The Utah Arts Festival for Kids ages 12 and under. This festival within the Festival is a happy place where budding young artists get their hands dirty, their wiggles out, and their imaginations stirred. Here young children collaborate with on-site sculptures, create make-and-take projects with some of Salt Lake’s most creative nonprofit organizations and play an instrument!
Kids Art Yard: Go With the Flow! Rivers and Streams
Come join us in the kids art yard to explore our precious rivers and streams! Become part of the cycle of water by learning more about our planet’s “arteries” while making some fun art. Play with and decorate the animals and places that live in and depend on these dynamic freshwater ecosystems while you get your creative juices flowing!
Some exciting installations that all kids can work on:
- A River of Critters: So many animals live in rivers and streams: bugs, fish, crawfish, frogs, turtles, and more! Decorate and design a critter and add them to our river.
- Boats! Boats! Boats!: Ever been white water rafting or taken a canoe down a meandering stream? Hop into one of our upcycled junk boats and add your own design to it while you are at it!
- River Friends: Water fowl and mammals alike depend on these water sources to build their homes, have their young, and feed their families. Look for river friends like ducks, geese, beavers, muskrats, and maybe even a moose in the Art Yard and paint them!
- Riparian Flora: Using common materials, you can make DIY plants that grow in and around rivers and streams and create a wetland garden!
Make & Take Projects
Every year the Utah Arts Festival partners with local community partners to make the Kid’s Art Yard a dynamic place of wonder for Festival-going kids.
Legacies Utah: Fish Cut-Outs
Children will decorate fish cutouts in their own unique style. They can use colors and patterns inspired by different cultures or create something that represents who they are. Each finished fish will be added to a large shared mural called the “River of Colors,” forming a collective display of creativity and identity.
Legacies Utah is a nonprofit multicultural performance group made up of college students in Utah County and Salt Lake County celebrating cultural heritage through dance and community service representing African, Asian, Latin, Native American, and Polynesian cultures. More info at @legacies.utah.
TreeUtah: Riparian Plant Crafts
Tree Utah will provide riparian plants and other natural materials for crafting projects such as grass weavings, willow rings, and magic wands!
TreeUtah strives to improve Utah’s quality of life for present and future generations by enhancing the environment through tree planting, stewardship, and education. Our Community Tree Planting program helps make our schools, parks, and other spaces beautiful and inviting by planting and maintaining large trees. More info at treeutah.org.
UMOCA: Fish Plaques
Make a famous fish based on our lovely native species! We'll use markers on wood to make our river friends.
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art works with artists and communities to build a better world. Since 1931, UMOCA has been a gathering space for artists and creatives in our region. Today, UMOCA’s exhibitions, art education programs, community engagement, and one-of-a-kind artist residency support local artists and communities while showcasing art from across the nation and globe. Learn more at utahmoca.org/community.
Utah Museum of Fine Art: Make a Riverscape Collage
Join the Utah Museum of Fine Arts to make a riverscape collage! Be inspired by abstract riverscapes from the UMFA collection, then imagine your own watery landscape scene using colorful shapes.
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is Utah’s premier visual art museum. The permanent collection features 22,000 works from antiquity to contemporary art. The third Saturday and first Wednesday of every month is always FREE! More info at umfa.utah.edu.
Utah's Hogle Zoo & Jordan River Commission: Ecosystem Bracelets
Utah’s Hogle Zoo and Jordan River Commission will host festival attendees in creating bracelet/lanyard art to represent the ecosystem of rivers and streams around us. Different colored beads will represent different parts of the ecosystem and when complete, it will serve to display how all parts work together to create a whole and thriving river and stream ecosystem in Utah.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo and Jordan River Commission partner to host conservation and restoration events in Utah’s backyard along the Jordan River to help preserve the local waterway and ecosystems.
Utah's Hogle Zoo's mission is to create champions for wildlife by making connections between people and animals to inspire action. More info at www.hoglezoo.org.
The Jordan River Commission a governmental organization created to facilitate the preservation, restoration, and responsible development of the Jordan River corridor as outlined in the Blueprint Jordan River. More info at jordanrivercommission.gov.
The Wildlife Center of Salt Lake: Origami Animals
Kids ages 5–12 will Go With The Flow through simple origami beaver, crane, frog, or fish creations in this hands-on craft at the Utah Arts Festival 2026, while learning how each animal interacts with each other and contributes to a healthy ecosystem. Participants will also receive a link to our website for a downloadable at-home craft and ecology lesson to continue the fun and learning.
The Wildlife Center of Salt Lake is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of native wildlife while educating the community about local ecosystems and conservation. More at wildsaltlake.org.
Wonderbloom Nature Playschool: Toilet Paper Roll Fish & Cork Sailboats
Kids can make Utah river fish out of recycled toilet paper rolls and craft paper. They are free to color their own fish and use glue sticks to glue on fins and eyes.
Kids can make small sailboats out of recycled corks, craft paper and toothpicks. They can then test their boats by floating them in a small vessel of water that we provide.
Wonderbloom Nature Playschool is a non-profit, state-licensed, nature-based early childhood education program for children ages 2-5 years. Children spend most of the school time outdoors, learning through interaction with nature. More info at www.wonderbloom.org.
Instrument Petting Zoo
Summerhays Music is happy to be returning to the Utah Arts Festival with sanitized wind and string instruments for children to try. No previous experience is necessary, as we will have plenty of skilled staff members to show them the way. Come ignite a life-long passion for music!
Summerhays Music Center is the oldest established family music store in Utah. Founded in 1936, our commitment to music education and quality products has made us one of the finest music retail stores in the country.
Fear No Film Kids!
Also, check out the Fear No Film KIDS! Program to view charming short films in the air-conditioned Library Auditorium.
- Kids! Program, Friday, June 18 @ 12:15pm
- Kids! Program, Saturday, June 19 @ 12:15pm
- Kids! Program, Sunday, June 20 @ 12:15pm
