Name: 2026 Holiday Pops Extravaganza
Start: 2026-12-18
End: 2026-12-19

Located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, Abravanel Hall is celebrated for its acoustical excellence and is an architectural icon in the City. The Hall is adorned with more than 12,000 square feet of hand-brushed 24‑karat gold leaf and its grand four-story lobby offers stunning views of the city. The newly redesigned public plaza complements the original architecture while modernizing the space. Abravanel Hall is also the home of the 27-foot-tall Olympic Tower statue by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly.[](http://artsaltlake.org)[Upcoming events at Abravanel Hall](https://artsaltlake.org/events/abravanel-hall/)[.](http://artsaltlake.org)

Maurice Abravanel Hall

Located across from Temple Square and other tourist attractions, City Creek Center offers a mix of luxury retailers, unique-to-market stores and trusted brands, from Louis Vuitton, Coach, Kendra Scott and Tiffany & Co. to Salomon and Lululemon, as well as Nordstrom and Macy's. City Creek Center also offers a variety of dining options, including Brio Tuscan Grille and a food court with 12 distinct eateries, including local favorites such as A Taste of Red Iguana and Bocata.

City Creek Center is a must-see attraction, with a fully tractable glass roof that opens and closes, unique to any shopping center in the United States. A pedestrian sky bridge over Main Street unifies the center on two city blocks. Water features include a creek that runs through the center, a fish pond with local trout and waterfalls. The America First Credit Union Fountain offers hourly shows and feature shows with three choreographed songs at 7 pm and 9 pm. Fire elements are added to the fountain shows after dusk.

Visitors to Salt Lake City can receive a complimentary Passport to Shopping which includes offers from over 60 stores and restaurants. An exclusive gift with purchase is available for those who spend $150 or more in the same day. Receive your [Passport to Shopping](https://shopcitycreekcenter.com/pages/passport-to-shopping) at the Customer Service Desk on Level 1 near Macy's.

City Creek Center

Temple Square is a center of history and worship for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, Temple Square features five city blocks of historic sites, engaging exhibits, and wholesome activities centered on the Church’s mission to worship Jesus Christ and serve God’s children. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers Temple Square tours, museum services, libraries, and live performances. Come enjoy beautiful gardens, majestic architecture, and the peace and reverence of this iconic space of worship.

The iconic Salt Lake Temple is opening its doors for a rare public open house from April 5 to October 1, 2027, inviting visitors from around the world to step inside one of Utah’s most celebrated landmarks. [Learn more about the Salt Lake Temple Celebration](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/temple-square-2027/)

Historic Temple Square

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, presents six galleries of rotating exhibitions featuring local, national, and international artists whose work explores the ideas and issues of our time. From innovative art education programs to community-focused events and an acclaimed artist residency, the museum offers engaging opportunities for visitors of all ages to experience contemporary art, connect with artists, and be part of Utah’s creative community. [Learn more here.](https://utahmoca.org/)

Current Exhibitions:

***Something from Everything***

Discover *Something From Everything*, an exhibition that celebrates the limitless possibilities of sculpture today. From everyday objects to unexpected materials, artists transform the familiar into something entirely new—inviting visitors to see how meaning shifts when items are reimagined, remade, and recontextualized. With works that spark curiosity, highlight play and process, and explore connections to history, memory, and culture, the exhibition shows how even the most ordinary materials can tell extraordinary stories. Families and visitors of all ages can experience the joy of experimentation and the power of creativity in this engaging exploration of sculpture.

**Elizabeth Malaska: 2025 Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting**

Enter the dreamlike world of Elizabeth Malaska, winner of the 2025 Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting. In her striking paintings, figures emerge, dissolve, and transform—moving between the everyday and the mythic, the ordinary and the uncanny. Drawing on traditions of Surrealism and magic realism, Malaska reimagines the body as fluid and multiple, revealing it as both vulnerable and powerful. Her work invites visitors to experience painting as a space of transformation, where ruptures open new possibilities and where tenderness and resistance coexist.

**William Cobbing: Inner Horizon**

*Inner Horizon* is the first U.S. solo exhibition by London-based artist William Cobbing, commissioned by the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. Through a multi-channel video installation filmed across Utah’s desert landscapes, Cobbing transforms the act of looking into a dialogue with the land. Wearing sculptural clay headpieces—one mirrored, one cave-like—he captures shifting skies, textured rock formations, and the passage of geologic time. The result is a meditative encounter where human perception and natural terrain blur together, inviting visitors to experience the landscape not as backdrop, but as collaborator.

**Kellie Bornhoft: Touchstone**

*Touchstone* invites visitors to reflect on the deep connection between the human body and the Earth itself. Artist Bornhoft embeds sixteen essential minerals—present in both our bodies and in the planet—into large resin panels shaped like slices of rock, echoing geological methods of revealing what lies within. Accompanied by video projections, poetic text, hand-drawn animations, and an immersive soundscape, the installation blurs the line between human and mineral, reminding us that our bodies are made of the same matter as the landscapes we inhabit.

**Al Denyer: Shifting Terrain; Mapping Place**

In *Shifting Terrain, Mapping Place*, artist Al Denyer explores how maps shape the way we picture and understand landscapes. Using the familiar lines of cartography alongside digital mapping glitches, Denyer transforms errors in technology into uncanny new terrains—warped hillsides, false rocks, and places that exist only on the screen. By blending the real and the imagined, her work invites visitors to reflect on how both precision and imperfection shape our sense of place and the stories we tell about the land.

Included in these Attractions Passes:

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

Creating music that connects and inspires. Producing year-round classical, chamber, pops, family, and opera at Abravanel Hall, Capitol Theatre, Sundance, and Deer Valley. Be Moved.

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera

Squatters has been creating award-winning cuisine and beer since 1989. Featuring daily specials and traditional pub favorites such as bacon topped meatloaf and a delicious array of burgers, and of course award-winning craft beer, Squatters is Salt Lake's premier brew pub. We offer lunch, dinner, late night dining and weekend brunch with private event space available that can accommodate from 30 - 450 guests. Our purchasing philosophy is to procure locally produced products and support local companies whenever possible.

Included in the Salt Lake Brewery Pass

Squatters Downtown Salt Lake

Come visit the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Museum. Located in the northwest corner of City Creek Mall (99 W So. Temple, Suite 102 - mall level of the Condo tower and open M-S 11:00 am to 7:00 pm), it preserves the state’s sports heritage through fun interactive displays and memorabilia from former Olympians, athletes and coaches. Admission is FREE for all! Request a FREE players card during your visit. Follow us on facebook @utahsportshallofame, twitter @UtahSportsHOF or online at utahsportshalloffame.org for more details.

City Creek offers first 2 hours free [parking](https://shopcitycreekcenter.com/visit-hours/mall-parking/).

[Upcoming events](https://shopcitycreekcenter.com/events) at City Creek!

Utah Sports Hall of Fame Museum

Now open and located inside the Visit Salt Lake Visitors Center! We champion local makers. We love local. We love small. Salt & Honey is proud to be run by two female entrepreneurs with a common goal—to help other creative professionals establish their own successful local shops. Established in 2015, Salt & Honey is going into its 7th year with incredible growth and delightful relationships. Interested in becoming a part of the magic? Apply to be vendor, come to our next makers market, workshop, or event!

Salt & Honey Market

**Bring the whole family for free, fun, engaging, interactive family history experiences. Here are just a few of the fun things for families at the Library:**

- Discover, picture, and record your story
- See yourself in the clothing of an ancestor
- Gather the whole family for a photo with various backdrops
- Search for your family while you watch the kids in the play area

You can also:

- Get help from our experienced staff members
- Learn how to use records from all over the world with classes and webinars
- Bring your photos and use our digital photo and slide scanners to organize your pictures
- For more information about the library see http://bit.ly/slcfhl
- Where can you park? Link to parking map http://bit.ly/2fCVoxI

FamilySearch Library

Join us on the 3rd Friday of every month from 6-9 pm (1st Friday in December), featuring a broad variety of traditional and contemporary art galleries across the city.

Find more details at www.gallerystroll.org

Salt Lake Gallery Stroll

Southwest Adventure Tours is a full-service Receptive Tour Operator that has the knowledge and capabilities to provide you with unique and personalized experiences. Explore Salt Lake City’s rich history and natural landscapes. Spot wildlife on Antelope Island, discover hidden gems on a Walking Tour, or cruise the city on a Driving Tour. Ascend to Snowbird, see the wonder of the Bonneville Salt Flats, or relive Utah’s rich winter sports history in Park City. For stargazers, choose between our Compass Rose or Antelope Island dark sky tours. With this diverse offering of tours, there's a perfect Salt Lake City excursion waiting for you!

There are many tours to choose from and are all easy to book! We are here to serve you and our highest mission is to provide our guests the opportunity to build lasting memories through creating exceptional experiences that will touch their *heart, mind, and soul.*

**From Salt Lake, we can offer day tours, multi-day tours or custom trips both private and self-drive.**

**Some of our popular tours from Salt Lake City include:**

- **Day Tours**
  - **Great Salt Lake & Antelope Island**
  - **Salt Lake City Walking Tour**
  - **Salt Lake City Driving Tour**
  - **Bonneville Salt Flats Adventure**
  - **Park City & Olympic Heritage Excursion**
  - **Antelope Island Dark Sky Experience**
  - **Compass Rose Dark Sky Excursion**
  - **Snowbird Summer Excursion**
  - **Hardware Ranch Elk Refuge Adventure**
  - **Custom Private Day Trips to Bryce Canyon or Arches**

- **Multi-Day Tours**
  - **Mighty 5 Utah**
  - **Grand Teton & Yellowstone Explorer**
  - **Yellowstone & Grand Teton Winter Adventure**
  - **Self-drive tours from Salt Lake City that are completely customizable**

**Visit our website at http://www.southwestadventuretours.com for more trip inspiration! Or email us at *[sales@southwestadventuretours.com](mailto:sales@southwestadventuretours.com?subject=Inquiry%20from%20Visit%20Salt%20Lake).***

Southwest Adventure Tours

Located in the heart of Salt Lake City, Ivy & Varley are a pair of modern American restaurants/bars that indulge guests with an eclectic array of choice cuisine in a refined yet relaxed downtown setting. Led by Bryan Borreson and Vaughn Carrick of the Realine Group, Ivy & Varley represent all of the qualities that the hospitality and entertainment partners have come to look for in their own nights out – an inviting yet upscale atmosphere, a dynamic and consistently executed menu, and a commitment to great customer service. To these ends, Ivy & Varley provide two of the most unforgettable dining experiences in the city featuring downtown SLC’s largest outdoor patio, a contemporary and ingredient-led menu from acclaimed Executive Chef Bobby McFarland, and a thorough attention to detail in both ambiance and guest experience. Ivy & Varley have been thoughtfully designed as the perfect downtown destinations to enjoy amazing meals, great drinks, and create epic memories with friends and loved ones. While Ivy & Varley are situated right next door to one another and share the same kitchen, Varley is uniquely distinguished by its innovative approach to high-end cocktail culture without all the pretense. Maintaining the same modern aesthetic as its sister space, Varley is the perfect setting to share in drinks and dialogue for both the most discernible of cocktail connoisseurs and those simply seeking a cold craft beer or pour on the rocks.

Ivy & Varley

Visit Salt Lake

Salt Lake is the place where the Wasatch mountain peaks frame city streets. Sure, Salt Lake's famed for our winter powder ([four legendary ski resorts](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/skiing-snowboarding/) just 30 minutes from downtown), but that's just one season's story. Summer brings families [hiking through wildflower meadows](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/) before cooling off at a Jazz game or the Gateway fountains. Autumn paints our mountain canyons in gold, perfect for morning strolls that end at local coffee shops. Spring? That's when you might spot baby bison on Antelope Island before heading to the Eccles Theater for a Broadway show. Our soaring Wasatch Mountains rise dramatically from downtown Salt Lake, creating a place where every day offers both natural wonders and urban energy. And while we sit perfectly between the [national parks](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/state-national-parks/) with Yellowstone's geysers and Utah's red rock country, the real magic happens right here, where everyone can [discover the history](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/plan-your-visit/about-salt-lake/) of the city as they find their own rhythm between mountain adventure and city life.

Sports Salt Lake

Celebrate the holidays with a musical feast for the senses! Utah’s beloved tradition returns with orchestral favorites, festive classics, a lively singalong, and surprises for an extravaganza that’s more extravagant than ever. It’s a celebration of love, warmth, and your nearest and dearest during the most wonderful time of the year, with Broadway’s Mamie Parris as the star. Plus, arrive early and finish up your shopping at our holiday market, featuring hand-crafted delights from local makers. Give the gift of experience this holiday season, because the best memories are the ones you make together!This calendar listing is brought to you by NowPlayingUtah.com, Utah's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Utah Cultural Alliance.

2026 Holiday Pops Extravaganza

2026 Development Player League (DPL)

Elite Tournaments is an event management firm that specializes in youth sports with the ability to excel in a variety of platforms. Elite Tournaments can provide expert support in marketing, logistical preparation, scheduling, on-site management, and product activation. Elite Tournaments currently runs over 50 events nationwide. Please visit www.elitetournaments.com.

Elite Tournaments 

2026 Great Western Fall Classic

**Salt Lake City**

**Columbus Day Tournament**

**October 9-12, 2026**

**AA, A, BB, B | 10U-14U**

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Top Competition**
Play a guaranteed 4 games against top U.S. and Canadian youth hockey teams.

**Olympic-Level Venues**
Hit the ice at the Utah Olympic Oval and Peaks Ice Arena, both iconic sites from the 2002 Winter Olympics.

**Seamless Experience**
On-site photography, on-time games, and on-site staff, including sports medical trainers. Plus, no gate fees!

**Off-Ice Fun**
Enjoy vibrant Salt Lake City and stunning natural scenery between games. Arrive early or stay late and catch a Utah Hockey Club game.

Salt Lake Columbus Day Tournament (Utah Olympic Oval)

We are a full time Hockey Tournament Company that specializes in Full service, professionally operated Hockey Tournaments for Men, Women & Youth of all skill and age levels.

2026 Holiday Pops Extravaganza

Want to learn more about the area and event? Ask our friendly tour guide.

About 2026 Holiday Pops Extravaganza

Places to eat, shop & play near this event

Quick Links

Where this happens

Happening in Sports Salt Lake

Near Maurice Abravanel Hall