The 15th Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival Presented by Harmons

Crowd for Haley Heynderickx. Photo: Em Behringer

Image: Em Behringer, Jess Gruneisen, John Barkiple, John Taylor

Local Events

Can you believe the DIY Festival has been going for 15 years now? The 15th Annual DIY Festival Presented By Harmons celebrated the growth Craft Lake City has undergone since 2008 with its largest festival yet, including a VIP area sponsored by Utah’s Own, a 350+, filled-to-the-brim selection of vendor and artisan booths, STEM exhibitors, youth entrepreneurs, rocket launches and a weekend of performances, including a whole night packed with headlining musical acts.

Friday, August 11 kicked off with Gable Price and Friends playing the SLUG Mag stage, followed by Courtney Marie Andrews, Haley Heynderickx and Warpaint to close the night. Each gave incredible performances that drew eager and diverse crowds, many of whom mingled in the Utah’s Own VIP area with craft cocktails and shaded seating to enjoy the music. Meanwhile, stellar local acts such as The Alpines and DOUMIE filled the KRCL 90.1 stage. People streamed in and perused local vendors and artisans between performances. Friday set a playful tone for the weekend—from the volunteers to the attendees, and street performers to staff, everyone was enjoying the culmination of Craft Lake City’s 15-year-long history of community-centered hard work.

Saturday included many highlights, including Kid Row, where young artists and entrepreneurs showed off their wares and talents. Kids launched rockets at the Rocket Launch Station next to the STEM building which featured a plethora of local DIY science and technology exhibitors, ranging from Tracy Aviary to local video game developers and even radio operators. Meanwhile, DIY stations from UMOCA offered guests the opportunity to put their newfound DIY fervor to the test. Sego headlined the SLUG Mag stage and played an extended set comprising some of their upcoming and unreleased work, much to the crowd’s delight.

Sunday closed the festival with some incredible performances from local groups such as T-Mental, Salt Lake Academy of Music and A&A Bollypop. Energy held high right up until Sunday’s close as attendees made their last-minute purchases and wrapped up their conversations with local artists and vendors. It’s always a bittersweet end.

How do you measure a successful DIY Fest? Looking back on all the photos we took, it seems plain to see that no matter where you looked, someone was having a great time in great company. Thanks again to Craft Lake City’s sponsors, and cheers to another 15 incredible years of celebrating Utah’s innovative DIY community.