Utah Summer Fun Events in July

Local festivals, wildflowers, competitions, Renaissance experience, 24th celebrations, spiders, and a big train. There is plenty to explore in July

Connie Lewis

July 4, 2024

July 13

Wildflower Festival at Brighton Resort. From 9 AM to 2 PM explore the stunning flowers with guided walks. This free event, co-hosted by the Brighton Institute, is perfect for all ages and abilities. Enjoy family-friendly activities, live music, and delicious food throughout the day. Learn more here.

July 13-20

American Fork Steel Days. Summer is all about local festivals and American Fork celebrates Steel Days July 13-20. This festival has had several names including Timer Day, Liberty Day, and Poultry Day. It became Steel Days in 1945 and has continued ever since. Events include a car show, golf tournament, Mario Kart tournament, Pickleball tournament, a carnival, quilt show, art show, “American Fork’s Got Talent,” and more. For the full schedule click here.

July 17

Utah Stories Storytelling Competition. Share your best story in three minutes for fun prizes. The theme for July is Food Adventures. Held from 6pm to 8pm at Dali Crepes, 1346 Fort Union Blvd. in Cottonwood Heights. $10 entry fee includes a $10 voucher to a purchase at Dali Crepes, and entry to the storytelling competition.

July 17-20

Utah Midsummer Renaissance Faire in Cedar City. This event will be held at the Main Street Park in Cedar City, 200 North Main Street. Hours are 11am to 9pm Wednesday through Friday and Saturday from 10am to 8pm. Continuing a tradition started in medieval times, vendors will bring their wares and entertainment to this gathering. For more information visit their website.

July 20 and 22

Days of ‘47 Float Preview Party. Enjoy the floats set to be in the Days of ‘47 Parade in the comfort of the Mountain America Expo Center, 9575 South State St., in Sandy. Meet the creators and technicians and vote for your favorite floats.

July 20-21

Big Boy No. 4014 on display at Ogden’s Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave. Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, built to conquer mountains, will be on public display in Ogden. Visitors will be able to take an up-close look at the 1.1 million-pound locomotive and also see the “Experience the Union Pacific” rail car, a walk-through exhibition of the history of railroading. This is a free event. Hours are Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.

July 24

2024 Days of ‘47 Parade. This year’s theme is Stour Pioneer Hearts – Lift Others! The parade route starts at 9am at South Temple and State Street and runs east to 200 East, then turns south to 900 South, and then east to 600 East. Experience one of the oldest parades in the country. The Deseret News Marathon begins before the parade at 5:30am at the top of Big Mountain, above Emigration Canyon. More details on the race can be found here.

July 27

Antelope Island Spider Fest. Head to the Antelope Island Marina for this event that will be held from 10am to 4pm. Along with crafts, community science, face-painting, and food, guided walks will be held.

Feature Image from Cottonwood Canyons Foundation.

Community Events, Fun Guide

Connie Lewis

Connie has been with Utah Stories since 2013, and has enjoyed learning everything involved in producing a monthly magazine. In addition to writing, Connie performs administrative tasks, coordinates writers, photographers and editors, and oversees a million little details. Her least favorite word is ‘deadline.’ A journalism class at the University of Utah sparked Connie’s love of writing. Finding it hard to narrow her interests to just one major, journalism allowed her to explore a wide variety of topics and disciplines. When she is not writing, Connie loves spending time with her family and traveling with her dogs. “It has been a pleasure learning new things about the state I was born in and meeting the people who make Utah great,” she says. Connie plans to continue her love of learning and improving as the magazine moves onward and upward.