Outdoor concert season — and spring for that matter — is just around the corner. Among the most popular mainstays during the warm months is Salt Lake City’s Twilight Concert Series, begun in 1998, which has been held in Downtown’s Gallivan Center for the last six years.
But as the city continues to grow, what does the future hold between the beloved concert series and the Gallivan Center?
That dynamic was part of a discussion last month before the Salt Lake City Council during a Community Reinvestment Agency meeting, where council members invited Gallivan Center leaders to discuss the venue’s current status and future.
Councilmember Victoria Petro said she’s frustrated with the limitations of Gallivan Center, adding that she worries the plaza is structured in a way that’s not responsive to the needs of a growing city. She worried the area might not be used to its full potential, especially considering Gallivan regularly receives CRA funding.
Petro said events like Craft Lake City outgrew the Gallivan Center and left, adding that, “recently we’re facing stress over Twilight, and whether or not Twilight can be sustained there.”
“This is one of the few spaces where we’re not having to compete with the private sector to do things that we find important,” Petro said. “Yet it feels like when we have something that gains momentum and reflects those city priorities, the governance structure kicks in, and all of a sudden this doesn’t become a possibility.”
Danny Walz, director of the city’s CRA, told Petro that with any event held at the Gallivan Center, the plaza’s overall space and its capacity are a big reason for limitations. The Gallivan Center was designed to be an urban plaza, not a massive concert venue, Walz said.
“We love having Twilight, we want to continue to partner with Twilight,” Walz said. “But we also recognize that Twilight, as of recent years, is a very popular event and has produced some very significant crowds on Gallivan that probably exceed our ability to provide safety to those participants.”
Walz later said an ideal Twilight concert capacity is around 5,600 people, which ensures the venue isn’t overly crowded and services are accessible for patrons. In the past, however, Walz said some Twilight concerts have seen crowds between 7,000 and 8,000 people.
“So far, we’ve had no safety concerns at the Twilight Concert Series,” said Lucas Goodrich, Gallivan Center Director, in an email to Building Salt Lake. “However, we recognize that there is always room for improvement and our process of continued evaluation of our policies and procedures allows us to provide the best experience for anyone visiting the Gallivan Center.”
Goodrich added that he and Gallivan staff are currently taking part in a study to lay out the future of the plaza in the hopes of determining its role as a Downtown hub.
“The purpose of this study will be to provide a roadmap for how the Gallivan Center can best meet the evolving needs of the community now and in the future, and further position the plaza as a central, cultural hub for the city,” he said in the email.
The future of Twilight
Despite Twilight’s continued popularity at a somewhat limited capacity as a venue, the concert series will continue to be at the Gallivan Center, according to Felicia Baca, executive director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council, which puts on the series.
“That’s the plan for 2025,” Baca said in an email to Building Salt Lake. “We’re very invested in the community returns that occur when we can program in the heart of Downtown. Additionally, we love being close to public transportation.”
At the heart of the Twilight Concert Series is the desire to bring arts and entertainment programming to Salt Lake City, and Baca said the Arts Council views the series as a public service. She said sponsors and partners allow Twilight concerts to be relatively inexpensive for patrons to attend, and any income generated from the concert series goes toward future events.
However, it’s important to note that the Gallivan Center isn’t the only Twilight concert venue. In recent years, larger concerts have been held at Library Square — which consists of blocking off 200 East between 400 and 500 South.
Baca said Twilight concerts will continue to be held at the two venues, adding, “depending on the artist, we would select the venue that is most appropriate for demand.” She added that the Arts Council will continue to find and book “right-sized” acts for both locations.
The Arts Council views the Gallivan Center as a partner in putting on Twilight concerts, Baca said, and it’s a big reason why the partnership will continue into the future.
“With limited options for outdoor venues in the city, in addition to our long-standing relationship and shared values, our reasons for utilization of Gallivan are very practical in terms of technical production and venue specifications,” Baca said.
Twilight concerts have largely been held at Gallivan Center since the 90s, but it did take place at Pioneer Park for a stretch of seven years.
When asked if it’s possible to return to Pioneer Park for larger acts, Baca said, “We are open to that in the future, but that would look very different from the previous days at Pioneer Park if it did occur in the future.”
The 2025 lineup for the Twilight Concert Series has yet to be announced. Baca said the lineup will be released sometime this spring.
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