Kilby Block Party turns Salt Lake City into a major indie destination

Kilby Block Party continues on 16 May at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City, giving the day one of its biggest indie live-music stories. The 2026 edition runs from 15 to 17 May and features a wide alternative lineup led by Lorde, The xx and Turnstile, with major indie and alternative names including Hayley Williams, Modest Mouse, Alex G, Blood Orange, Lucy Dacus, Father John Misty, Japanese Breakfast, Magdalena Bay, Flipturn and many more.

Kilby has become one of the more interesting American festivals because it still carries the DNA of Kilby Court, the small all-ages venue that helped inspire the original block party, while now operating on a much larger festival scale. That balance is important. The event does not feel like a generic commercial festival that happens to book a few indie names. It is built around a specific scene history and an audience that still cares about discovery, guitar bands, alternative pop and cult favorites. For a 16 May indie digest, Kilby Block Party is essential because it shows independent and alternative music functioning at festival scale without fully losing its community identity. Source: https://people.com/music-festivals-2026-lineups-dates-locations-everything-to-know-11879464 ; Local source: https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/05/14/salt-lake-weekend-events-kilby-block-living-traditions