Annual Events and Festivals - Salt Lake City Utah
August
Belly Dance Festival
Downtown Salt Lake City
www.kismetdance.com
Celebrate the sensual side of life by watching the graceful eroticism of belly dancing in the cool breezes of the Wasatch Mountains. Since 1980, this outdoor festival, sponsored by Kismet Dance Company, has grown from eight dancers and a record player to the largest outdoor Middle Eastern dance festival in the nation. Hundreds of dancers from all over the world come to Salt Lake City to participate in the dances and take workshops.
You can also enjoy Middle Eastern and Greek food, and the bazaar offers dozens of items from India and the Middle East including jewelry, belly dance costumes, swords, instruments, fabric and adornments, books, sari, scarves, and knick-knacks. Children can enjoy storytellers and a hands-on children's yard.
Oktoberfest
Snowbird
www.snowbird.com
Yes we knowit is only August but Oktoberfest starts early in Salt Lake City. It starts in August and runs through mid-October. It is loads of fun, bracing air, superb Bavarian cuisine, some great locally brewed beers, and the granite precipices of the Wasatch make for a day you'll never forget. Take a hike while you are there, there are several wonderful trails that take right off from the pavilion. If you decide to ride the tram to Hidden Peak, you might see some mountain goats cavorting in the rocks. Many people take the tram up and hike down. Count on a couple of hours to make it down from the top.
Salt Lake County Fair
South Jordan
www.countyfair.slco.org
Big crowds turn out for this event, which includes a parade, rodeo, 4-H horse show, and carnivals. The demolition derby is a big favorite. Nightly fireworks cap off a day of fun and entertainment.
Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation
Solitude Mountain Resort
www.tasteofnation-utah.org
Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation at Solitude Mountain Resort has become a much anticipated annual event. A fundraiser for Utah's local food bank and anti-hunger programs, this end-of-summer vacation event (usually mid- to late August, always on a Sunday) is a gathering of the area's best chefs, each one trying to outdo the other with some amazing fare, from Kobe beef carpaccio to heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella salads. The outdoor venue, in a great Alpine meadow, is spectacular. Add lift-served mountain biking, live music, live and silent auctions, and food to knock your socks off, and you couldn't ask for more from a charity event. Microbrews and wines are donated, and they're usually top of the line. Make sure to bring sunscreen!