As many as 30,000 people are expected to attend the 3-day Kimball Arts Festival this weekend. Hillary Gilson is the director of the arts festival and says once again, Summit County locals can enjoy free admittance on Friday night but they must register beforehand.
“It is still open to anyone who does not live in Summit County, they will just have to pay the full admission price,” Gilson said. “And if you are a local, just please register in advance online.”
Locals will need identification showing their local address. Second homeowners will need to bring a utility bill with their local address.
For those who purchase tickets online, the entrance fee on Saturday and Sunday is reduced from $15 a day to $12. VIP tickets are still available for $299 per person and offer unlimited access to the VIP lounge and all of its amenities, including food and drinks.
Some 200 artists will be set up for the opening Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“We have quite a handful of ones that have never participated in the Kimball Arts Festival before,” Gilson said. “So that's really exciting. We also have a really great lineup of local artists and emerging artists. And all of this information will also be available in our festival guide that's available at any entry gate when you first arrive at the festival and then at our info booth or any gate, you know, throughout the festival.”
At a minimum, 10 of the artists she says are locals living along the Wasatch Back.
Live music is also a big draw.
“On Friday night we have Fat Paw, who is going to be playing on our main stage right on Heber Avenue,” she said. “And on Saturday night we have Pixie and the Partygrass Boys playing from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on our main stage.”
A second stage, the Wasatch stage, is located at the top of Main Street. Food vendors will also be at the top of the street and two beer gardens are set for both stage areas.
The Creation Station will provide youth-centered activities all weekend at the Town Lift Plaza.
“We have some where you'll be able to create call-to-action buttons that you can bring home and wear throughout the festival,” she said. “We also have more interactive games where they kind of progress as the weekend goes on. So, it's going to be ever changing. And then in addition to that, we also have Studio on Main - we have two locations throughout the street. So, we have one at Miners Park and one connected to the info booth at Heber and Main Street. And on Sunday, I'm really excited about this, we're bringing back face painting.”
All of the youth activities are free but the Kimball does ask for a suggested donation, to pay what you can.
Parking is difficult to find in Old Town and comes at a premium price so Gilson suggests biking or parking at the high school and taking the bus.
“Park at the Park City High School and take the bus directly into the Old Town transit center,” Gilson said. “There will be a specific bus that will be running, you know, every 10 minutes or so directly from the Park City High School to the Old Town transit center.”
Volunteers are still needed and available shifts can be found online.
After Friday, the festival will run Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
