Avoid the winter blues with these six must-attend events! From slopeside dining to a skijoring competition, you’re sure to find some excitement and fun.
Test Your Mettle in the Snow
All your pre-season training comes down to this—The Soldier Hollow Grand Tour challenges winter athletes to push their limits at a Valentine’s Day skate race. Participants can choose between three distances (3K, 15K, 30K), as they traverse SOHO’s renowned terrain and world-famous grooming. The top winning male and female of the 30K race will walk away with $1,000 and major bragging rights. A tamer option for cold-weather competition, Springdale is hosting the Zion Half Marathon on February 28. The paved course slopes gently uphill through some of Utah’s most stunning scenery and is rated a beginner-friendly race. Bonus points if you hit the park afterward for some rare crowdless adventuring.
Slopeside Dining
You’ll encounter a few canonical Wasatch Range tokens this winter: Proud moose, lost backcountry skiers, Chanel-clad Angelenos. You’ll also find yurts, lots of them. Inside the slopeside sanctuaries, chefs serve up delectable prix-fixe meals and indulgent wine pairings. The intimate affairs promise not only a hearty meal, but an adventure. Accessed by snowshoe, snowmobile or snowcat, these on-mountain dining experiences are a must-try this winter.
Nordic Yurt, 2002 Soldier Hollow Ln., Midway.
The Yurt at Solitude, 12000 Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., Brighton.
The Viking Yurt,1345 Lowell Ave., Park City.
Lantern Festival
WHEN: Through Jan 10
WHERE: Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, 12033 Lone Peak Parkway, Draper
COST:$13.95–$18.95
The Aquarium has transformed its outdoor Rio Tinto Kennecott Plaza (AKA the U2 stage claw) into a luminescent underwater display to outshine winter’s melancholy. Giant glowing octopi, twinkling schools of yellow tang and regal seahorses dazzle as you make your way through the aquatic dreamland. The entire experience takes about two hours to complete, factoring in time for pit stops at the many play areas and swings. Admission to the Lantern Festival is not included with a regular daytime Aquarium ticket.
Ballet West Presents: Peter Pan
WHEN: February 13–18
WHERE: Capitol Theatre,
50 W. 200 South, SLC
COST:$30–$113
Ballet West’s first production of 2026 reimagines the spectacular tale of Peter Pan. Featuring a whimsical score by Sir Edward Elgar and costume design by Broadway alumna Jeanne Button, the enchanting performance will transport you to another world of mermaids, sword fights, pixie dust and nostalgia.
Green Day’s American Idiot
WHEN: February 26–March 21
WHERE: The Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State St, SLC
COST:$89
Politically charged punk rock meets the dramatic storytelling of the stage in this high-octane rock opera. The community theatre presents a visual tribute to Green Day’s concept album American Idiot, a coming-of-age story following three young anti-heroes as they navigate love, adolescence and societal anxiety post-9/11. Powerfully blending music by Green Day, lyrics by Billie Jo Armstrong and topical subject matter, this striking musical is a can’t-miss in your winter entertainment calendar.
Utah’s Wildest Winter Tradition
WHEN: January 16–17
WHERE: Heber City
COST: $35–$1,200
Skijoring is a thrilling competition that combines Utah’s Greatest Snow on Earth with its Wild West heritage. Navigating a high-speed course packed with gates, jumps and rings, a horse, rider and skier must work together to wow audiences and earn points to place in the final showdown. This year, the sport is expanding its annual event into a six-stop tour that begins in Heber on Jan 16 & 17. The tour will continue on to Logan and return to Salt Lake City (left) for the Championship Finals at the end of February.
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