Name: Salt Lake Book Festival
Start: 2026-10-17
End: 2026-10-17

Le Meridien Downtown Salt Lake City’s signature restaurant, Adelaide, is a modern interpretation of the French Colonial Cuisine that adorned Louisiana and New Orleans at the turn of the century. The menu’s approach to elevated farm to table pays homage to the traditional cooking of the South.

Adelaide

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

Specializing in creative American cuisine and thoughtfully crafted cocktails, Carson Kitchen sits in the heart of Salt Lake’s downtown dining scene. Carson Kitchen is built on a philosophy of reimagined comfort food prepared with approachable fine-dining ingredients. The restaurant concept originated in 2014, opening in the historic Fremont East district of Downtown Las Vegas, a partnership between chef and restaurateur Cory Harwell and his dear friend, the late Chef Kerry Simon. Designed to bring a carefully curated experience to our country’s unique & vibrant neighborhoods, Carson Kitchen features a contemporary bar, open kitchen expo counter, and community tables in an industrial yet inviting architecture.

Carson Kitchen

**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

Founded in 1997 in the heart of Salt Lake City's historic Italian and Greek neighborhood, Caputo's has become a Salt Lake City institution. Located in the same building as Carlucci's Bakery and Aquarius Fish Market, it is a regular stop for lunch patrons, and cultural enthusiasts alike.

Want to learn what makes bean-to-bar chocolate so special? Need to brush up on your cooking skills? Curious about bitters? Check out the calendar below for upcoming classes and events, click the links to learn more, and [sign up now](https://caputos.com/classes-and-events/)!

please email catering requests (including preferred Caputo’s location) to catering@caputos.com, and we’ll follow up as soon as possible.

Caputo's Market & Deli

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:

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Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

J Wong's Thai & Chinese Bistro opened near the end of 2009 in the historic Patrick Lofts building and just steps away from the Salt Palace.

- J. Wong’s offers downtown diners fresh and sophisticated Thai and Chinese cuisine in a stylish, contemporary setting.
- The menu honors the Wong family’s Thai and Chinese roots, and features traditional dishes such as Peking duck along with modern interpretations such as Thai Spicy Lamb plus an array of curries and noodle dishes.
- There’s a modern bar and full liquor license for the urban cocktailing crowd and those that want a drink after work or conventions.
- A banquet room for private parties and corporate entertaining with A/V at the ready.
- Open Monday-Saturday for lunch, and every day for dinner.
- Take Out and Delivery are available, order online at [J Wong's Thai & Chinese Bistro](https://jwongs.com)
- For large groups or reserving the banquet room call [801-350-0888](tel:1-801-350-0888)

J Wong's has been recognized since opening throughout the Salt Lake area and Utah as being the best Chinese restaurant and among one of the best restaurants around. J Wong's has been recognized with many since opening which include: 2009-2016 Salt Lake Dining Awards Winner. 2012-2017 Best of State.

J Wong’s Thai & Chinese Bistro

Lake Effect isn't your average bar.

Located directly across the street from the Salt Palace Convention Center, Lake Effect is one of downtown Salt Lake City's favorite destinations for great food, craft cocktails, [live music](https://www.lakeeffectslc.com/calendar), and nightlife. Open every day from 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM, it's the perfect place for [lunch, dinner, late-night drinks](https://www.lakeeffectslc.com/menus), or everything in between.

Known for having the largest liquor selection in Utah, Lake Effect also offers an extensive wine collection, rotating draft beers, elevated Mexican-American cuisine, and an award-winning cocktail program, all served in a space unlike anywhere else in the city.

There's something happening every night of the week, with live music daily, Jazz Nights every Wednesday in The Rabbit Hole, and DJs and dancing upstairs in The Church every Thursday through Saturday.

Planning an event? Lake Effect offers several private and semi-private event spaces for everything from business dinners and networking mixers to holiday parties, weddings, receptions, and large corporate events. Our experienced event team will help customize the perfect experience for your group.

For private events, venue tours, or more information, contact Connor Drazin at connor@lakeeffectslc.com or Chelsea Bryant at chelsea@lakeeffectslc.com.

155 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

801.532.2068

[lakeeffectslc.com](https://www.lakeeffectslc.com/)

Lake Effect

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

Red Rock Downtown serves authentic wood-fired specialty pizzas and elevated comfort food just 2 blocks from the Salt Palace Convention Center and 3 blocks from Delta Center in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City.

What makes our downtown location unique: we're in easy walking distance to the Salt Palace Convention Center, perfect for convention attendees who are looking for a unique local dining experience and craft beer.

Our wood-fired ovens create pizzas with perfect char and bubbled crust using house-made dough daily. Everything made from scratch: beer-battered halibut fish and chips, slow-cooked baby back ribs, gourmet burgers, homemade lasagna, pasta and more.

We're family-friendly with a spacious dining area perfect for business lunches, convention groups, and pre-game meals before Utah Jazz games. Walking distance from Temple Square, City Creek Center, and all major downtown hotels.

Family meal packages to-go and are perfect for taking back to your hotel—we'll even do curbside pickup, so you don't have to come inside. Weekend brunch available.

Last, but not least, we have been brewing some of the best craft beer in the country at our very own production brewery with more than 100+ medals from the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, and North American Brewers Festival. You will find 20+ beer styles available at all times.

Included in the Salt Lake Brewery Pass

Red Rock Brewing Company

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

Every great story starts with a beginning, and the Salt Lake Book Festival is ready to turn the page on its very first chapter. Join us on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City for a full day dedicated to books, storytelling, and the people who love them. From thought-provoking author conversations and lively panel discussions to live music and more than 50 local vendors, the festival is designed to celebrate the many ways stories connect us.It’s a gathering place for readers, writers, publishers, and curious minds—a chance to discover something new, meet the people behind the pages, and be part of a literary community in the making. This festival is for the person who reads a book every week and the person who keeps meaning to start. With a dedicated children’s space featuring programming designed for young readers, there’s something for every age and every kind of book lover. Wherever you are in your reading life, you belong here.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.

Salt Lake Book Festival

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