Kilby Block Party 2026 - Review
Article written by Elle Cowley and photos by Alec Moody
Kilby Block Party has made quite a name for itself in its 6 years of existence. Each year, the festival grows flashier, with bigger and bigger artists populating its lineup. 2026 promised to be the biggest year yet, with general admission completely sold out for Sunday. One may not immediately think of Salt Lake City as the premier festival destination for indie bands, but it’s this fest’s bread and butter. As a loyal festival-attendee since KBP moved to the fairpark in 2024, I expected a layout similar to what was cooked up in years past. However, as I walked through the front gates, one thing became immediately apparent: this year was going to be the biggest fest yet. Areas that once held vendor booths and photo ops were cleared to accommodate the highest festival attendance rate in the festival’s history. A replica of the iconic front bench of Kilby Court greeted guests before opening up to a much larger lawn space.
Friday kicked off with dancing and trampolines with Geli Haha, whose set could be heard live on local community music station KRCL. A highlight for me in the afternoon was a post-punk outfit from the UK Dry Cleaning. Favoring spoken word in lieu of sung vocals, the band brought a unique energy to the fest that you didn’t really see the rest of the day
Getting into the evening, Father John Misty drew a massive crowd to the lake stage. Seeing songs from his 2015 album, I Love You Honeybear, live can best be described as a religious experience. Hitting the Lake Stage next, Modest Mouse captured the crowd with their unusual time signatures and the unmistakable vocal talent of lead singer Issac Brock.
Picking up the pace and closing out the festival’s first day, hardcore band Turnstile delivered an insane TKTK. The entire front half of the crowd bounced and moved for the entire hour. The set was a nice mix of their newer, more traditional rock and their older, more extreme hardcore music.
Saturday afternoon kept the high energy of the previous night alive. Hyperpop artists have always been a festival highlight, with electric performances from Frost Children in 2025 and 100 Gecs in 2024. Jane Remover’s set was no different. Fresh off her critically acclaimed 2025 album REVENGESEEKERZ, the performance drew in such a huge crowd that people spilled out of the Lake stage and into the entryways. There was no downtime during the 50-minute set. Pits opened, quickly filled up, and opened again. Anyone unfortunate enough to be holding a drink had it knocked out of their hands the minute Jane came on stage.
Migrating to the Kilby Stage next offered a welcome change of pace. Sitting atop a blue velvet couch, Lucy Dacus serenaded the audience with fan favorites and her new single, Planting Tomatoes. As the sun set, indie legend Alex G brought his signature quirky performance style to the Lake Stage. Towards the end, Alex G jumped off the stage to interact with fans directly, bringing a more intimate feel to what was otherwise a massive concert. To top it all off, 2000’s Tumblr favorite The XX finished out the evening with a dreamy performance that was a perfect way to end such an intense day.
A welcome temperature drop turned to rain on the most packed day of the Festival. The completely sold-out general admission areas of the fair park swarmed with concert-goers from gates opening to evening. While plastic ponchos became more and more prevalent as the day progressed, the show must go on, rain or shine. The mountains disappeared behind the storm clouds as American Football stole the show from the Lake Stage, nestled into the rodeo area. Not only did they play Never Meant, but Haley Williams made a surprise guest appearance to perform their collaboration song, Uncomfortably Numb.
Unfortunately, the rain only intensified as the day went on and Magdelena Bay’s set started. We watched her, shivering from one of the balconies on the Rodeo Arena, trying to stay as dry as possible. Although not directly at the stage, the energy of lead vocalist Mica Tenenbaum infected us. The crowd swayed in unison as we followed Mica’s transformation from flower to demon to angel.
As the day rolled on and the rain cleared, the festival ground only got more and more packed as more people crammed in to see the main events of the day. Haley Williams returned to the stage for her first-ever solo-festival performance. Footage from SLC Punk and Bee and Puppycat played alongside songs such as “Ice in my OJ” and “Hard”. It is impossible to separate Haley’s work from politics, and she didn’t shy away from making her stances on Utah issues clear, speaking in opposition to Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary’s controversial Data Center.
Closing out the festival was an absolute must-see set from Lorde. Part music set part performance art, even those in the way back could enjoy the beautiful shots captured by the on-stage cameras. She ended the evening with “one of the most precious songs we have”, “Ribs” and promised to be back again soon.
Sitting now post-festival, I can’t help but wonder where Kilby Block Party can possibly go from here? In only six years, the festival has grown from a small, day-long affair at its namesake venue, Kilby Court, to a nationally covered weekend-long affair covered by Soundgiest, Stereogum, and even a shoutout from Jeopardy host Ken Jennings. I would be lying if I didn’t say I will miss the days when hitting the gates before noon meant fewer crowds, and there was no worry of being stampeded waiting to use the restroom. Utah continues to become more and more culturally significant as the 2020’s roll on, and I can only see the Block Party gaining more attention as the years go by. I am excited to see what the festival has to offer in 2027.
