This week + 2026 festival calendar

Cedar City Events

What's happening this week in Cedar City, Utah, plus the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Groovefest, the Sheep Parade, the Dickens Christmas Festival, and year-round community events.

What events are happening in Cedar City?

Cedar City, in Iron County, Utah, has events year-round. The biggest are the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (late June to mid-October), free Groovefest music in late June, the Saturday farmers market (June–October), the Livestock & Heritage Festival Sheep Parade in late October, and the Dickens Christmas Festival over Thanksgiving weekend. This week's events are listed below.

Last updated:

This Week in Cedar City

Events on now or starting in the next two weeks, updated with our weekly events refresh.

Looking for the whole region? See Southern Utah events this weekend or the full events calendar.

Cedar City Quick Facts

Location
53 miles north of St. George on I-15
Signature Event
Utah Shakespeare Festival (Jun–Oct)
Elevation
5,800 ft — 8–12°F cooler than St. George
Theater Venues
4+ professional stages year-round

Cedar City, Utah punches well above its weight when it comes to events. Despite a population of just 38,000, Cedar City hosts one of America's most respected regional theater festivals, a beloved Labor Day fair that draws all of Iron County, and one of Utah's largest Christmas festivals. The combination of Southern Utah University, the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, and a strong civic culture makes Cedar City a year-round destination for arts, theater, and community traditions that simply don't exist anywhere else in Southern Utah.

This guide covers Cedar City's major annual festivals, recurring community events, and the practical details — when to come, where to stay, what to expect — that turn a casual visit into a great trip. Most events listed here happen on the same weekend every year, making Cedar City easy to plan around regardless of which season you visit.

Why Cedar City is Different

Cedar City sits at 5,800 feet elevation — roughly 2,800 feet higher than St. George — which makes it 8 to 12°F cooler year-round. In peak summer, when St. George is pushing 110°F, Cedar City rarely tops the low 90s. Evenings cool into the 60s. This climate difference is a major reason Cedar City exists as a summer escape destination for Southern Utah residents and as a viable home for an outdoor summer theater festival. Winters bring real snow, which feeds nearby Brian Head Resort (35 minutes east) — Utah's southernmost ski area.

The city is also a college town. Southern Utah University anchors the cultural and economic life of Cedar City, hosting the Utah Shakespeare Festival on its campus and providing a steady audience of students, faculty, and arts patrons. The result is a downtown that feels more like a small Pacific Northwest college town than a typical southwestern Utah community — bookstores, coffee shops, theater venues, and a Main Street that comes alive during festival weekends.

The Signature Annual Events

Cedar City's event calendar is anchored by these annual traditions. Plan a trip around any one of these and you'll experience Cedar City at its most vibrant.

Utah Shakespeare Festival

Late June – mid-October

Tony Award-winning professional theater on the Southern Utah University campus. Shakespeare classics and contemporary plays performed at the outdoor Adams Shakespearean Theatre and the indoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre, plus free Greenshow performances, backstage tours, and play seminars.

Iron County Fair

Labor Day weekend (early September)

One of Iron County's longest-running traditions: livestock shows, rodeo, carnival, 4-H exhibits, arts and crafts, food vendors, and live entertainment. Brings together residents from Cedar City, Parowan, Enoch, and surrounding towns.

Groovefest American Music Festival

Fourth weekend of June

Free-admission outdoor music festival at Main Street Park celebrating American roots music (blues, folk, bluegrass, country, Americana and jazz) with food vendors and an arts and crafts village. It lands the same week the Utah Shakespeare Festival season opens.

Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival

Late October (2026: October 23–25)

Celebrates Iron County's ranching roots. The headline is the Sheep Parade, when roughly 1,000 sheep are herded down Main Street (2026: Saturday, October 24 at 10 AM, 200 South to 400 North). The weekend also includes tractor and horse pulls, cowboy poetry and music, a ranch rodeo, a Dutch oven contest, and displays at the Cross Hollow Event Center.

Neil Simon Festival

July – August

Professional productions of Neil Simon comedies and other classic American plays at the Heritage Center Theatre downtown. A perfect complement to the Utah Shakespeare Festival for theater lovers visiting Cedar City.

Dickens Christmas Festival

Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday–Saturday)

One of Utah's largest Christmas festivals — over 20,000 visitors annually. Held at the Cross Hollow Event Center with costumed performers, carolers, artisan booths, A Christmas Carol performances, Santa's workshop, and Victorian-era holiday entertainment.

Lions Club 4th of July Celebration

July 4

All-day Independence Day celebration at Main Street Park (200 N Main St) from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Free admission, parade, live music, food vendors, games, and community spirit. Fireworks launch from the Cedar City Airport after dark.

Upcoming Cedar City Events

11 current and upcoming events in our calendar, sorted by date

Now through Oct 24

Cedar City Farmers Market

IFA Country Stores Parking Lot

Now through Oct 3

Something Rotten! at Utah Shakespeare Festival

Randall L. Jones Theatre

Now through Oct 10

Utah Shakespeare Festival

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts

Now through Oct 3

She Loves Me at Utah Shakespeare Festival

Randall L. Jones Theatre

Now through Oct 3

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at Utah Shakespeare Festival

Eileen & Allen Anes Studio Theatre

Now through Oct 3

The Book Club Play at Utah Shakespeare Festival

Eileen & Allen Anes Studio Theatre

Now through Oct 10

The Greenshow at the Utah Shakespeare Festival

Utah Shakespeare Festival — Festival Green

Fri, Oct 2

Orchestra of Southern Utah: Magic in Motion

SUU Eccles Music Center

Oct 15 – Oct 17

Blithe Spirit

Heritage Center Theater

Oct 23 – Oct 24

Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival

Cross Hollow Event Center

Nov 26 – Nov 28

Dickens Christmas Festival

Cross Hollow Event Center

Recurring Cedar City Events

Weekly and seasonal happenings you can plan around without checking a calendar.

Cedar City Farmers Market

Saturday mornings, June through October

IFA Country Stores parking lot, 905 S Main St

Local produce, baked goods, honey, crafts, and food vendors. Free to attend.

The Greenshow

Evenings during the Utah Shakespeare Festival season

Festival Green, Southern Utah University

Free pre-show entertainment with music, dance, and comedy outside the festival theaters. No ticket required.

Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA)

Mon–Sat, 10 AM–8 PM (June–September) · 10 AM–6 PM (October–May)

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, SUU campus

Free-admission art museum with rotating exhibitions, a good anytime option between shows.

SUU Performing Arts & Heritage Center Theater

During the SUU school year, plus summer festival productions

SUU campus venues and the Heritage Center Theater, 105 N 100 E

Orchestra of Southern Utah concerts, university theater and music, and community productions fill the calendar outside festival season.

Cedar City Festival Calendar by Month

Cedar City annual events by month
MonthWhat's on
JuneCedar City Farmers Market opens (Saturdays) · Utah Shakespeare Festival season opens (late June) · Groovefest (fourth weekend)
JulyLions Club 4th of July Celebration at Main Street Park · Pioneer Day Heritage Festival at Main Street Park and Pioneer Legacy Celebration at SUU (around July 24) · Neil Simon Festival season · Shakespeare Festival in full repertory
AugustShakespeare Festival and Neil Simon Festival continue · Farmers Market every Saturday
SeptemberIron County Fair, Labor Day weekend (Parowan) · Shakespeare Festival fall season · SUU performing arts season begins
OctoberShakespeare Festival closes (mid-October) · Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival and Sheep Parade (late October) · Farmers Market wraps up
NovemberDickens Christmas Festival, Thanksgiving weekend (Cross Hollow Event Center)
December – MaySUU concerts and theater, Heritage Center Theater productions, SUMA exhibitions, and Brian Head winter season

Recurring dates follow each event's usual pattern. Confirm exact dates with the organizer before you travel.

Cedar City Events by Category

Where Cedar City Events Happen

Most Cedar City events are clustered in a walkable area around downtown and the Southern Utah University campus:

  • Utah Shakespeare Festival theaters (SUU campus): the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre, Randall L. Jones Theatre and Eileen & Allen Anes Studio Theatre. The free Southern Utah Museum of Art is in the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts.
  • Festival Green: the outdoor lawn for the free Greenshow during festival season.
  • SUU Eccles Music Center: Orchestra of Southern Utah and university concerts.
  • Heritage Center Theater (105 N 100 E): the Neil Simon Festival and community theater.
  • Main Street Park (200 N Main St): Groovefest and the Lions Club 4th of July Celebration.
  • Cross Hollow Event Center: the Dickens Christmas Festival and Livestock & Heritage Festival displays.

For restaurants, hotels and shops near these venues, browse the Cedar City business directory.

How to Submit a Cedar City Event

Hosting something in Cedar City? Listing it is free. Send the title, date, time, venue and ticket details through the SGWOM event submission form. Listings are reviewed before publishing and appear on this page and the Southern Utah events calendar. We refresh the calendar weekly and remove events after they end.

Theater in Cedar City: A Year-Round Scene

Beyond the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Neil Simon Festival, Cedar City supports an unusually deep theater ecosystem for a city its size. The Heritage Center Theatre downtown, the Adams Shakespearean Theatre and Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre at SUU, the Auditorium Theatre, and the Beverley Center for the Arts at SUU host professional and university productions throughout the year. Touring Broadway shows, classical concerts, ballet performances, and student productions fill out a calendar that runs every month of the year — not just summer.

Cedar Breaks & Brian Head: Mountain Adjacent

Zion National Park and St. George get most of the attention, but Cedar City is the gateway to two of the most underrated outdoor destinations in Utah: Cedar Breaks National Monument and Brian Head Resort. Cedar Breaks is a 30-minute drive east of town and sits at over 10,000 feet, offering a dramatic high-elevation amphitheater of red rock, summer wildflower fields, and ranger-led Night Sky Tours at Point Supreme. Brian Head Resort is just beyond Cedar Breaks — Utah's southernmost ski area in winter and a popular mountain biking and escape-the-heat destination in summer. Combining a Cedar City event weekend with a half-day at Cedar Breaks is one of the best summer trip plans Southern Utah has to offer.

Where to Stay for Events

Cedar City has solid hotel inventory along Main Street and I-15 exits, including Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Best Western, Comfort Inn, La Quinta, and several budget-friendly options. Vacation rentals through Airbnb and VRBO serve groups and longer stays. Book 2-3 months ahead for Utah Shakespeare Festival weekends — peak summer rooms fill quickly, especially during opening weekends and Labor Day. For Dickens Christmas Festival weekend (Thanksgiving), book at least a month in advance.

For a different experience, consider staying up the mountain at Brian Head Resort (35 minutes east). The mountain lodging offers cooler summer temperatures and stunning views, and you can easily drive into Cedar City for evening performances and back to the mountain for the night.

Getting to Cedar City

Cedar City is approximately 1 hour north of St. George via Interstate 15 — a straightforward and scenic drive. From Salt Lake City, Cedar City is roughly 3.5 to 4 hours south. The Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC) has limited commercial service, so most out-of-state visitors fly into St. George Regional Airport (SGU) or Las Vegas (LAS, about 3 hours away) and drive in. If you're combining Cedar City with Zion National Park, plan on roughly 90 minutes from Cedar City to the Zion main gate via I-15 and SR-9 through Hurricane.

Combining Cedar City with Other Southern Utah Destinations

Cedar City pairs naturally with several nearby destinations for a longer Southern Utah trip:

  • Cedar Breaks National Monument — 30 minutes east. Wildflowers, ranger-led Night Sky Tours, and overlooks at 10,000+ feet.
  • Brian Head Resort — 35 minutes east. Skiing in winter, mountain biking and cooler temperatures in summer.
  • Bryce Canyon National Park — 90 minutes east. The hoodoos at sunrise are a bucket-list experience.
  • Zion National Park — 90 minutes south via I-15 and SR-9.
  • Three Peaks Recreation Area — 15 minutes west of town. Off-roading, camping, and hiking on BLM land.
  • St. George — 1 hour south. Year-round warm weather, golf, and the Greater Zion Stadium.

Cedar City Events FAQ

What free events are there in Cedar City?
Several of Cedar City's best events cost nothing. The Greenshow runs free on the Festival Green before Utah Shakespeare Festival performances. Groovefest, held the fourth weekend of June at Main Street Park, has free admission. The Southern Utah Museum of Art on the SUU campus is always free. The Saturday Cedar City Farmers Market (June through October) and the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival Sheep Parade on Main Street in late October are free to watch.
When is the Cedar City Sheep Parade?
The Sheep Parade is the highlight of the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival, held in late October. In 2026 the festival runs October 23–25, and the parade is Saturday, October 24 at 10 AM on Main Street from 200 South to 400 North. Roughly 1,000 sheep are herded through downtown. Afterward, the sheep camps and tractors are on display at the Cross Hollow Event Center.
When is Groovefest in Cedar City?
Groovefest American Music Festival is held the fourth weekend of June at Main Street Park in downtown Cedar City. It features American roots music, including blues, folk, bluegrass, country, Americana, and jazz, plus food vendors and an arts and crafts village. Admission is free.
What is the biggest event in Cedar City Utah?
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is Cedar City's signature event and one of the most respected regional theater festivals in the United States. Running from late June through mid-October each year on the Southern Utah University campus, the festival has won a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors over its season. The Iron County Fair (Labor Day weekend) and the Dickens Christmas Festival (Thanksgiving weekend) are the next-largest annual events.
When is the Utah Shakespeare Festival 2026?
The Utah Shakespeare Festival 2026 season runs from late June through mid-October. The festival operates two main venues at Southern Utah University: the outdoor Adams Shakespearean Theatre (a replica of an Elizabethan theater) and the indoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Performances run in repertory, meaning multiple plays rotate throughout the season. Pre-show activities include free Greenshow performances, backstage tours, and play seminars. Tickets and the full season schedule are available through the festival's box office.
When is the Iron County Fair 2026?
The Iron County Fair traditionally runs Labor Day weekend each year — early September 2026. The fair is held in Parowan (15 minutes north of Cedar City) and features livestock shows, professional rodeo, carnival rides, 4-H exhibits, arts and crafts, food vendors, live music, and community competitions. Most events are free or low cost. Specific dates for 2026 are confirmed by the fair board in the months leading up to Labor Day.
How is Cedar City different from St. George?
Cedar City sits at 5,800 feet elevation — about 2,800 feet higher than St. George — making it 8 to 12°F cooler year-round. Summer highs in Cedar City are typically in the upper 80s to low 90s while St. George regularly exceeds 105°F. Winters bring real snow to Cedar City. The city is home to Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival, giving it a small college-town and arts-driven character distinct from St. George's tourism and retirement focus. Cedar City is roughly an hour north of St. George via I-15.
Where is Cedar City and how do I get there?
Cedar City is located in Iron County in southwestern Utah, approximately 53 miles (about 1 hour) north of St. George via Interstate 15. From Salt Lake City, Cedar City is roughly 250 miles south (3.5 to 4 hours). Cedar City has its own regional airport (Cedar City Regional Airport, CDC) with limited commercial service, but most visitors fly into St. George Regional Airport (SGU) or Las Vegas (LAS, about 3 hours away) and drive in.
What is the Cedar City Farmers Market?
The Cedar City Farmers Market runs every Saturday morning from June through October in the IFA parking lot at 905 S Main Street. Local growers and artisans sell fresh produce, baked goods, honey, jams, handmade crafts, and specialty food items. Live music and food vendors create a festive community atmosphere. Hours are typically 8 AM to noon. The market is free to attend and a great way to experience Cedar City's local culture.
Is the Dickens Christmas Festival free?
Admission to the Dickens Christmas Festival is typically a small per-person fee (around $5-$8) with discounts for children and families. The festival runs Thursday through Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend at the Cross Hollow Event Center (11 N Cross Hollow Rd). Some performances and special events have separate ticketed pricing. The festival draws over 20,000 visitors annually and is one of the largest Christmas events in Utah — arrive early and be prepared for crowds during peak hours.
Where should I stay when visiting Cedar City for events?
Cedar City has a range of hotels along I-15 and Main Street including Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Best Western, Comfort Inn, La Quinta, and several budget options. Vacation rentals and Airbnb listings serve groups and longer stays. For Utah Shakespeare Festival weekends, book 2-3 months in advance — rooms fill quickly during the summer season. Brian Head Resort (35 minutes east) offers mountain lodging that's especially popular during winter ski season and summer escape weekends.
What outdoor activities are near Cedar City?
Cedar City is the gateway to several outdoor destinations. Cedar Breaks National Monument (30 minutes east) features dramatic high-elevation amphitheater views and summer wildflowers. Brian Head Resort (35 minutes east) offers skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer. Bryce Canyon National Park is about 90 minutes east. Zion National Park is about 90 minutes south. Closer to town, the Cedar Mountain area offers hiking, scenic drives, and the popular Three Peaks Recreation Area for off-roading.

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