The Park City Kimball Arts Festival is slated to return to Main Street in August after last year’s COVID-cancellation.
Scheduled for August 6th, 7th, and 8th, this year’s Park City Kimball Arts Festival marks the return of one of the city’s biggest summer events.
Even though last year’s festival fell victim to COVID-19 and this summer looked anything but certain, Kimball Arts Center Executive Director Aldy Milliken said the center began planning the 2021 edition of the event right away.
“Well, we’ve always been planning in the background, hoping that the world would provide sort of a different context for us,” said Milliken. “We’ve actually been planning this since we didn’t have the festival last year. Everything that we have to do, all the street closures, all the logistics with the city, and collaborations with all the folks that are part of this, like the artists, we’ve been working continuously.”
The festival still needs the final stamp of approval from city council later this month and Milliken said several changes have been made in order to mitigate any potential COVID-19 risks.
Those changes include increasing space around booths, limiting the number of participating artists to between 180-200, fewer beer gardens, and a daily ticketing system.
Milliken said the $10 ticket charge will go towards covering the costs of the festival, but also help control the size of the crowds on Main Street.
“That safety protocol, that ticketing system, is something I think people are more accustomed to now that we’ve been through this COVID situation,” Milliken said. “Yes, we are looking at sort of regulating traffic flows and the flow of people through Main Street.”
Friday the 6th is still planned to be a locals-focused day with free admission for local residents and homeowners. Locals are asked to bring ID or a utility bill showing residency or home ownership in Summit County.
Kimball marketing consultant Meisha Ross said early registration is encouraged in order to reserve a spot over the weekend.
“We’re encouraging everyone to sign up and register in advance, even if you are a resident here in Park City or Summit County, so that we can control capacity,” said Ross. “There’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to gain entrance if you don’t register in advance. As we all know, Friday night is always really popular with the locals and those ticket sales and registration will be available beginning June 15th.”
There will be no Silly Market or Car-Free Sunday on August 8th competing with the arts festival.
More information on the festival can be found here.
