Main Street closes to all traffic and parking at 3 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, when artist load-in begins for the 57th annual Kimball Arts Festival. It won't reopen until late Sunday night after the festival wraps at 6 p.m.
The closures extend well beyond Main Street. Heber Avenue, Swede Alley and the remaining surface lots on Swede Alley are all shut down from early Friday through Sunday night, according to KPCW. The Bob Wells and Brew Pub parking lots closed Wednesday, Aug. 5, two days ahead of the festival.
Southbound Deer Valley Drive loses a lane for the weekend. The road shifts to accommodate a dedicated bus lane, leaving one lane for regular traffic Friday through Sunday.
"We begin artist load-in at 3 a.m.," festival director Hillary Gilson told the Park Record on Tuesday, Aug. 4. "The street will reopen late Sunday night after things get cleared up after the festival closes at 6 p.m."
Where to park
Free parking with free shuttle service is available at the Richardson Flat park-and-ride, with buses running to and from Old Town every 15 minutes throughout the festival. Park City High School, the school district campus on Kearns Boulevard and Park City Mountain Resort also offer free parking with free public transit connections.
China Bridge garage remains open but costs $9 per hour Friday through Sunday.
Cyclists can use the festival's bike valet on 7th Street between All Sports Eyewear and Banhoff Sports.
Old Town residents and workers
Residents who live in Old Town can obtain a special-event permit from Park City Municipal by contacting Chris Phinney in the special events department. Main Street employees can get access passes to bypass festival gates and reach their workplaces, though the passes don't grant festival entry.
What to know before you go
The festival runs Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. (Locals' Night, free for Summit County residents with advance registration at kimballartsfestival.org), Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is $15 for adults and $7 for children; kids 5 and younger get in free.
As we reported Aug. 4, the festival features 195 juried artists selected from more than 1,200 applicants nationwide.
Festival organizers are asking attendees to bike, walk or take public transit rather than drive. All roads reopen Sunday, Aug. 9, after cleanup is complete.
