{"id":95509,"date":"2025-08-17T09:34:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T16:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=95509"},"modified":"2025-08-21T07:53:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T14:53:44","slug":"grid-city-music-festival-returns-for-its-biggest-year-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/grid-city-music-festival-returns-for-its-biggest-year-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Grid City Music Festival Returns for Its Biggest Year Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Grid City Music Festival is back. Now in its fourth year, the homegrown celebration of local music, art and community is gearing up for its most ambitious installment yet, spanning three days, nine stages, and more than 80 local bands. The event runs Friday, August 22 through Sunday, August 24 in South Salt Lake\u2019s Creative Industries Zone.<\/h4>\n

What started as a modest series of shows at a single venue has grown into a full-blown citywide festival, activating a vibrant but often overlooked neighborhood with the power of live music and street art. This year\u2019s lineup features all local artists, spread across a dynamic collection of stages\u2014from rooftop sets and brewery shows to outdoor block parties and late-night punk jams.<\/h4>\n

\u201cWe started with just one venue and a handful of national acts,\u201d says festival organizer Drew Reynolds. \u201cNow we\u2019re up to 81 bands, 10 stages, and it’s all local talent. It\u2019s amazing to see how it\u2019s grown.\u201d<\/h4>\n

The event is free to the public\u2014thanks to a host of generous sponsors\u2014and aims to showcase not just local musicians, but the businesses, artists and nonprofits that make South Salt Lake unique. The Creative Industries Zone, the festival’s home base, is an emerging hub of creative entrepreneurship west of State Street, between 2100 South and 2700 South. Our readers will know it best for places like Poor York Studios, Spectrum Studios, Workshop SLC and the more than 80 street murals found in every nook and cranny of the area. During the festival, many of these spaces become performance venues, mural canvases, and gathering points for the thousands expected to attend.<\/h4>\n

\u201cThe idea is activation,\u201d Reynolds explains. \u201cPeople might think of South Salt Lake as just a direction on the grid, but it\u2019s its own city, with its own vibe and a thriving arts scene.\u201d<\/h4>\n

Friday night kicks off with a rooftop performance by Jordan Matthew Young at Grid City Beer Works, while The Glitter Bombs and Terence Hansen perform at Pat\u2019s BBQ and Level Crossing, respectively. The official opening party at The Commonwealth Room\u2014featuring Gordon Greenwood, Brazuca Band, and The Kirk Dath Band\u2014is free, though tickets are required.<\/h4>\n

The diverse lineup was curated by Derrek Wright, founder of Tiny Porch Music and longtime advocate of the local music scene. \u201cEvery act is original and local,\u201d Reynolds says. \u201cWe don\u2019t book cover bands. This is about giving our scene a stage.\u201d<\/h4>\n

Rather than spotlighting a single headliner, the festival aims to create a shared experience rooted in music, community, and discovery. \u201cIt\u2019s less about standout acts and more about the vibe,\u201d Reynolds adds. \u201cBeing surrounded by people who love live music\u2014there\u2019s nothing like it.\u201d<\/h4>\n

Saturday features music from noon until nearly midnight across nine stages, with venues like Chappell Brewing, Contento Cafe, and Pat’s BBQ offering all-ages access. Sunday continues the music from noon to 9:30 p.m., closing out the weekend on a high note.<\/h4>\n

To make it easy to explore, the festival offers a free \u201cFun Bus\u201d courtesy of the South Salt Lake Arts Council, shuttling attendees from venue to venue with stops at Central Pointe TRAX station. Also new this year: a community bike ride through the neighborhood\u2019s celebrated mural art and local businesses, culminating in the kick-off party and late-night punk show at Salt Fire Brewing.<\/h4>\n

Grid City Music Fest also supports two local nonprofits: the Salt Lake Academy of Music (SLAM) and Heart & Soul, both of which use music to uplift and connect communities.<\/h4>\n

Looking ahead, Reynolds sees the festival continuing to grow\u2014potentially across more neighborhoods and genres. But the mission remains the same: \u201cTo lift up the city\u2019s creative spirit, year after year.\u201d<\/h4>\n

Free tickets and more info are available at www.gridcitymusicfest.com<\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Grid City Music Festival is back. Now in its fourth year, the homegrown celebration of local music, art and community is gearing up for its most ambitious installment yet, spanning three days, nine stages, and more than 80 local bands. The event runs Friday, August 22 through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-21-at-8.51.30-AM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-05 11:16:47","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95509"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95588,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95509\/revisions\/95588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}