Utah State Fairpark

Utah State Fairpark sits on 65 acres on the west side of Salt Lake City, in the Fairpark neighborhood near the base of the Wasatch Mountains. The fairgrounds have hosted Utah’s official state fair since 1902, when the site opened as Agriculture Park, and six historic buildings with natural brick and hardwood floors still anchor the grounds today. For one stretch each year the property becomes the Utah State Fair, and for the rest of the year it operates as a working event venue, so a visit here can mean two very different things depending on when you come.

During the annual Utah State Fair, the grounds fill with a PRCA rodeo, a demolition derby, and a monster truck show in the arena, alongside livestock competitions and auctions run by local 4-H and FFA members. Competitive exhibits cover creative arts, culinary arts, photography, agriculture, and horticulture, and family friendly stops like Barnyard Friends, Little Hands on the Farm, and a butter cow display sit alongside food vendors, live entertainment, and a car show. Because so much runs at once across the buildings and the grass malls, a first visit is easier with a plan, so pick two or three exhibits or shows you care about most and build the rest of the day around them.

Outside of fair season, the same historic buildings, the Days of 47 Arena, and the outdoor grass malls are available to rent, and the venue has hosted everything from company parties and weddings to festivals, concerts, and championship level sporting events, with room for gatherings as large as 5,000 guests. The Grand Building, Promontory Hall, Pioneer Building, Zion Building, Deseret Building, and Bonneville Building each bring their own character, from exposed brick to mountain views, and the venue’s staff work with renters from the first inquiry through the event itself. If you are checking the calendar for a specific show or expo rather than the fair, it is worth confirming which building it is in, since the grounds can host several events at once.

The grounds are also home to a free public skatepark, built with a bowl style park terrain course in 2019 and a street course of rails, stairs, boxes, and quarter ramps added in 2021, that has hosted Vans Park Series and Street League championship events. It is open to the public during daylight hours at no charge, though a waiver is required and parking fees may apply, and skate camps run through the year for kids who want lessons. Boat and RV storage, a Utah driver license office, and an auction service also operate on site, so the fairpark functions as a working part of the neighborhood well beyond its festival weeks.

The fairpark sits along 1000 West near North Temple, an easy stop from downtown Salt Lake City by car or by TRAX, since the Fairpark Station on the Green Line sits on site and bus routes 519 and 520 also stop nearby. On site parking includes both free and paid lots as well as street parking, and the entrance, parking area, and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. Because the fair runs for a set stretch each year while the rest of the grounds work as a year round venue, it suits a family planning a fair day out just as well as a couple scouting a wedding venue or a skater looking for a free afternoon session.