Salt Lake City's long-running Days of '47 celebration is back this month, ready to pack downtown streets, the Utah State Fairpark, and Liberty Park with crowds. The rodeo runs July 21–25 at the Fairpark, while the parade and Deseret News races land on Pioneer Day, Friday, July 24, with the parade slated to start at 9 a.m. Families and visitors can expect floats, handcarts, marching bands, and horses rolling along more than two miles of closed city streets, capped with a late-night drone show over Liberty Park.
Parade route and lineup
The Days of '47 Parade steps off at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 24, starting at South Temple and State Street and heading east to Liberty Park, according to Days of '47. Organizers say spectators can look for floats, bands, horse-drawn carts, handcarts, and costumed entries, and they are reminding everyone that Salt Lake City ordinances prohibit throwing items from parade entries. Veterans of the event know curb space goes fast, and viewers often stake out spots well before sunrise, since the lineup stretches across downtown and keeps rolling for a couple of hours as entries wind into the park.
Rodeo, fireworks and family programming
The Days of '47 Rodeo is set for July 21–25 at the Days of '47 Arena on the Utah State Fairpark grounds, with gates and family activities opening in the early evening and arena performances scheduled afterward, according to the Utah Days of '47 Rodeo. The rodeo FAQ lists the Fairpark address as 155 North 1000 West and notes that nightly fireworks are planned on the south side of the grounds after the shows. Parking at the Fairpark is first-come, first-served and subject to a fee, and the rodeo's ticket pages warn fans to purchase only from official sellers to avoid invalid third-party tickets.
Races funnel into Liberty Park
The Deseret News Marathon and its shorter races all take place on July 24 and finish along the Days of '47 Parade route at Liberty Park, with the full marathon beginning at 5:30 a.m. near Big Mountain above Emigration Canyon and the 10K starting at Research Park at 6 a.m., according to the Deseret News Marathon. Race organizers run shuttle buses from Rice-Eccles Stadium to the marathon start and hold packet pickup at Liberty Park the day before. They also note that courses close on a timed schedule. Runners are urged to plan extra time around the finish as parade staging and downtown pedestrian traffic build through the morning.
Float preview, First Encampment hike and the drone show
The Days of '47 schedule also features a Float Preview Party on July 21–22 at the Mountain America Expo Center and a First Encampment Hike that begins at Donner Park, per event listings on Days of '47. The hike wraps up with a small pancake breakfast and tours of the Wilford Woodruff farmhouse for participants. Salt Lake City closes out the holiday with a free Pioneer Day drone show at Liberty Park around 10 p.m. The city says drones have replaced traditional fireworks in order to reduce fire risk and to make the show easier to see from across the park.
Plan ahead: transit, tickets and safety
Drivers can expect road closures along the parade and race corridors and limited on-street parking. The rodeo's information pages note that TRAX's Green Line serves the Fairpark area and that fairgrounds parking is first-come, first-served with a fee, according to the rodeo ticket page. Deseret News race materials also advise runners to rely on the marathon shuttles from Rice-Eccles Stadium and to allow extra time to move through the finish area, per the Deseret News Marathon. For late-breaking coverage or any last-minute changes related to weather or scheduling, local outlets, including ABC4 Utah are expected to be on the route and at Liberty Park.
