Annual Events

April

• Thunderbird Film Festival

  SUU Communication Department
  351 West Center Street
  Cedar City, Utah 84720
  435-586-7861
  http://www.thunderbirdfilmfestival.suu.edu
  
  The juried Thunderbird Film Festival screens student and independent films on a variety of subjects. Hosted by Southern Utah University, all of the films shown at the festival are family friendly.

June

• Paiute Restoration Gathering and Pow Wow

  440 N. Paiute Dr.
  Cedar City, Utah 84720
  435-586-1112
  
  Celebrating the restoration of the Paiute tribe’s federal recognition, this three-day festival includes a softball tournament, a beauty pageant, a parade, competitions, vendors selling Native American arts and crafts and a showcase of Indian dance and song. It is held near the tribal office on the east side of town.

• Utah Summer Games

  C/O Southern Utah University
  351 West University Blvd.
  Cedar City, Utah 84720
  435-865-8421
  http://www.utahsummergames.org
  
  Annually attracting nearly 10,000 athletes from across the state, the Utah Summer Games offers Olympic-style competition in 40 different sports, including soccer, basketball, softball, gymnastics and track and field. Southern Utah University, Iron County School District and Cedar City Parks and Recreation host sporting events at venues across Iron County. The opening and closing ceremonies include spectacular fireworks displays.f

• Groovefest American Music Festival

  173 N. 100 West
  Cedar City, UT 84720
  435-867-9800
  http://groovacious.com/
  
  Held at Cedar City’s Main Street Park, Groovefest boasts two days of live music featuring established and emerging musical groups from all over the nation. Genres performed include blues, country, folk and jazz. In addition to its music, the event includes children’s activities and arts, crafts and food vendors.

• Utah Shakespearean Festival (June – October)

  351 W. Center St.
  Cedar City, UT 84720
  1-800-PLAYTIX
  http://www.bard.org
  
  If he were alive today, William Shakespeare would feel right at home in Cedar City, which hosts productions of his plays in an outdoor theatre built to resemble the Globe Theatre of his time. The recipient of a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater in 2000, the Utah Shakespearean Festival also includes contemporary plays and musicals in an indoor theater, as well as an Elizabethan-style pre-show, lectures, backstage tours, and costume and prop exhibits.

July

• Utah Midsummer Renaissance Faire

  P.O. Box 1443
  Cedar City, UT 84720
  435 586-1124
  http://www.umrf.net
  
  The Utah Midsummer Renaissance Faire, held at Cedar City’s Main Street Park, features medieval-era garb and games, live entertainment, a Royal Processional, competitions, and arts, crafts and food vendors.

• Neil Simon Festival (July – August)

  PO Box 83
  Cedar City, UT 84721
  866-357-4666 or 435-327-8673
  http://www.simonfest.org
  
  Boasting the slogan “Come Laugh With Us,” the month-long Neil Simon festival annually produces three plays by one of America’s top comedic playwrights at downtown’s Heritage Center Theatre.

August

• Iron County Fair (Late August – early September)

  C/O Parowan City Office
  50 S. 600 East
  Parowan, Utah 84761
  435-477-3331
  http://www.ironcounty.net/departments/fair
  
  Held at the Iron County Fairgrounds in Parowan, the county seat, the Iron County Fair includes a variety of competitions (from photography to horseshoes), agricultural and livestock displays, carnival rides, live entertainment, and food and craft vendors.

September

• Iron County Homebuilders Parade of Homes

  535 S. Main St
  Cedar City, Utah 84720
  435-865-1113
  http://www.ironcountyparade.com
  
  The Iron County Homebuilders Parade of Homes provides the chance to tour newly constructed homes located all over the county that feature state-of-the-art upgrades and technology. The event provides patrons with decorating ideas and information on the latest building materials.

• Cedar City Skyfest

  435-867-5890
  http://www.cedarcityskyfest.com
  
  The Cedar City Skyfest is a two-day spectacle of hot air balloons, radio-controlled airplanes, kites and model rockets held at Bicentennial Park.

October

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

• Annual UDSF Buddy Walk

  Cedar City Park, 200 North Main
  www.UDSF.org
  
  Come enjoy the day with us at the UDSF Buddy Walk for the Washington Beaver/Iron Chapter. We'll have food, fun and a chance to get to know each other and remember the cost is FREE! Contact Rod Kennedy, the new chapter president, at [email protected] or [email protected] or call 435-705-4910.

November

• American Children’s Christmas Festival

  105 N. 100 East
  Cedar City, UT 84720
  435-865-2882
  www.christmas-festival.org
  
  Featuring a children’s Christmas parade, a celebration of trees, Santaland, and the Enchanted Forest, the American Children’s Christmas Festival is one of the nation’s finest small-town Christmas celebrations. The highlight of the festival is the Storybook Cavalcade, a parade that boasts floats and characters from children’s books, fairy tales, poetry and comics, including gingerbread men, clowns, elves and Mother Goose. Downtown’s Heritage Center hosts many of the festival’s events.