Main Street will close to all traffic and parking early Friday morning to accommodate the 2026 Park City Kimball Arts Festival, said event director Hillary Gilson. “We begin artist load-in at 3 a.m.,” she said. “The street will reopen late Sunday night after things get cleared up after th e festival closes at 6 p.m.” Old Town residents can obtain a special-event permit from the city, according to Gilson. “They need to contact Chris Phinney at Park City Municipal’s special events department to get that permit,” she said. “We also distribute Main Street-access passes for employees who work in shops, restaurants and galleries on Main Street. It is not for festival entry. It’s just for them to bypass the gates so they can get to work, so if they want to enjoy the festival, we do ask them to purchase a festival wristband.” The main reason for the ask is because the festival is the Kimball Art Center’s biggest fundraiser of the year, said Natalie Hall, the festival’s volunteer coordinator. “All the money the artists make through sales is theirs,” she said. “We don’t make any commission from those sales. We receive funds through ticket sales, and that money supports year-round programming including education, exhibitions and community events as well.” This year’s festival, which was pushed back a week to accommodate the Park City Extreme Cup soccer tournament, will showcase 195 registered artists who specialize in painting, sculpture, jewelry, textiles and glass, to name a few mediums, Gilson said. “We also always feature artists who represent the Wasatch Back, Summit and Wasatch counties,” she said. The festival also likes to recruit emerging artists, Gilson said. “About 20% of the artists are brand new this year, so we have some old favorites and soon-to-be favorites,” she said. In addition to the artists who have kiosks on Main Street, the festival will also spotlight the Kimball Art Center’s student artists, including those who are part of the nonprofit’s Young Artists’ Academy, also known as YAA, a Kimball Art Center program for teens who are seriously considering a career in visual arts, Gilson said. “We’re putting them in Miners Park at the Studio on Main, which will emphasize an experience that simulates being a studio artist at the Kimball Art Center,” she said. “(Festivalgoers) can go to Miners Park and see tons of creative artwork being done.” Attendees can also work with clay with a hands-on offering called “Wheel Try It” where they can use a potter’s wheel, Gilson said.  “We’ll do that on Saturday, and it’s a fun way for people to experiment,” she said. Another family-friendly offering is the Creating Station on Heber Avenue, Gilson said. “We have some great programming that connects to the Kimball Art Center’s current exhibit, ‘(Re)sounding,’” she said. “We will have two of the exhibition artists at the station from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, and they will interact with kids and parents on an art project.”  This year’s festival will also include programming with two partner nonprofits — the Wasatch Immigration Project and Live Like Sam, a youth advocacy organization. “The Wasatch Immigration Project will be on hand Friday, and Live Like Sam will do theirs on Sunday,” Gilson said. The performing arts are also part of the festival, according to Gilson, and the main stage on Heber Avenue will host live music. The site will also include a spirit garden where adults can enjoy drinks — thanks to sponsors High West Distillery, Ketel One, Moab Brewery and Old Town Cellars — at a bar run by Top Shelf, Gilson said. Those same sponsors are part of a new offering during this year’s festival, developed along with Top Shelf, Gilson said. “At the top of Main Street, we’re introducing a new program called Aprés Alley, where we transformed the parking lot into a space that has a wine-festival vibe,” she said. “We’ve added a large shade tent and five smaller tents that facilitate all the festival’s libations partners, including Proverbial Spirits, and each tent is designed to provide one-on-one immersive experiences for ages 21 and older. All of those offerings will be different from the offerings at the spirit garden.” The space will also include the Wasatch Stage for live music and six food vendor trucks — Istanbul Bistro, Sobe Eats, La Casa de la Empanada, Freshies Lobster Co., Vessel Kitchen and Piroshky Co., a Salt Lake-based Ukrainian baker — as part of the festival’s culinary arts, Gilson said.  “We worked hard to curate culturally different types of food, and those who use homemade ingredients,” she said. “We’ll also have our non-alcoholic drinks provided by Coca-Cola as well.” While the Aprés Alley is new, the Park City Kimball Arts Festival will continue a long-standing tradition: locals’ night, which offers free admission to Summit County residents, will run from 5-9 p.m. on Friday. “It’s the most fun night of the year, and there is such a great vibe and energy on the street,” she said. “It is the best time to look for artwork as well. Some of the best and biggest pieces are sold Friday night.” Registration for locals’ night is required and residents can do that through the arts festival website, according to Gilson. “Tickets are complimentary, and if you are a Summit County resident, all you need to do is input your address,” she said. Those who want a more immersive experience can purchase a VIP pass, which will include a limited-edition item as part of the price, according to Gilson. “It is a cool item that has the art of our contest design winner, Elle Donovan, who is a past YAA student,” she said. “The way we jury the design contest is similar to the way we jury our festival artists. The process is completely blind, and the only thing the committee sees is the design and artist statement. And I make sure to remove any personal information in the statement. So to have a former YAA student win the contest was really cool.” The VIP pass also includes drink tickets, food and art experiences, such as access to a VIP lounge at the Kimball Terrace, a private bar, bathrooms and a skybox view of the Main Stage on Heber Avenue, Gilson said.  “We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the festival this year,” she said.  The 2026 Park City Kimball Arts Festival When: Aug. 27-29 Where: Main Street Tickets: kimballartsfestival.org Web: kimballartcenter.org The post Kimball Arts Festival closes Main Street with a weekend of experiences appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less