Visiting Cedar City? 10 Annual Events You Don’t Want to Miss
When people visit Cedar City, they tend to combine the area with its nearby neighbors, Brian Head and Parowan. The three favorite destinations are close enough to band together to make your Utah trip one for the ages. While the majestic scenery includes mountains that beg to be hiked, your trip here may be a little less “nature and creatures” and a little more “culture and creations.” And that’s fine, too.
Trying to figure out what to do in Cedar City, Utah, is more a problem of “too much to do, too little time.” With so many interesting attractions in the area, it’s easy to miss some of the local entertainment. Check out the annual events coming up in Cedar City, and be sure to add these 10 crowd favorites to your calendar.
1. Utah Shakespeare Festival
Founded in 1961, the Utah Shakespeare Festival was born from Fred C. Adams’ dream of acting on stage and an unexpected surge in visitors during the summer that year, who came to the scenic parks and sought entertainment in the evenings. Adams took his entrepreneurial spirit and love of acting, combined them, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival came to the Southern Utah University (then known as the College of Southern Utah).
Shakespeare was already a popular name in southern Utah homes, and the first season’s success brought the momentum that has taken this festival global in the 21st century. Today, the Cedar City activities receive national recognition and are now performed at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, located across from the original home campus. The center features three theatres, with a $7.5 million budget, which present different plays multiple times per year to more than 100,000 guests. In addition to shows, visitors also enjoy pre-play Greenshows, seminars, backstage tours, classes, workshops, and sleep-away camps for students.
2. Final Friday Art Walk
Don’t let the name fool you. The Final Friday Art Walk isn’t the last Friday it’s happening. It just means it happens on the last Friday of the month from June to September. This event is more than art, though. From 5 pm to 8 pm, Cedar City’s hotspots along Center Street and University Boulevard and Main Street to 300 West host a free gathering of artists of all mediums. You’ll enjoy live music, art viewings from talented individuals, and delicious cuisine (an art in and of itself!).
3. Festival of Homes
Iron County’s Festival of Homes usually takes place over Labor Day Weekend and the following weekend. During these days, visitors get access to some of the most beautiful homes in the area. Whether you’re considering a move or looking for innovative trends for your dream house, the Festival of Homes is always an inspiring and educational event.
The festival has been a popular event for years, with people paying ticket prices to receive the opportunity to tour private estates and gardens and explore the expert craftsmanship and design of local builders and landscapers. This event fosters community, showcases local history, and reinforces local identity. Dreamers add more ideas to their future home wishes, and homebuilders in process find local professionals specializing in quality work.
4. Cedar City Half Marathon
The Cedar City Half Marathon is the go-to endurance race to train those who want to run full marathons like the Saint George (held a few weeks after the Cedar City Half). This race isn’t for the faint of heart (or new runners) because of the high altitude involved. It’s a 13.1-mile closed-canyon course heralded as one of the fastest in the nation. You’ll descend from 8,408 feet down to 5,600 feet by the time you reach the finish line. Results are showcased on Cedar City’s Half Marathon webpage for previous years’ racers.
5. Lions Club: Rodeo
There’s not much you can do that’s more American than a rodeo! Head to the Great American Stampede Rodeo for two nights of excitement at the Cross Hollows Event Center (Iron Rangers Arena), hosted by the local Lions Club. Concessions are available.
6. Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival
Residents of Cedar City look forward to the Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival, and as a visitor, you get to participate, too! Come for the festivities, and you’ll be happy you did! Events include a rarely seen sheep parade, horse and tractor pulls, cowboy poetry and music, a Dutch oven contest, a vintage car show, arts and photo contests, and quilt displays. And, of course, what would a livestock festival be without a ranch rodeo?
7. Utah Wine Festival
Utah’s premier wine and culinary event, the Utah Wine Festival traditionally takes place in August. For seven years now, the festival has been the site of some of the state’s best wineries to show off their collections. You’ll also enjoy wine pairing lessons (and fresh popcorn flavors to complement them), a wine tasting and expert comparison, and mixologists who teach you how to pour the perfect drink.
8. Wreaths Across America
December hosts a more serious and respectful event to remember the fallen and honor the serving veterans. Check out Wreaths Across America to teach your children what freedom means. Wreaths Across America moves throughout the country to place Remembrance wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers, saying each name out loud to honor them. It’s an excellent cause to support!
9. Parowan: Christmas in the Country
Parowan’s traditional Christmas in the Country happens annually and includes a Downtown Lighting Ceremony, winter festivities and activities, markets, and food. Stroll the area and check out the beautiful decorations and scenic wonders that make Parowan such a popular destination.
10. Festival City Farmers Market
Festival City Farmers Market, taking place on Saturdays throughout the year, is a local tradition that has gotten so impressive, it attracts visitors, too. This Cedar City event is on 100 W Center Street. There, vendors sell high-quality artisan goods and delicious food. You might see live entertainment, find gifts for those hard-to-shop-for loved ones, or come home with something you never knew you’ve always wanted!
