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Festival

Midway Swiss Days

Midway Town Square · Midway
When Fri, Sep 4 – Sat, Sep 5 Where Midway Town Square Cost Free admission · Parking $10 with free shuttle

One of Utah's biggest and most beloved festivals returns to Midway's town square September 4–5, 2026 — two days of artisan booths, Swiss food, a Saturday parade, and a 10K, all against the Wasatch Back. A classic day trip about 45 minutes up Provo Canyon.

Every year on the Friday and Saturday before Labor Day, the small mountain town of Midway swaps its quiet for one of Utah's most popular festivals. Swiss Days has been a Heber Valley tradition since the 1940s, and it draws an enormous crowd — routinely one of the largest festival turnouts in the state — to Midway's town square and Main Street. In 2026 it runs September 4–5.

What It Is

Swiss Days began as a harvest festival and grew into a celebration of the Swiss pioneers who settled the Heber Valley, drawn by mountains that reminded them of home. Today it's known statewide for two things: an enormous, high-quality craft market — hundreds of artisan and food booths packed along the square — and its Swiss heritage, from bratwurst and warm strudel to raclette cheese and alphorn demonstrations. There's live folk music, a children's area, and on Saturday a full slate of small-town traditions.

Planning Your Visit

  • Market hours run 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. Friday is generally the calmer day to browse the booths; Saturday brings the biggest crowds.
  • Saturday is the traditions-packed day: a community breakfast and a 10K run both start at 7 a.m., and the parade steps off at 10 a.m.
  • Parking is $10 at designated public lots, with a free shuttle running to and from the square every 15 minutes or so — using the shuttle is far less stressful than hunting for street parking near the center of town. Free bike parking is available near Centennial Park.
  • Admission is free. You only pay for food, crafts, and parking.
  • Come hungry and bring cash — many booths move fastest with it, and the food is a big part of the draw.

Making a Day Trip of It

Midway sits about 45 minutes from Provo, a scenic drive up Provo Canyon on US-189 toward Heber. That puts Swiss Days squarely in day-trip territory, and the surrounding Heber Valley — Deer Creek Reservoir, the Homestead Crater, and Midway's own storybook downtown — gives you plenty of reason to make a full day of it.

One scheduling note worth knowing: Swiss Days shares Labor Day weekend with Payson's Golden Onion Days at the south end of Utah County. If you'd rather stay close to home, that's the local option; if you want a mountain day trip, Swiss Days is the one. For the rest of the season, see the Provo events calendar, and for more ideas beyond the valley, our day trips from Provo guide. Confirm this year's schedule and details at the official Swiss Days site.

Good to know

  • ✓ One of Utah's largest festivals — drawing crowds well into the tens of thousands over two days
  • ✓ Hundreds of artisan and craft booths lining Midway's Main Street and town square
  • ✓ Swiss heritage food — bratwurst, strudel, raclette cheese — plus alphorn demonstrations and folk music
  • ✓ Saturday morning breakfast and 10K run start at 7 AM; the parade steps off at 10 AM
  • ✓ About a 45-minute drive from Provo up Provo Canyon — a classic Utah Valley day trip

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