Nerdy Stuff to do in Utah

FanGirling Around Utah: Utah is the place for fans!

People are often surprised to find out our fan-friendly Utah is, but even TIME agrees it’s The Nerdiest State in America. Since people always ask, here are some of Halvorsen’s favorite places and events to pull on a costume or bound a character throughout the year. So mark your calendars and/or maps to head out into the beautiful beehive state and get your FanGirl (FanBoy) on!

Want to find more? Visit nowplayingutah.com to find even more transformative cultural experiences across Utah.

FanX Salt Lake Comic & Pop Culture Convention FanX is an annual three-day event at the Salt Palace in SLC every September. It is THE fandom event of the season and worth the cost and effort; with vendors, artists, celebrity encounters, panels, cosplay competitions, and more. Visit https://fanxsaltlake.com/ for details.
Utah Arts Alliance always has wonderfully diverse and creative events and displays going on! Seriously, there are too many to keep track of, so make sure you follow them on Facebook for the latest and greatest updates. But do not miss the annual summer kickoff that is the Utah Arts Festival and Halvorsen’s favorite regular display, DreamScapes, at the Gateway (and while there, walk down the mall to the Urban Art Gallery for your local art and sticker fix.).Visit UtahArts.org for details.
Need to see a movie? Salt Lake Film Society is SLC’s nonprofit community art house cinema. But the bigger Megaplex Movie Theaters is Utah’s movie home with locations all over the west, Discount Tuesdays, $5 Reel Deels, and unique Movie Marathons and events at some locations. And don’t forget to visit FathomEvents to find unique and limited screenings nationwide.
What about the Renaissance? There are actually two Renaissance fairs in Northern Utah, as well as a huge, full-season Shakespearean celebration in Southern Utah. The Utah Valley Annual Renaissance Faire happens over a weekend near the end of Summer. In Ogden, there is The Utah Ren Fest in the spring with different themed weekends for a few weeks, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival is a mix of theatre and events at Southern Utah University in Southern Utah.
Dreamwalk Park in Provo is the latest addition to the Utah ‘MUST VISIT’ list. This interactive, quest-forward, immensely creative artistic walk-through is hard to explain and breathtaking to visit, over and over again. Visit https://dreamwalk.com/ for details and to plan your visit.
Heber Valley Railroad in…This short train route is fun and historic! And they often have themed events, including a once-a-year vintage photoshoot train! And honestly, all of Heber Valley is fun with their Swiss Days and theming, as well as the Homestead crater geothermal spring hidden in a hill!
Old Glory Historical Dance in South Jordan is almost getting too popular to mention! Want to learn historical dance like your favorite Jane Austen heroines? This is the place, and these are your people. With free classes usually twice a month at the community center and quarterly picture-worthy Balls four times a year, learn to dance with elegance and class. And if your passion for regency and historical dance goes beyond the two-step, follow on Facebook to connect with your peers, and you might need to follow the Utah Regency Society as well. Visit https://www.oldgloryhistoricaldance.com/ for class and Ball information.
Thanksgiving Point... all of it. From dinosaurs to butterflies and a museum dedicated to curiosity, a Thanksgiving Point visit (and Membership) is worth a try. Visit https://thanksgivingpoint.org/ for events and details.
The Hogle Zoo and This Is The Place Heritage Park in SLC are across the street from each other and have fun events year-round.
How about Theater? Seriously, Utah is packed with both professional and community theater options. And what is really fun is that, because of its…unique…clash of conservative and liberal values, you will see shows and parodies like no other place on earth.
- For Broadway tours….Visit https://www.broadway.org/theatres/eccles-theater-salt-lake-city.
- Pioneer Theater Company regularly has Broadway-caliber shows and performers.
- The Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City is just breathtaking, usually with a breathtaking view.
- Utah Symphony | Utah Opera: The symphony’s themed events and movies-in-concert are so much fun.
- The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a combination of theatre and events held at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.
- Hale Center Theater has TWO stages and TWO locations. Visit https://hct.org for Sandy, and https://www.theruth.org/ for the new Orem location.
- The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square constantly has FREE events and concerts to enjoy, including their weekly broadcast of “Music and The Spoken Word” each Sunday morning.
Need to LARP? Beyond The Gates is the event to get your LARP on now that Evermore Park is closed. And you might see Halvorsen running around helping out at the GamesAndThings Utah vendor booth.