. Evenings are the biggest ticketed nights of the week, so Saturday is the one worth planning rather than improvising.

Sunday is genuinely quieter, and the city's reputation for that is only half fair. Museums keep normal hours — the Natural History Museum of Utah, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Clark Planetarium, the Leonardo — as do Tracy Aviary, Red Butte Garden, Liberty Park, and the trailheads. Temple Square runs free organ recitals. What does close is a slice of the restaurants and smaller shops, so it's worth confirming hours before driving across the valley for one specific thing.

In winter the four Cottonwood resorts are close enough to be the whole weekend, and in summer the same canyons are the cheapest plan going. Either way, canyon traffic backs up earlier than people expect on powder mornings and summer Saturdays — leaving early or taking the ski bus is the local move, not the cautious one.

Looking further out than this weekend? The full calendar runs two weeks ahead and can be filtered by date, category, or keyword, and tonight covers what's on before then.

After the weekend

See the next two weeks →

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Salt Lake this weekend?

This page lists every event on our calendar for the current weekend in Salt Lake, grouped by day from Friday through Sunday, with start times, venues, and prices. Once the weekend is underway it narrows to the days that are left rather than skipping ahead to next week.

What is there to do in Salt Lake on a Sunday?

More than the city's reputation suggests, though it is the quietest day of the week. Museums stay open — the Natural History Museum of Utah, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Clark Planetarium, the Leonardo — along with Tracy Aviary, Red Butte Garden, Liberty Park, and the trailheads up Millcreek and the Cottonwoods. Temple Square hosts free organ recitals and Tabernacle Choir rehearsals. Some restaurants and smaller shops do close, so it is worth confirming hours before you drive across town.

What can families do in Salt Lake this weekend?

Weekend mornings are the family-friendly stretch: the Downtown Farmers Market at Pioneer Park in the warm months, Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park, Clark Planetarium and the Discovery Gateway children's museum at The Gateway, the Natural History Museum of Utah, and Hogle Zoo. Events on this page that suit kids are usually tagged as such, and the full calendar can be filtered by category.

Are there free things to do in Salt Lake this weekend?

Usually plenty. Free listings are marked on each event. Beyond the calendar, the reliable no-cost options are the canyon trails, Liberty Park and Sugar House Park, the Gallery Stroll on the third Friday of the month, Temple Square, and the City Library.

What about the canyons and the ski resorts?

They are close enough to be a weekend plan on their own — Big and Little Cottonwood, Millcreek, and City Creek all start within about half an hour of downtown, and four resorts sit at the top of the Cottonwoods. Canyon traffic backs up early on powder mornings and on summer Saturdays, so leaving early or taking the ski bus is the local move.

Listings come from venues, organizers, automated feeds, and reader tips, and we check them before posting. Times and prices can change — the venue is always the last word.