SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Salt Lake City’s Living Traditions Festival will return beginning Saturday after it was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Salt Lake City Arts Council is thrilled to announce that we will celebrate 35 years of fostering the preservation and inclusion of Utah’s diverse cultural landscape through our annual Living Traditions Festival,” said a news release from Salt Lake City Arts Council.
“The Living Traditions Festival began in May of 1986 and has since become a signature event in Salt Lake City. With the unexpected cancellation of the 2020 festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our festival performers are thrilled to return to the stage and our craft and food vendors are eager to present their cultural offerings to the public with proper safety and health guidelines related to COVID-19 carefully monitored and evaluated throughout the course of the festival.”
In 2021, the in-person Living Traditions Festival will feature a series of free events and large late-night video projections, all of which will be presented at various outdoor locations throughout Salt Lake City. The events will kick off at Washington Square beginning on May 15 and continue through the rest of the month and into June. Featured throughout the month will be the Chase Home Museum in Liberty Park on May 22, The Gateway on May 23, the International Peace Gardens at Jordan Park on May 29, and the festival will come to a close on June 26 at Washington Square with “A Taste of Living Traditions.”
“In addition to the in-person components of our reimagined festival, digital streaming will be available for viewers who are unable to attend in person events,” the news release said. “This unique approach to the Living Traditions Festival allows us to ensure the health and safety of our performers, vendors, and our patrons. The digital options of the festival will include live streaming at all events, including our main stage, as well as online workshops for children and adults alike.
“This unique approach to the festival will ensure that every member of our community, and any person around the globe, can join in for our special celebration.”
Key components of the festival include main stage performances by culturally diverse groups and individuals. These artists will perform traditional song and dance representative of their cultural heritage. A food market will feature more than a dozen culinary artists, and this year’s festival will feature a new initiative of Living Traditions Presents, the “Living Legacy Video Series.” In this series celebrating cultural diversity in Salt Lake City, “individuals are celebrated as vibrant champions of preserving and promoting their respective cultures and communities,” the news release said. “These videos will be projected throughout the festival in the late evenings and are also available for viewing online.”
