Saratoga Splash Days is Saratoga Springs' city celebration: four days in mid-June when the young lakeside city fills its parks with foam, carnival rides, a parade, a car show and a fireworks show over the ball fields. It is built around families, and the schedule shows it. The first event of the week is a foam party for children twelve and under, and the last is a fireworks show that the city says you can watch without leaving the carnival.
Saratoga Springs sits on the northwest shore of Utah Lake, and most of the city has been built within living memory. That gives Splash Days a particular job. In a town where a large share of residents arrived recently, the celebration is one of the few times a year when neighbors from subdivisions miles apart end up on the same lawn, and the name leans on the thing the city has that most of Utah County does not: water at the end of the street.
This guide covers when Splash Days happens, where each part of the week takes place, how the four days build, the parade route, the carnival, the fireworks, what it costs, how to plan it by age and how to take part. It is drawn from the city's own Splash Days pages and daily schedules. Where a year is named, it describes how the festival has run, not a promise about the next one.
When It Happens
The city describes Splash Days as its celebration on the second full weekend in June. In practice it runs from Wednesday to Saturday and finishes on the Saturday of that weekend, so the whole festival lands in the middle of the month. The 2026 festival ran June 10 to 13. The city has already posted June 9 to 12 for 2027 and June 7 to 10 for 2028, and both follow the same rule.
That timing puts Splash Days among the first of Utah County's city celebrations. School has just let out, summer schedules have not yet filled with camps and trips, and the evenings are long enough that the fireworks do not start until well after dinner. For a family new to the city, it makes a natural introduction to the summer calendar.
Because the festival always ends on a Saturday, the shape of the week is predictable. The weeknight events are short and aimed at particular ages. Saturday is the long day, running from the morning parade to the fireworks, and it draws the biggest crowd.
Where It Happens: Neptune Park and the Lakeside Parks
Neptune Park is the center of the festival. The park, at 452 West 400 North, hosts the carnival, the boutique, the food trucks, the car show and most of the evening events, and the city adds extra accessible parking along its north side during the festival. It is also one of the best-known parks in the county in its own right, with a climbing pyramid and a splash pad that we cover in our guide to destination playgrounds in Utah Valley.
Three other parks carry pieces of the week. Marina Park, at 156 East Harbor Park Way, is the new home of the Kids Splash Bash, and it puts the event right on the water. Inlet Park, at 6800 North Saratoga Road, hosts the Teen Chalk War. Patriot Park is where the pickleball tournament is played and where the fireworks are launched, from a field the city calls the Navy field.
The parade uses the city's streets. It starts on 1200 North at Foothill Boulevard, which is also 800 West, and ends at Westlake High School. The festival is spread across several parks, so check which one hosts the event you want before you leave home.
How the Four Days Build
The schedule changes a little from year to year, but the city's daily pages show a steady pattern. Each weeknight has a theme, and each theme is aimed at someone.
Wednesday belongs to children and teenagers. The Kids Splash Bash fills the afternoon, the Teen Chalk War fills the evening, and the carnival opens with a family night at Neptune Park.
Thursday is Family Fun Night. Neptune Park fills with free family activities, the boutique opens, the food trucks arrive, the carnival runs, and the evening ends with a movie on a big outdoor screen.
Friday is Free Concert Friday. There is a stage act, a watermelon-eating contest, a live band and, after dark, a drone show.
Saturday is the big day. The Grand Parade runs in the morning, Neptune Park hosts a car show, an RC car show, the boutique, live entertainment and the carnival through the afternoon and evening, and Patriot Park hosts a pickleball tournament that leads into the fireworks.
Wednesday: The Kids Splash Bash
The Splash Bash is the event the festival is named for, and it has changed more than any other part of the week. It is for children twelve and under, and it is run with the city's fire department.
The event used to be built around the fire department's hoses. Because of drought, the city stopped running the hoses and rebuilt the Splash Bash around foam, with more games, activities and giveaways to make up the difference. The city says the new format uses less than ten percent of the water the old one did. Children still get soaked; they just get soaked in bubbles.
The event also moved. It now takes place at Marina Park, and the city pitches the new location as a chance to see the marina and, if you like, to play in the lake with your children. Two cautions come with that invitation, and they come from the city itself: bring your own life jackets if anyone plans to go in the water, and know that no lifeguard is on duty.
A section called the Tiny Tot Spot is set aside for the smallest children, so the smallest children have space of their own. Food trucks usually park nearby. Pack a change of clothes and a towel for every child, and assume the foam will find its way into shoes.
Wednesday Night: The Teen Chalk War
The Teen Chalk War is Splash Days' event for thirteen- to eighteen-year-olds, hosted by the Saratoga Springs Youth Council at Inlet Park. The evening opens with games, activities and an obstacle course, and it builds to the chalk war itself.
The city's advice is to bring your friends and a pair of sunglasses, and it is sound. Add clothes that can be ruined, a bag or towel for the car seat on the way home, and a plan for washing the chalk out of hair. Food trucks are usually on hand.
Because the Youth Council hosts it, the Chalk War is aimed squarely at teenagers. It is the one night of the week built for them.
The Carnival at Neptune Park
The carnival is the one part of Splash Days that runs every night, and for many families it is the main event. It sets up at Neptune Park, opens with a Carnival Family Night on Wednesday, when rides cost a ticket apiece, and runs through Saturday.
The city sells carnival wristband vouchers ahead of the festival. Vouchers have been sold in person at City Hall, for cash only, and online. A voucher is not tied to a particular day. You take it to the carnival box office on the day you want to ride and exchange it for a wristband, which gives one person unlimited rides for that day only. The wristband covers rides, not games or concessions, and only the people riding need a wristband or tickets. In 2026 the pre-sale vouchers cost $30 each, and the city sold them until noon on the festival's opening day, while supplies lasted.
Since the wristband is good for one day, the voucher is worth the most on the day you plan to spend the longest at the park. For many families that is Saturday, when Neptune Park is open from the end of the parade until the fireworks. Families with younger children who tire early may do better buying tickets on a weeknight and skipping the wristband altogether.
The city posts a list of the season's rides on its carnival page. Check it before you go, since height limits and ride lists vary from year to year and matter more to a six-year-old than anything else in this guide.
Thursday: Family Fun Night and the Box-Car Drive-In
Thursday's Family Fun Night runs at Neptune Park into the late evening. The boutique opens, food trucks serve dinner, the carnival runs, and a block of free family activities fills the early evening before the movie.
The movie starts at sundown on a large outdoor screen with open lawn seating, so bring blankets and chairs. In 2026 the film was Cars, and the city built the night around it with a box-car drive-in. Children could bring a cardboard box car decorated at home or build one at the event from a limited supply of materials, then watch the movie from their own car. A box-car parade ran just before the film, and themed activity booths filled the hours before it.
The details will change with the movie, but the idea of turning a film night into something children make and do is typical of how Splash Days works. It is a small-city celebration, and the events are designed to be joined, not just watched.
Friday: Free Concert Friday and the Drone Show
Friday brings the festival's music night. Neptune Park hosts the boutique, the food trucks and the carnival as usual, plus a watermelon-eating contest; contestants pre-register at the festival information booth earlier in the week.
The evening's entertainment has two parts. The FlippenOut Trampoline show brings high-flying acrobatics to the park, and then a free concert takes over. In 2026 the band was The Groove Merchants, and the city's description of the concert invited people to dance or, at the least, tap their feet.
After dark comes the drone show. It is a newer kind of Friday finale, a choreographed display of lighted drones rather than fireworks, and it lets the festival end two nights in a row with something in the sky.
Saturday Morning: The Grand Parade
The Saratoga Splash Days Grand Parade runs on Saturday morning. The city's entries are the familiar mix for a Utah County city parade: the city's royalty, local businesses, the fire and police departments, and teams and clubs from Westlake High School, among others. Each year has a theme; in 2026 it was "Celebrate America."
The route is short and easy to follow. The parade starts at the corner of 1200 North and Foothill Boulevard, which is 800 West, and heads south to 400 North. It turns east on 400 North and follows it to Thunder Boulevard, then turns south on Thunder Boulevard and ends at Westlake High School.
Road closures come early. Parade entries line up on 1200 North, which closes well before the start, and the route closes to through traffic shortly before the parade steps off. While the parade is moving, the route is closed to everyone except emergency vehicles.
The city is specific about parking. Do not park along the west side of 800 West, along 400 North or along Thunder Boulevard. Limited parking is available on the east side of 800 West, where staff direct traffic, and there is more at Neptune Park and at the churches and schools along the way. Arrive early if you want a curb spot, and bring something for children to sit on.
Saturday Afternoon: Family Fun Day at Neptune Park
After the parade, the festival moves to Neptune Park for Family Fun Day, which runs from midday to the end of the night.
The car show is the afternoon's anchor. It is free to enter, and check-in opens after the parade at the park. Visitors vote for their favorite cars in the early afternoon, and the awards come later in the day. The city's award list shows how local the event is: prizes come from the mayor, the police department, the fire department, the city royalty and the founder, along with a people's choice and a participants' choice. Drivers who pre-register by the city's deadline receive a dash plaque and a T-shirt, and same-day registration is available while space lasts.
Next to it is the RC car show, where children and adults bring radio-controlled cars and trucks. The city has divided entries into categories such as trail trucks, micro cars, truck-and-trailer combinations, street cars, competition cars and bashers, and it has set up crawling tracks. You can register ahead or in person at the car show check-in at the northeast end of the park.
The boutique, a stage of live entertainment, the food trucks and the carnival fill out the day. The stage in 2026 featured a gymnastics group, a country band, the car show awards and a dance troupe, which is the usual Splash Days mix of local performers.
Saturday Night: Pickleball and the Fireworks at Patriot Park
As the afternoon ends, attention shifts to Patriot Park. The Splash Days pickleball tournament runs there, with multiple divisions open to adults and to children over eight, and registration opens in late winter. Food trucks come to Patriot Park for the evening, entertainers and activities fill the park after dinner, and the city hands out free glow toys at its booth.
The fireworks show closes the festival. It is launched from the Navy field at Patriot Park, and the city notes that the show can be seen from Patriot Park, from Neptune Park, from Utah Lake and from other open spaces nearby. The practical meaning is that families at the carnival do not have to pack up and move to see the show, and families who want a calmer view can find one along the lake.
The fireworks start late, after full dark. That is worth planning around if you have young children. Some families stay at the carnival and watch from there, some watch from a car at the edge of the park, and some watch from the lakeshore trails or from home.
The Boutique
The boutique is a market of crafts, clothing, jewelry and other family-friendly goods, open on Thursday and Friday evenings and on Saturday afternoon at Neptune Park. It is a good place to find locally made gifts and a small-business picture of the city.
The city runs it with a few rules that shape what you will find. Only vendors selling products on site are accepted. The city accepts no more than two vendors for any one kind of product, such as crocheted items, permanent jewelry or 3D-printed goods, which keeps the market varied. Only prepackaged food may be sold, and only items the food trucks and carnival do not already offer. The food trucks themselves are booked through The Food Truck League.
Adaptive Accommodations
Saratoga Springs has made accessibility part of how it plans events. Its Civic Events Division keeps an adaptive accommodations page describing how its events are designed to be enjoyed by everyone, and it says many Splash Days events are open to people of all abilities.
For Splash Days in particular, the city adds ADA parking along the north side of Neptune Park throughout the festival. The same page covers the city's other events, including an adaptive section at its spring egg hunt and an adaptive trick-or-treat event in the fall. If you need a specific accommodation for Splash Days, the city's civic events staff are listed on the Splash Days page.
What It Costs
Most of Splash Days is free. The parade, the Thursday movie, the Friday concert, the drone show, the family activities, the fireworks and the car show all cost nothing to attend, and entering a car in the show is free as well.
The carnival is the main expense. You can pay per ride with tickets or buy a voucher that converts to an unlimited-ride wristband for one day, and only riders need to pay. Beyond that, the costs are the ones you choose: dinner from the food trucks and something from the boutique. A family that skips the carnival can spend an entire Saturday at Splash Days for the price of lunch.
Planning It by Age
Under five: The Tiny Tot Spot at the Splash Bash is made for this age, and the Thursday movie on the lawn is an easy evening. The carnival's gentler rides are the other draw. The fireworks start late, so many families with toddlers watch from the car or skip them.
Six to twelve: This is the Splash Days sweet spot. The Splash Bash is for children up to twelve, the carnival is at its best at this age, and the box-car drive-in and the RC car show give them something to make and do. A carnival wristband on Saturday is the classic day.
Thirteen to eighteen: The Teen Chalk War is built for them, and so is a carnival wristband on a night with friends. The Friday concert and drone show work well for this age, too.
Adults: The car show, the boutique, the pickleball tournament and the Friday concert are the adult side of the festival. For many adults the festival is mostly a chance to see neighbors in one place.
Making a Day of Saturday
A full Splash Days Saturday runs from breakfast to bedtime. Start by claiming a curb spot along the parade route, or plan to meet the parade near its end at Westlake High School if you want to leave quickly. After the parade, head to Neptune Park for the car show, the boutique and the stage, and give children a break at home or in the shade before the evening.
Come back for dinner from the food trucks and the carnival, then walk or drive to Patriot Park for the pickleball finals and the glow toys, or stay put at Neptune Park and watch the fireworks from there. Use the carnival voucher on this day if you bought one, since the wristband is good only on the day you exchange it.
Getting There and Parking
Saratoga Springs is on the northwest side of Utah Lake. From Provo and Orem, most drivers take I-15 north and head west into the city on Pioneer Crossing; our Utah Lake guide covers the lake itself.
Neptune Park has its own parking, and the city opens additional lots at nearby churches and schools during the festival. Accessible parking is added along the north side of the park. On parade morning, the route's closures make the east side of town slower than usual, so leave extra time or arrive early and walk.
Residents who live nearby can walk or bike, which is also the easiest way to avoid the traffic after the fireworks.
About Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs grew from a small resort community on the lake into one of the fastest-growing cities in Utah, and its streets, schools and parks are mostly new. The city's appeal is its setting: Utah Lake on one side, the Lake Mountains on the other, a marina, a lakeshore trail network and a set of big modern parks.
That setting is what Splash Days celebrates. Our guides to living in Saratoga Springs and things to do in Saratoga Springs cover the city in full, and where to eat in Saratoga Springs covers the meal before or after.
The Rest of the City's Calendar
Splash Days is the big event, but the city's civic events staff keep a steady calendar around it. A spring festival with an egg hunt takes place on the Saturday a week before Easter, farmers market and food truck nights run on Mondays, and the fall brings a fall festival and an adaptive trick-or-treat event. The same team also runs a Summer Monday Fundays series, and performers can apply for both it and the Splash Days stage through a single entertainment application.
For families new to the city, the pattern is worth knowing. Splash Days is where the calendar starts, and the smaller events are where neighbors keep running into each other for the rest of the year.
Taking Part
The city invites residents and businesses into most of the festival. The Grand Parade takes entries each spring; registration filled up in 2026, so apply early. The car show and RC car show take registrations ahead of time and on the day.
Boutique vendors apply through the city, which accepts a limited number of vendors per type of product and favors vendors with a history at the festival or those who applied first. Food vendors go through The Food Truck League. Performers can apply through the city's stage entertainment application, and the pickleball tournament takes adults and children over eight. Businesses can sponsor the festival, and the city credits its sponsors on the Splash Days page.
How It Compares
Splash Days belongs to the first wave of Utah County's city celebrations, and it has close cousins. Vineyard Days and the Cedar Hills Family Festival both run in early June, and next door Pony Express Days in Eagle Mountain starts around Memorial Day and brings a rodeo that Saratoga Springs does without.
What sets Splash Days apart is its setting and its focus on children. The foam bash on the marina, the chalk war for teenagers and the fireworks visible from the lake give it a character no other celebration in the county quite shares. Our guide to the small-city celebration circuit lines it up with the rest, the festivals hub collects the full calendar, and the festival and celebration finder filters it by month, city and features such as carnivals and fireworks.
A Few Practical Tips
Mid-June in Saratoga Springs is usually warm, so bring sunscreen, hats and water for the parade and the car show. Pack life jackets for any child who plans to wade into the lake at the Splash Bash, and dress teenagers for the Chalk War in clothes you never want to see again.
Buy carnival vouchers ahead of time if you plan to ride, and bring cash if you plan to buy them at City Hall. Bring chairs or blankets for the movie and the fireworks. Check the city's daily Splash Days pages before you go, since events, locations and hours can change from one year to the next, as the Splash Bash's move to the marina showed.
The Short Version
Saratoga Splash Days is Saratoga Springs' city celebration on the second full weekend in June, running Wednesday through Saturday. The week brings a foam Splash Bash for children at Marina Park, a Teen Chalk War at Inlet Park, a carnival at Neptune Park, a Thursday movie night, a Friday concert and drone show, and a Saturday with a Grand Parade to Westlake High School, a car show, an RC car show, a boutique, a pickleball tournament and fireworks launched from Patriot Park. Most of it is free; the carnival is the main cost.
Related Guides
- The Small-City Celebration Circuit
- Things to Do in Saratoga Springs
- Living in Saratoga Springs
- Vineyard Days
- Pony Express Days in Eagle Mountain
- Festivals and Celebrations in Utah County
- Festival and Celebration Finder
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