How to Have Fun in Salt Lake City for Free

At the Clark Planetarium, free to enter and lots to look at without paying a dime

There are always posts about things to do in Utah for free, but let's be honest, they are things I could have thought up on my own like hiking or visiting Temple Square.  I have compiled a list below of things that you may not have known about.  These are things I have actually done and know they are fun.  But I will be honest as always and list the good and the bad about some of these free things.

1. Festivals

Salt Lake City is known for its festivals.  From Llama fest at the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork to the chalk festival at the Gateway, Salt Lake always has a festival in the works.  Here are a few I have personally attended.

Llama fest.

 This usually takes place every July.  Its been a while since I've been to this, but when I went with my husband we had a blast.  This is a free event, even parking is free.  My husband participated in the llama games where he lead a llama through an obstacle course, beauty pageant and race.  There was live music, food, and you can tour the temple of course.  While I did not have kids when I went, I think my kids would enjoy this very much. This earns a 7 out of 10 for me.  The Krishna temple is best known for the festival of colors where you throw chalk at each other, but I have not actually attended that, so I could not rate it.

Chalk festival.

 This happens every June at the Gateway.  This is a free event, but if you park in the parking garage and stay more than an hour you have to pay for parking.   The chalk festival is when artist from around the state draw chalk drawings on the street.  You can vote on them or just enjoy them.  There is a different theme every year and it is fun to see how the artist interpret the theme. I have taken my kids and they loved it.  They enjoyed seeing characters they recognized (there is always a lot of Disney and other recognizable cartoon characters) and thought it was fun to walk around outside on a nice summer night.  I give this a 6 out of 10.

Sundance Film Festival.

  I cannot forget one of the most famous festivals in Utah!  You do not have to spend money to go to the Sundance Film Festival, if you do not get tickets to one of the movies you can always go to Park City and be part of the happenings.  I went to the Sundance festival one year and did just that.  My husband and I drove out to Park City without a plan, we just wanted to walk around, be in the atmosphere and hope we spotted someone famous!   We did see Fifty Cent and a free movie while we were there, nothing I really understood, but it was part of the experience.  We had fun, but I do not think my kids would have enjoyed it, they are two right now and walking around in the snow on a crowded sidewalk is not really their thing.  I give this a 4 out of 10, seeing a "real" Sundance Film would definitely change my opinion.

Living Tradiations Festival.

 This is a really fun festival held every May at Pioneer Park.  There are food carts, crafts for sale, performances and games all from different cultures around the world.  I have been once with kids and once without.  While the time we went without kids was a lot less stressful, I had a good time with the kids.  They enjoyed the different performances we saw and loved walking around seeing the crafts and activities around the park. If you are looking for something that has a vast variety of different cultures all in one place, this is a great festival and once again, it is completely free.  If you attend on Saturday even parking is free down town.  The food and crafts of course cost money, and while it is always an adventure to try food from other cultures you do not have to spend money if you do not want to.  I give this an 8 out of 10.

Japan Festival. 

 This is usually in April and takes place down town.  Again it is free, although sometimes parking down town does cost money.  The Japan Festival has crafts and food for sale, but also performances.  There are two different stages and one usually has more martial arts and the other has dance performances.  We went with the kids last year and they loved seeing all the people dressed up as Anime characters and traditional Japanese dress.  We did not stay longer than an hour however as it was pretty hot with no shade, and very crowded.  I give this a 4 out of 10.

There are several other festivals that take place throughout the year such as the Brazilian festival, Asian festival, Greek festival, Swiss Days and arts festival but I have not attended them yet.  We are planning to go to the Scandinavian festival in Ephraim this year, I will have to report on that.

2. Free Days.

When I say free days I mean the days throughout the year where places that usually charge admissions are free for a day.  Places such as the zoo, aquarium, natural history museum, etc.  This is a great opportunity to visit a place that you may not be able to afford otherwise.  I will warn you however these days are EXTREMELY crowded.  Like parking down the block because every spot is full crowded.   My husband, kids and I recently went to the new Living Planet Aquarium to a private party that was free for guests.  Besides the people attending the party there were also paying people attending the museum.  The line for the paying people was all the way out the door and almost to the parking lot.  It was so crowded we could barely make our way through the crowds to see the exhibits.  We had to wait in line to let the kids touch the stingrays and we finally just left after going to only one part of the aquarium.  In my opinion it was not worth it.  I recommend getting a season pass to anything that you enjoy going to, that way after your initial payment is paid off, it becomes "free" whenever you want to go!  I give free days a 2 out of 10.  While it may be nice to save money, the crowds are not worth it.

3.  Real Salt Lake reserve games.

My family recently went to our first reserve game for RSL.   This is a completely free event, even parking.  The reserve team usually plays throughout the year usually at the America First Field, but make sure to check the above link for their complete schedule.  The crowds are considerably less than a regular game and the whole feel is a lot more laid back and friendly.  There were some people cooking waffles and pancakes that were asking for donations, but that was the only time we even saw any money.  There were even some star players on the scene to watch the game.  We saw two key players from the game the day before.  They were taking pictures with fans and signing autographs.  I do recommend bringing a lawn chair as there is no seating.  Even my kids had a great time and loved running around the field after the game was over.  I give this a 9 out of 10.

4. Farmer's Market.  

There are a lot of Farmer's Markets in Utah, but the down town Farmer's Market is the biggest and most diverse.  It runs from the middle of June to the end of October.  Of course lots of people go there to buy food and crafts, but if you do not want to spend any money it is really fun to just walk around and take in the local arts and talents the people of Utah have to offer.  Dogs are also welcome and there is a great playground for kids near by.  I give this a 7 out of 10.

5.  Local events.

Star Wars day at the Murray library

 Unfortunately I do not have a link for all the free local events that take place around the Salt Lake valley, but I recommend talking with friends, listening to the radio and even reading the billboards on the freeway to learn about events going on.  Just this month I went to a Jedi training at the Disney store, a Star wars themed story time at the Murray library, the Living Planet Aquarium, the Living Traditions Festival and a carnival at Salt Lake Community College all for free.  Some events happen yearly and you can plan for them, but others may be for a special occasion, but there is usually something going on that is fun and free.