Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend and mark the end of summer with parades, carnivals, harvest festivals, and even a little bit of yacht rock.
In the late 1880s, Utah workers—miners and railroad workers in particular—suffered long hours, low pay, and dangerous working conditions. Labor Unions advocated for the eight-hour day we still enjoy, and staged parades to remind all Americans that working people kept the economy moving by cutting lumber, mining coal, or laying railroad tracks.
Contemporary Labor Day celebrations focus on barbecuing, swimming, rodeos, carnivals, and car shows, but there are a handful of legacy events that have been around since the holiday’s inception, including the Miners’ Day Parade, which is the oldest public celebration in Park City.
1. Learn about labor history at the Museum of Utah
North Capitol Building, 450 N State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84114
Hours: 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Mon., 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Tues.–Thurs., 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Fri.–Sun.
Cost: Free
The Museum of Utah opened earlier this summer and offers multiple floors of lovingly curated and often surprising exhibits (did you know the Frisbee was invented in Utah, and was originally called a “Pluto Platter?”). Managed by the Utah Historical Society, the museum gives visitors a look into the lives of early Utahns, including a figure central to American labor history: activist and folksinger Joe Hill. Whether you want to reflect on the lives of 19th-century workers or just want to dazzle your eyes with maestro Eugene Jelesnik’s dinner jacket, this venue offers hours of fascinating exploration.
2. Dare to eat a peach (or dance in mountains of bubbles) at Hurricane Peach Days
When: Sept. 3–5
Where: Hurricane Community Center, 63 S. 100 W., Hurricane, UT, 84737
Cost: Free
Are there peaches? Of course! It’s Peach Days. You’ll find ’em fresh off the tree, bottled, baked, and prepared in pretty much every way possible during the peach cook-off on Saturday. The weekend also offers three stages of continuous music, a youth rodeo, a carnival, a train room, a quilt camp, and a foam dance. Yes, you heard that right—DJs spin records while the crowd on the dance floor gets buried in suds fired out of a bubble cannon. Plan your visit by perusing this PDF, which lays out the weekend’s itinerary in whole.
3. Imagine life during the Pony Express era at Camp Floyd
When: Sept. 7, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Where: Camp Floyd State Park, 69 W Main St, Fairfield, UT 84013
Cost: $5, $15 per family
Camp Floyd was the place where, as the Utah DNR explains, the “United States Army, Mormon pioneers, stagecoach travelers, and the Pony Express” all came together in the 1850s. An under-the-radar state park, the site is activated during Labor Day Weekend for the History of Camp Floyd Day. Events include tours of the historic military cemetery, cannon and musket firings, exhibits, tours of the stagecoach inn, and even dinner—the site now offers food at its on-site restaurant, Beefsteak’s Bistro.
4. Experience the Islands from Lehi during Polynesian Days
When: Sept. 4–7, 6 p.m.
Where: Electric Park at Thanksgiving Point, 2650 N Ashton Blvd, Lehi, UT 84043
Cost: Varied costs for individual events
Polynesian Days, an event that draws 25,000 every Labor Day weekend, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The weekend’s events include live music, a sifa afi (Samoan fire knife dancing) competition, a Labor Day Luau, and more. The festival grounds themselves will hold more than 100 vendors selling traditional food and crafts. There will also be storytellers and live performances of traditional dances from all over the islands, including Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and New Zealand.
5. See some sweet ol’ rides at the Old-Fashioned Labor Day Car Show in Magna
When: Sept. 7, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Where: Magna Copper Park, 8975 W 2600 S, Magna, UT 84044
Cost: Free; $20 to enter a car in competition
Owners of vintage Cobras, Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers, and Model Ts (not to mention amazingly Frankensteined kit cars) have been buffing the Turtle Wax on their sweet rides in anticipation of the annual Magna Labor Day Car Show, a parade of classic and custom cars in Magna’s Copper Park. In addition to the car parade, the day offers a host of other events, including live music, DJs, and family activities in the park.
6. Rock the ’90s at the Iron County Fair & Rodeo
When: Aug. 29–Sept. 7
Where: Iron County Fairgrounds, East Clinic Wy., Parowan, UT 84761
Cost: Free
The theme of this year’s fair is “Rockin’ the ’90s,” which you can do by picking one or more of these 90 things fair organizers suggest doing (including “doing the Macarena” or “rockin’ a 90s outfit” … so dig out those florals, flannels, scrunchies, and whiskered jeans). Annual fair favorites include the Demolition Derby (scheduled for Saturday) and the rodeo (Sept. 4–7), but as this list proves, there are lots of other experiences to be had, including a Beautiful Baby Contest, the carnival midway, the parade, fireworks, bingo, tractor caravans, carnival rides, and a mud bog.
7. Odelay-hee-hoo at Midway Swiss Days
When: Sept. 4 & 5, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Where: Midway Town Square, 75 100 W., Midway, UT 84049
Cost: Free
For the past 79 years, Midway’s town square has transformed into a tiny Swiss village during Labor Day weekend for Swiss Days, a celebration of the town’s heritage. That includes 200 food and artisan booths where you can buy traditional European crafts or try braided Zopf bread. Performers include choirs, dancers in traditional costumes, and (of course) alphorn players and master yodelers. There’s also a 10K run and a Swiss Days Parade on Saturday morning.
8. See the “Running of the Balls” at Park City Miners Day
When: Sept. 7, 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
Where: Historic Main Street, Park City, UT 84060
Cost: Free
The Miners’ Day Parade is Park City’s longest-running public celebration, dating back to at least 1896, though possibly as early as 1884. It began as a labor parade recognizing Park City silver miners, and the event still tips its hat to the mining trade with a mucking and drilling competition in City Park, though other events are a little more irreverent. The day starts with a dog-friendly 5K, followed by a “Running of the Balls.” Contestants buy numbered balls, which are poured out of a mining-inspired tower. Then, all 15,000 balls roll and bounce down three blocks of Main Street. The first balls into the end chute are the winners. After all the stray balls are collected (and winners collect their prizes), the parade winds down Main Street.
9. See the biggest onions in Payson at Golden Onion Days
When: Sept. 3–7
Where: Memorial Park, 300 S. Main St, Payson, UT, 84651
Cost: Free
Payson held its first Golden Onion Days celebration in 1929. While there have always been onions, there’s always been a lot more. This year, that’s pickleball tournaments, a theatrical production of “Frozen,” a duck race, live music, a dusk golf tournament, a baby contest, a community treasure hunt, a carnival, food booths, a skateboarding competition, and a car show. And yes! There will be onions, including the largest specimens grown this season, which will be judged, put on public display, and then given awards. You can find a grid of the weekend’s events here.
10. Rock ‘n’ Roll all night … softly … with Yächtley Crëw
When: Sept. 7
Where: The Kenley Amphitheater, 403 N. Wasatch Dr., Layton, UT 84041
Cost: $32.40–$64.80
Like their namesake Mötley Crüe, Yächtley Crëw is an L.A. band. The group also has a singer, drummer, bass player, and lead guitarist, but that’s where the comparisons end. The Yacht Rock band’s lineup also includes two keyboard players and a saxophone player, because instead of smoking in the boys’ room, these guys are chasing that mellow breeze blowing through the jasmine of their minds. This year’s tour setlist includes adult rock classics like “What a Fool Believes,” “Ride Like the Wind,” “Steal Away,” and of course, “Come Sail Away.”
