Salt Lake's Annual Literary Festival About
What We Believe In
The Salt Lake Book Festival started with a simple belief: that the best thing a book can do is find the right person at the right moment. We built the festival to create more of those moments — live, in person, in the heart of Salt Lake City.
Every October, we bring together authors, artists, independent booksellers, community organizations, and a whole lot of curious people for a one-day celebration that’s equal parts literary event and neighborhood gathering.
This festival is a celebration of the written word and the voices that give it life.
We Want to Help You Find the Right Story
We are warm, genuinely excited, and deeply in love with stories. But we are not just a fun weekend. We have real roots in literature and a real conviction that reading should feel attractive, achievable, and within reach for everyone. The celebration is intentional. Accessibility is the mission.
We show up for the devoted reader hunting their next obsession and the person who hasn’t finished a book in years but is quietly curious. Both are exactly who we had in mind.
Built for the Salt Lake Local Community
The Salt Lake Book Festival was built from the ground up for this city and the people in it. We designed every part of the experience around a few things we genuinely believe:
- Reading is for everyone — every reader has a chapter one
- Reading is a celebration — we bring great stories and a real community together to enjoy the experience together
- Our community needs a space where we can debut local voices and writers
FAQs
Got questions? We’ve got answers — and if we missed yours, we’re just an email away.
The Basics
Salt Lake Book Festival is an inaugural literary festival coming to The Gateway in Salt Lake City on October 17, 2026. We’re built for the devoted reader and the person who hasn’t picked up a book in years but is quietly curious, and everyone in between. Think high-energy author conversations, panels, signings, a curated market, and a whole lot of people who love stories.
Saturday, October 17, 2026 at The Gateway Mall, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Some programming and areas of the festival will be free and open to the public. Ticketed stages will require a ticket for entry. Full ticketing details will be announced soon. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know.
We’re anticipating around 7,000 attendees for the inaugural year.
Absolutely. We want reading to feel accessible and exciting for every age. This is not an exclusive literary club. Kids, families, and first-timers are very much who we had in mind.
Programming & Authors
Expect author conversations, panel discussions, book signings, and intimate sessions across multiple stages, all programmed for a general audience, not just the literary elite. We have a 500–800 seat main stage, a 150–200 seat stage at Kiln co-working space, and a family-focused stage for young readers.
Author announcements are rolling out soon. Follow us on Instagram @saltlakebookfestival and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news.
Programming is split between ticketed and free events. We’ll share a full breakdown of what’s ticketed vs. open access when the schedule goes live.
The King’s English Bookshop, one of the country’s most celebrated independent bookshops, is our official bookseller on-site. Books will be available for purchase and signing throughout the day.
Getting There
The Gateway is located in downtown Salt Lake City at 400 W South Temple. It’s easily accessible by TRAX (the city’s light rail), with the Planetarium station right on-site, and there is parking available in the Gateway parking structures.
Yes, parking is available at The Gateway. More specific parking details and recommendations will be shared closer to the event.
Yes. The Gateway is an outdoor mall with accessible pathways throughout. If you have specific accessibility needs or questions, please reach out to us at hello@saltlakebookfestival.org and we’ll do our best to help.
Vendors & The Market
The Market is our curated vendor space, an intentional mix of booksellers, publishers, artists, makers, and food & beverage vendors who are already part of Salt Lake City’s cultural fabric. It’s a place to browse, discover, and connect.
Yes! Applications are open now and close on June 30, 2026 at midnight. We’re looking for vendors in the following categories: Books & Publishers, Art & Retail, Food & Beverage, and Food Trucks. Head to saltlakebookfestival.org/vendors to apply and review our vendor guidelines.
We curate intentionally. We’re looking for vendors who are already showing up for SLC’s creative community, people whose products, food, or art live in the world of stories, curiosity, and culture. If your brand belongs in this story, we want to hear from you.
Check out our full Vendor Guidelines page at saltlakebookfestival.org/vendors, or email us at hello@saltlakebookfestival.org.
Stay in the Loop
Subscribe to our newsletter at saltlakebookfestival.org and follow us on Instagram @saltlakebookfestival. Author announcements, ticketing, and programming details are all coming soon.
We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at hello@saltlakebookfestival.org.
Start Your Next Chapter With Us
Grab your tickets, explore the lineup, and start planning your perfect festival day.