6 Best Performing Arts in Park City and the Southern Wasatch, Utah

For 10 days each January, movie stars, film executives, and independent film lovers gather in a mountain setting for the Sundance Film Festival, hosted by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. It's a chance to view the screenings of new, risk-taking documentaries, features, and other creative film projects from around the globe. Moviegoers can also participate in Q&A conversations with filmmakers, producers, and creatives after screenings. Participants can add their names to a waiting list even if shows are sold out. The festival is held at many venues in Park City, Sundance, Ogden, and downtown Salt Lake City, and there are music and culinary events as well.

Book your hotel months in advance. Skip the rental car and use the free shuttle. Park City's legendary ski slopes empty out while the filmgoers attend the screenings, so build in a day of crowd-free skiing.

Each June and July, the America's Freedom Festival combines a series of patriotic activities and contests. The event peaks with a hot-air balloon festival, the state's biggest Independence Day parade, and fireworks at BYU's 65,000-seat LaVell Edwards Stadium, dubbed the Stadium of Fire.

Held in early July, this festival allows diners and wine-enthusiasts to sample from wineries, distilleries, and breweries from all over the world and to taste delicious fare from the region's best restaurants. Educational seminars are offered, and the festival culminates in a grand tasting at Montage Deer Valley.

It's increasingly popular, and many events now sell out in advance, so plan ahead.

Held over Labor Day weekend, this is a four-day event that draws approximately 20,000 spectators for an extraordinary display of canine skill. There are also bagpipers, culinary treats, and entertainment for wee ones.

Each Labor Day Weekend, Midway's Swiss Days honor the town's original Swiss settlers with a parade, entertainment, and contests. More than 300 gallons of sauerkraut are consumed during the two-day event that takes place in the Town Square.

A 60-car demolition derby is the popular kickoff for the week-long Wasatch County Fair in late July/early August; a rodeo caps the action. Events are based at the Wasatch County Fairground in Southfield Park.