Utah Valley is home to communities with deep roots in the Pacific Islands, Latin America, China, Korea and Brazil, and many of them keep their cultures alive through festivals that anyone can attend. This guide lists the organizations and events we could verify from the groups' own websites and from official sources, in the communities' own words where possible. Where we could not confirm that an organization is still active, we say so plainly.
Two notes before the list. First, many of the groups we found are statewide, and several of their festivals are in Salt Lake County; we include them because they serve Utah Valley families too. Second, much of community life in these groups happens in congregations, family networks and student clubs, which rarely keep public websites. This guide covers the public-facing organizations and festivals, not all of community life.
The calendar at a glance
| When | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| January or February | Lunar New Year celebrations | Mostly Salt Lake County |
| August | Pacific Island Heritage Month (statewide) | Statewide |
| Labor Day weekend | Festival Latinoamericano | Downtown Provo |
| Labor Day weekend | Polynesian Days Utah | Thanksgiving Point, Lehi |
| September (around Chuseok) | Bopsim Korean Festival | BYU in 2024; University of Utah in 2025 |
| September | Utah Brazilian Festival | University Place, Orem |
Pacific Islander and Tongan communities
Utah's Division of Multicultural Affairs describes the state as having the oldest Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community in the continental United States, dating to Hawaiian settlers in Salt Lake City in the 1870s and at Iosepa in Tooele County in 1889, followed by Samoans and Maori from the 1880s and later by families from Tonga, Fiji, Guam, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. A 2024 legislative resolution honoring these communities counted more than 59,000 Utahns of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander descent, the largest share of any state population in the continental U.S. Our Polynesian and Hawaiian food guide covers Utah County's numbers and why the community here is largely Tongan and Samoan.
Organizations. The Division's community page lists, among others:
- The National Tongan Association of Utah, which it says works to improve representation and visibility for Tongans.
- The Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition, focused on quality of life.
- The Utah Pacific Islander Chamber and PIK2AR's Pacific Island Chamber, which support Pacific Islander businesses.
- Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR), which hosts the statewide Pacific Island Heritage Month kickoff each August.
These are statewide organizations. We did not find a Tongan association with a public website based specifically in Utah County.
Festivals.
- Pacific Island Heritage Month. Utah has recognized August as Pacific Island Heritage Month since 2012, according to the Division.
- The Friendly Islands Tongan Festival is one of the two longest-running Pacific Islander festivals in the state, approaching its 30th anniversary in 2024, per the Division. KSL reported in 2023 that it ran three days at Jordan Park in Salt Lake City, free, organized by the National Tongan American Society.
- Polynesian Days Utah, closer to home, is held at Thanksgiving Point's Electric Park in Lehi, behind the movie theaters. Its 2026 performer application listed the festival for Sept. 4 to 7, 2026, closed Sunday. (The same form calls Sept. 4 a Thursday; in 2026 it was a Friday, so treat the weekday with care.) KSL's 2023 coverage described Polynesian food, fire exhibitions, dance competitions, and hula and ukulele lessons.
Latino communities
Festival Latinoamericano is the anchor. Its organizers describe it as "the largest free Latin American cultural festival in Utah," held every Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the historic Utah County Courthouse, 51 S. University Ave., in downtown Provo, with food, music, dance and art "that celebrate the richness and diversity of Latin American heritage." They say it has run since 2001 and draws 30,000-plus attendees across four days, and they recruit vendors, performers and volunteers through the site. Utah's Division of Multicultural Affairs notes it began as a venue to help nonprofits and new companies find customers. Our full Festival Latinoamericano guide covers the dates, the Sunday closure and what to eat. South county has its own festival too; see our Festival Latino de Payson guide.
Elevate Utah (formerly Centro Hispano), at 650 W. 100 N. in Provo, is a Provo community-service nonprofit serving Hispanic families. Its site lists job and skills training, immigration appointments, document translation, application assistance, emergency food and hygiene products, a 10-week citizenship class and teen health programs, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Mountainland Association of Governments' resource guide describes it as supporting Hispanic communities with health education, job training, legal immigration help and essential community services. Its site explains that it adopted the butterfly as its logo as a symbol of "transformation, hope, and rebirth."
For the everyday side of the community, our guide to Latino markets and panaderías in Provo is the practical companion.
Chinese communities
What we found: BYU's student newspaper reported that the BYU Chinese Student and Scholar Association staged a Chinese New Year celebration on campus in 2014, with dance and singing performances and guests from UVU, and that BYU had held smaller celebrations before. We could not confirm from an official page that the association is active in 2026 or holds a public celebration now.
Statewide, the Division of Multicultural Affairs describes Lunar New Year (the Spring Festival in China) as a major calendar event for Utah's Asian communities, typically in January or February, with lion and dragon dances and red envelopes. The large public celebrations it and the University of Utah describe are in Salt Lake County. Our Asian markets and grocers guide covers where to shop for the holiday in Utah Valley.
Korean communities
The Bopsim Korean Festival came to Provo in September 2024, when BYU hosted its second annual edition, timed to Chuseok, a Korean holiday the paper compared to Thanksgiving. BYU's student newspaper reported that organizers called it the first Korean festival held in Provo, with hundreds attending for food, dance, taekwondo and calligraphy; it was sponsored by Cupbop, the Salt Lake City-based Korean barbecue chain, and by the Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles, which is run by South Korea's culture ministry. In 2025 the festival returned to the University of Utah, which said it drew more than 10,000 visitors; Cupbop's CEO is its founder. Where it will be held next had not been announced when we checked.
We did not find a Korean community association with a public website based in Utah County. For food, see our Korean food guide.
Brazilian communities
The Utah Brazilian Festival is presented by the Viva Brazil Cultural Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In 2018 it moved from Salt Lake City to University Place in Orem, whose announcement quoted Viva Brazil's executive director hoping the move would reach people who had not experienced the festival. By 2024 it was holding its 20th annual festival there, its sixth at University Place, with more than 10,000 people expected, a samba parade and Brazilian food and vendors. The festival's website describes samba, capoeira, live music, workshops and a marketplace, and listed the next festival for Saturday, Sept. 12, at University Place, noon to 7 p.m. (The site does not print a year; Sept. 12 fell on a Saturday in 2026.)
For Brazilian food year-round, our Brazilian rodizio guide covers the churrascarias.
For students
International and first-generation students will find many of these communities on campus first. Our international students guide covers settling in.
What we could not verify
- A Utah County-based Tongan, Chinese or Korean association with a current public website. Statewide groups exist and are listed above.
- Whether the BYU Chinese Student and Scholar Association is active in 2026.
- The 2027 location of the Bopsim festival.
- A printed year on the Utah Brazilian Festival's date.
If you lead a community organization in Utah Valley and want it listed, we would like to hear from you, with a link to your organization's own page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest cultural festival in Utah Valley?
Is there a Brazilian festival in Utah County?
Where are Pacific Islander festivals in Utah Valley?
Is there a Korean festival in Provo?
Are there Chinese community organizations in Utah Valley?
Where can Spanish-speaking families get help in Utah County?
Can anyone attend these festivals?
What organizations represent Utah's Tongan community?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- From the Pacific Ocean to the Great Salt Lake: Utah's Pacific Islander Communities, Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Celebrating Life and Culture at Utah's Festival Latinoamericano (archived), Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Senior Help Guide: Elevate Utah/Centro Hispano, Mountainland Association of Governments. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Lunar New Year in Utah (archived), Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs. Checked October 19, 2026.
- S.J.R. 9 (2024): Joint Resolution Honoring Utah's Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Cultures and Communities, Utah State Legislature. Checked October 19, 2026.
- 2025 Bopsim Festival brings culture, community and Cupbop, University of Utah (@theU). Checked October 19, 2026.
- Polynesian Days Utah 2026 Cultural Dance Performance Application, Polynesian Days Utah. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Festival Latinoamericano (official site), Festival Latinoamericano. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Elevate Utah (formerly Centro Hispano), Elevate Utah. Checked October 19, 2026.
- University Place Hosts 14th Annual Utah Brazilian Festival (2018), University Place. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Brazilian Festival (official site), Viva Brazil Cultural Center. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Celebrating Utah Pacific Island Heritage Month (Aug. 3, 2023), KSL.com. Checked October 19, 2026.
- BYU Chinese New Year celebration (BYU Chinese Student and Scholar Association, 2014), BYU Daily Universe. Checked October 19, 2026.
- BYU hosts second annual Bopsim festival, celebrating Korean culture, food and unity, BYU Daily Universe. Checked October 19, 2026.
- University Place preparing for its largest cultural festival of the year (2024), Utah Business. Checked October 19, 2026.
