June 28-30
All kinds of arts
The Utah Arts Festival, one of the state’s largest cultural events, is back, starting Friday and running through Sunday, June 30, at Library Square and Washington Square Park, 200 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. The three-day event offers live music performances, visual artists selling their work, street theater, an urban arts section, food vendors, short-film screenings, poetry slams, a kids’ Art Yard, and more. National music headliners include Steely Dead and Seo Jungmin on Friday, and Andy Frasco & the U.N. on Saturday. Gates are open from noon to 11 p.m. each day. Single-day tickets and three-day passes are available at uaf.org.
June 29
Three big Saturday shows
Saturday night will be busy at the Salt Lake Valley’s arena-sized concert venues. At Rice-Eccles Stadium, 451 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City, country legend George Strait and neo-country star Chris Stapleton are co-headlining, with Little Big Town in support; show starts at 5:45 p.m.; tickets are available at stadium.utah.edu. At Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, 5150 S. 6055 West, West Valley City, not-boys-anymore boy band New Kids on the Block are the headliners, with Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff in support; show starts at 7 p.m.; tickets are available at livenation.com. And at Delta Center, 301 W. South Temple, stand-up comedian Kevin James is performing; show starts at 7:30 p.m.; tickets available at deltacenter.com.
June 29-30
SLCPride launches
The first edition of SLCPride, a grassroots alternative festival for Utah’s LGBTQ+ community and allies, is happening Saturday and Sunday, June 29-30, at The Gateway, 100 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City. The event includes live performances, booths with vendors and community groups, and food and drink for sale. The event runs from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5 for people 18 and older, and free for people 17 and younger. For information and tickets, go to slc-pride.org.
