Utah Arts Festival

What Utah Arts Festival does

The Utah Arts Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization producing Utah's largest multi-disciplinary outdoor arts festival. Founded in 1976 and operated from offices at The Shop (350 East 400 South, Suite 409, Salt Lake City), the organization stages a four-day annual festival at Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City; the 2026 edition runs June 18–21 and marks the 50th anniversary. Programming spans an Artist Marketplace with 170+ juried visual artists across 16 mediums, 200+ live performances across music, dance, street theater, and literary arts, 80+ short films in the Fear No Film program, 25+ food and beverage vendors, the BANDALOOP vertical dance signature on the Salt Lake City Library facade, hands-on workshops, an Emerging Artists program launched in 2022, a Kids Art Yard for ages 5–12, the Fine Arts Exhibition, and accessibility services (ASL interpreters, Aira visual interpretation, Next Day Access wheelchairs).

The festival is operated by a small full-time staff and Program Coordinators (including an Executive Director, Production Director, Technical Director, Box Office, Artist Marketplace, Performing Arts, and other coordinators), supported by 1,200+ volunteers and an 11-member Board of Directors chaired by Joseph Szurgyi; Executive Director Aimee Dunsmore leads staff operations. There is no proprietary technology platform of note beyond an iOS/Android consumer app, a POINT-based volunteer management system, and standard marketing/website operations outsourced to Third Sun Productions.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: ticket sales (general admission $18–$22, 4-day pack $70, VIP $85, free for kids under 12), food and beverage concessions, Artist Marketplace booth fees ($650 standard, $750 corner), culinary booth and electrical fees, corporate sponsorship tiers ranging from $1,500 Partner to $100,000 Presenting Sponsor, and a Friends with Benefits donation program with tiers from $50 to $3,000+. Approximately 60% of revenue is earned through tickets and concessions with the balance covered by sponsorships and donations; production cost is approximately $35 per attendee against 42,000+ attendees. Distribution is primarily regional (Salt Lake City and Utah), with the festival drawing 42,000+ attendees, generating over $1 million in annual art sales through the Artist Marketplace, and operating mobile, web, and social channels under the uaf.org brand.

Name

Utah Arts Festival

Legal name

Utah Arts Festival Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://uaf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Utah Arts Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit producing Utah's largest annual multi-disciplinary outdoor arts festival, drawing 42,000+ attendees to Library Square in Salt Lake City with 170+ artists, 200+ performances, 80+ films, and 25+ food vendors across four days each June.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Festival Events

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Outdoor arts festival
• Visual artist marketplace
• Live performing arts
• Community cultural events
• Nonprofit arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: General admission, VIP, and multi-day pack ticket sales. Approx. 60% of revenue comes from ticket sales and concessions.
2. Food & Beverage Sales: 25+ food vendors and beverage booths generate sales. Approximately 60% of revenue from earned sources including concessions.
3. Artist Marketplace Booth Fees: Visual artists pay a $650 booth fee ($750 for corner booths) to participate in the Artist Marketplace.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsors at various tiers provide financial and in-kind support, covering the gap between ticket revenue and actual cost of ~$35/attendee.
5. Friends with Benefits Donations: Donor program with named giving levels ($50 to $3,000+) that include ticket and access benefits, helping cover operational costs.
6. Culinary Artist Fees: Culinary vendors pay booth fees and electrical fees to participate in Food Row.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Utah Arts Festival produces a four-day annual multi-disciplinary outdoor arts festival in downtown Salt Lake City (Library Square) featuring a juried Artist Marketplace of 170+ visual artists, 200+ live performing arts acts, 80+ short films, 25+ food and beverage vendors, hands-on workshops, kids programming, and literary arts. Tickets are sold directly to consumers ($18-$22 general admission, $85 VIP, $70 four-day pack, free for kids under 12), with supporting revenue from artist booth fees, corporate sponsorships, and a tiered individual donation program.

Product overview

The Utah Arts Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization producing the largest multi-disciplinary outdoor arts festival in Utah. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 (June 18-21), the festival operates as a unified four-day event combining: the Artist Marketplace (170+ visual artists, 16 mediums), Fear No Film (84 international short films), Emerging Artists Program, Urban Arts Program (graffiti/mural artists), Performing Arts Program (125+ live performances across music, dance, theater), Kids Art Yard, Literary Arts, Fine Arts Exhibition, Street Theater, Workshop Program, Food & Beverage Program, and Accessibility Services. Supporting programs include sponsorship opportunities, Friends with Benefits donation program with tiered benefits, Big Deal Brunch fundraising event, OFOAM partnership, and volunteer program. The festival attracts 42,000+ attendees, 900 volunteers, and generates over $1 million in art sales annually. An official festival mobile app is available for iOS and Android platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Marketplace A juried visual arts marketplace featuring 170+ selected artists from more than 500 applications, representing 16 mediums including Mixed Media, Ceramics, Digital Art, Drawings/Pastels, Fiber, Glass, Graffiti/Street Art, Graphics/Printmaking, Jewelry, Metalwork, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Wearable Art, and Woodworking. Artists pay a $650 booth fee ($750 for corner booths) to participate.
• Fear No Film Festival A ticketless film component of the Utah Arts Festival featuring 60-84 international short films screened over four days in the Library Auditorium. Includes 11 categories such as Animated, Documentary, Narrative, After Dark, Kids, and Utahn films. Films are awarded by Grand Jury, Festival, and audience vote, including 11 award winners in 2026.
• Emerging Artists Program Supports under-recognized and up-and-coming artists to show their work and evolve their craft. Provides opportunities, resources, and a platform for artists of all ages, races, ethnicities, and gender identities whose careers are on the rise.
• Urban Arts Program Explores and presents new movements in art and music including street art, graffiti, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. Features live graffiti and mural artists painting on legal graffiti walls throughout the festival grounds.
• Kids Art Yard Free hands-on projects for children ages 5-12 featuring a yearly theme. Partners with 8 local nonprofit organizations to provide make-and-take creative projects. Includes the Instrument Petting Zoo with Summerhays Music. The 2026 theme is 'Go With the Flow: Rivers and Streams!'.
• Food & Beverage Program Features 25+ food vendors and culinary artists offering diverse cuisine options. Includes designated beverage areas with beer, wine, soda, and lemonade. Special lounges include Mountain West Cider & Wine Lounge and Locals Lounge featuring local breweries. Culinary vendors pay booth fees and electrical fees to participate in Food Row.
• BANDALOOP Vertical Dance Internationally acclaimed vertical dance performance that transforms the 240-foot glass facade of the Salt Lake City Main Library into a stage for aerial choreography. Returns for the 50th anniversary celebration.
• 100 Artists / ONE Image Community Mural Interactive community puzzle mural project where 100 festival patrons each paint a square to create a 20-foot tall collaborative artwork.
• Performing Arts Program Features 200+ live music, dance, street theater, DJ, and literary performances across multiple stages including Festival Stage, Park Stage, Garden Stage, and The Round. Emphasizes local artists with regional and national talent.
• Workshop Program Hands-on artistic workshops including Holdman Studios stained glass workshops (normally $85 value, offered free with festival ticket), Make Salt Lake tile decoration, and Secondhand Salamander upcycling workshops. Available daily during festival hours.
• Literary Arts Program Presents literary readings and performances by local and regional talent with emphasis on underrepresented voices. Features poetry, cowboy poetry, fiction, nonfiction, storytellers, hip-hop, spoken word, and comedy.
• Fine Arts Exhibition Annual fine arts exhibit in partnership with Salt Lake City Library featuring local student artists. The 2026 exhibition showcases the All-State Utah High School Art Exhibition with award-winning work from 11th and 12th grade students.
• Street Theater Program Features roaming performers including stiltwalkers, sway pole acts, and bubble artists. Includes performances by Voodoo Productions and Salt Lake Acting Company's annual comedic show.
• Big Deal Brunch Ticketed Sunday brunch event featuring pancake bar, omelet station, Bloody Mary bar, and mimosas. A fundraising event celebrating the festival's anniversary with VIP package options ($45 general, $500 VIP Package).
• Corporate Sponsorship Programs Corporate sponsorship opportunities at various tiers including Presenting Sponsor ($100,000), Gate Sponsors ($25,000+), Stage Sponsors ($10,000+), Program Sponsors ($10,000+), Activation Sponsors ($5,000+), and Partner Sponsors ($1,500).
• Friends with Benefits Donation Program Donation program with tiered benefits including Friend ($50), Admirer ($100), Groupie ($250), Enthusiast ($500), Fanatic ($1,000), Super Fan ($2,000), and Best Friend ($3,000+). Includes VIP patio access and exclusive experiences.
• Accessibility Services Comprehensive accessibility accommodations including ADA drop-off, wheelchair checkout via Next Day Access, designated viewing areas at each stage, ASL interpreters at selected performances, Aira visual interpretation service, and accessible restroom facilities.
• Filmmaker Submission Program Film submission program for Fear No Film with 11 categories including Animated, BIPOC, Comedy, Documentary, Dramatic, Experimental, Genre, Kids, Microshort, Utahn, and LGBTQ+ shorts. Features submission deadlines and jury selection process.
• Demonstrating Artists Program Invites artists to demonstrate their artistic talents live at the festival. Attendees can watch the creative process, learn about new mediums, and interact with artists at work.
• Dance Program Features Utah's dance scene with performances by professional companies including Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, 1520 Arts, and Red Bull Dance Your Style competitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42,000+ attendees annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music (OFOAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with OFOAM, organizers of the Ogden Music Festival, to spotlight Utah's best emerging artists as 'Tweeners' on the Festival Stage. Top two vote-getters from Ogden Music Festival Tweener showcase perform at the Utah Arts Festival. Renée Mackin and Emily Cox (The Butch Cassidies) performed at the 2026 festival.
• Holdman StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with Holdman Studios, internationally renowned stained glass studio, to offer free 90-minute workshops for festival patrons to create their own stained glass piece commemorating the 50th anniversary. Normally an $85 value, workshops are offered free with festival ticket purchase.
• BANDALOOPflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Internationally acclaimed vertical dance pioneers BANDALOOP return to the Utah Arts Festival for its 50th anniversary. The company performs on the 240-foot glass façade of the Salt Lake City Main Library, a signature site-specific spectacle that has become one of the festival's most beloved experiences.
• WasteLess SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership to redirect food remaining at the end of each festival day, reducing food waste and delivering meals to community members dealing with food insecurity. Aligns with the festival's eARTh Team environmental program.
• Advantage ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Advantage Services, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing employment for people with mental health and life challenges, staffs the eARTh Team with 70%+ of workforce having a disability and 80% living in Low to Moderate Income levels.
• Job CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Job Corps provides education and practical work experience to young people while supplying the skilled labor needed to raise and strike the festival infrastructure. Supports the major programming through physical setup and teardown.
• Kids Art Yard Nonprofit Partners (Legacies Utah, TreeUtah, UMOCA, UMFA, Hogle Zoo, Jordan River Commission, Wildlife Center of Salt Lake, Wonderbloom Nature Playschool)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with 8 local nonprofit organizations to provide free make-and-take projects for children ages 5-12 in the Kids Art Yard. Each organization receives a 10'x10' tent, tables, chairs, passes, and a $600 stipend. 2026 theme: 'Go With the Flow: Rivers and Streams!'
• Salt Lake County ZAPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Salt Lake County ZAP (Zoning, Administration, and Planning) is a sustaining sponsor supporting the festival's production and community programming.
• Utah Division of Arts and MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Utah Division of Arts and Museums is a sustaining sponsor supporting the festival as a key arts and cultural event in Utah.
• National Endowment for the ArtsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026National Endowment for the Arts is a sustaining sponsor of the festival, supporting arts programming at the national level.
• Voodoo ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Street theater troupe returning for the 2026 festival to provide interactive performances including stiltwalkers, sway pole acts, and bubble girls throughout the festival grounds.
• 1520 ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Long-time partner bringing unique hip-hop and street culture programming to the Round stage nightly, including battles, dance competitions, and performances including Sol Tribe, Red Bull Dance Your Style, and Rep Your Set Choreo Competition.
• Repertory Dance TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Professional dance company celebrating its 60th anniversary; performs modern dance at the 2026 festival.
• Ririe-Woodbury Dance CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Utah's most established institution for contemporary dance; performs at the 2026 festival as part of the local dance program.
• Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Premier professional theatre company in Utah; performs two shows of their Summer Show at the Festival Stage as part of street theater programming.
• Next Day AccessminorOthers · 1 January 2026Provides wheelchairs for use during festival visits; available on first-come first-served basis at all box office locations free of charge for patrons with mobility needs.
• AiraminorOthers · 1 January 2026Accommodation tool providing access to visual information from human visual interpreters via smartphone app; offered free at Library Square for the entire festival for patrons who are blind or have low vision.
• Summerhays Music CenterminorOthers · 1 January 2026Utah's oldest established family music store (est. 1936) provides sanitized wind and string instruments for the Instrument Petting Zoo in the Kids Art Yard, allowing children to try instruments at no charge.
• Red Bull Dance Your StyleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Global all-styles street dance event series with a unique battle format; partnered with 1520 Arts for Salt Lake City qualifier and finals at the 2026 festival.
• Salt Lake City LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with Salt Lake City Library to present films in the Library Auditorium (Fear No Film), host the All-State Utah High School Art Exhibition in the 4th Floor Gallery, and provide indoor restroom facilities accessible by elevator.
• Third Sun ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Marketing, PR, and web agency for the festival; handles digital marketing, public relations, and website operations for the Utah Arts Festival.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Sundance Film Festival: Annual multi-disciplinary film and arts festival held in Park City, Utah. Directly comparable as a major Utah-based arts festival; differs in primary focus (film-led vs. multi-disciplinary) and global prestige tier.
• Ogden Music Festival (OFOAM): Utah-based acoustic music festival and a formal partner of Utah Arts Festival (OFOAM x UAF). Directly comparable as a regional Utah multi-stage festival; smaller scale and narrower genre focus.

Direct peers

• Burning Man: Large-scale participatory arts and culture event with installations, performances, and themed programming. Comparable in arts-first positioning and community-driven volunteer infrastructure, though differs in operational model.
• Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival: San Francisco music, arts, and food festival featuring juried visual art, headliner performances, food vendors, and nonprofit partnerships. Comparable structure with a similar mix of marketplaces, headliners, and culinary programming.
• Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival: Multi-stage music and arts festival with arts programming, food vendors, and sustainability initiatives. Comparable in scope and reliance on tiered ticketing, sponsorships, and large volunteer bases.
• SXSW (South by Southwest): Multi-disciplinary festival in Austin combining music, film, and emerging media/tech. Closely comparable in multi-arts format, sponsorship model, and ticketed tier structure, though at much larger scale.
• Newport Folk Festival: Long-running nonprofit music and arts festival with tiered ticketing, memberships, and donor programs. Comparable as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts festival with strong sponsor and patron development infrastructure.
• Festival of Arts / Pageant of the Masters (Laguna Beach): Long-running California arts festival featuring juried artist marketplace, performances, and ticketed admissions. Comparable as a juried visual-arts marketplace plus performance festival with multi-tier ticketing and donor/sponsor support.

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: World's largest multi-disciplinary arts festival featuring performing arts, visual arts, and street theater across multiple venues. Comparable multi-arts scope and marketplace-style artist participation, though at vastly larger international scale.
• Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: Large-scale music and arts festival featuring large-scale art installations, food vendors, and tiered ticketing. Comparable in core format (music + visual arts + food + sponsorships) but operates at much larger commercial scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/utahartsfest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVJIifPZAdkWm2rwVfY_Vog
• Facebookfacebook.com/utahartsfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/utah-arts-festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/utahartsfest
• TikToktiktok.com/@utahartsfest
• Pinterestpinterest.com/utahartsfest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Utah Arts Festival