January is the coldest and snowiest month on Utah Valley's calendar, and it's also the month the Church starts a new year of Come, Follow Me, this time in the New Testament. The four Mondays of January 2027 are January 4, 11, 18 and 25. Two of them come with something ready-made on BYU's campus for a few dollars or nothing. One is a holiday. Prices and times below were current when we checked them on October 20, 2026.
The month on one card
| Monday | Sunset (Provo) | What's on | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 4 | 5:15 p.m. | First week of the New Testament year; Luminaria's final week | Free / Luminaria from $17 |
| Jan. 11 | 5:22 p.m. | BYU planetarium public show, 7 p.m. | $2 kids, $5 adults |
| Jan. 18 | 5:30 p.m. | Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the end of a four-day school weekend in Provo | Free |
| Jan. 25 | 5:38 p.m. | Free FHE program, Education in Zion Gallery, 7 and 7:30 p.m. | Free |
Sunset times are from Sunrise-Sunset.org's Provo data. The planetarium's page lists its public show on Mondays at 7 p.m. generally, so January 11 is a suggestion, not the only night; check its schedule for the week you pick.
January 4: start the New Testament on the first Monday
The Church News report on the Church's 2027 calendar lists Come, Follow Me New Testament study beginning in January. Use the first Monday to set the family's plan rather than to teach a lesson:
- Decide when you'll read. Breakfast, bedtime, Sunday afternoon. Pick one.
- Give everyone a job. One child keeps the place, one picks the song, one asks the first question.
- Hang a map. The New Testament moves between Galilee, Jerusalem and the Mediterranean. A printed map on the fridge gives the youngest children something to point at for twelve months.
Or go see Luminaria before it closes. Thanksgiving Point's event page lists the light walk in Lehi through January 9, with January 4 to 9 hours of 5 to 8:30 p.m. Its 2026 pricing calendar marks that final week as value nights: $24 for adults and $17 for children at regular prices, the lowest tier of the season. Our Luminaria guide has the details.
For BYU students returning this week (the university's calendar lists new student orientation on January 4), our guide to coming back to Provo in January covers the practical side.
January 11: long nights are planetarium nights
With sunset at 5:22 p.m., the sky is fully dark well before 7. That's the right hour for BYU's Royden G. Derrick Planetarium, which keeps a standing public show on Monday nights.
According to the planetarium's public page:
- When: Mondays at 7 p.m. (professional presentations). Fridays at 7 and 8 p.m. are student-run shows by the BYU Astronomical Society during fall, winter and spring semesters.
- Where: Room N465 in the Eyring Science Center. Tickets are sold at the planetarium door on the fourth floor.
- Cost: $2 for children under 12, $5 for adults. Card only; no cash, Venmo or Apple Pay.
- How: No reservations. Doors sell from 6:30 p.m., first come, first served, and the room holds 119.
- The catch: Shows start on time, and the page says latecomers can't be let in. The building is a working classroom building, so the planetarium's own directions ask children not to run or talk loudly in the halls.
A family of five with three children under 12 pays $16. Our stargazing guide covers what else the planetarium and the valley's dark-sky spots offer. Go home and read Genesis 1:16 or Psalm 8:3 to 4 before bed, and the lesson is done.
When the air turns: the inversion plan
January is the heart of inversion season. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality's inversion page explains that calm winds, clear skies and long nights stop the air near the valley floor from mixing with the air above it, that the Wasatch and the surrounding ranges trap the cold air, and that a typical Utah winter has about five to six multi-day episodes. It points to air.utah.gov and AirNow.gov for the daily forecast and the color-coded Air Quality Index.
What that means for a Monday night:
- Check the forecast at dinner, not at noon. A storm can clear an inversion in hours.
- On a poor-air night, pick an indoor idea. The planetarium, the BYU gallery programs, the libraries, the rec centers. Our indoor winter running guide lists the valley's indoor tracks for families who need to move.
- Make it the lesson. Read the account of Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:35 to 41) on a night when the family can see for themselves what still air does.
The long weekend: January 15 to 18
Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on the third Monday of January under Utah Code 63G-1-301, which in 2027 is January 18. BYU's academic calendar marks it as a holiday. Provo City School District's 2026-27 calendar gives students a four-day weekend: no school Thursday, January 14 (professional development), Friday the 15th (comp day) and Monday the 18th.
Three ideas for the Monday itself:
- Read Dr. King's words together. Print the "I Have a Dream" speech and let older children each read a paragraph aloud. Ask the youngest what a dream for the family would be.
- Make it a service day. Our FHE service guide lists Provo organizations with posted needs and drop-off hours; a weekday holiday is one of the few times families can deliver during the daytime.
- Talk about Saturday's youth broadcast. The Church News calendar lists the "Rejoice in Christ" Worldwide Discussion for Youth on Saturday, January 16. If you have teenagers, Monday is the night to ask what they heard. Our FHE with teenagers guide has the rest of the playbook.
The Utah Legislature's 2027 general session convenes the next day, January 19, and runs to March 5, per the Legislature's website. Our February guide has a holiday-Monday visit to the Capitol.
January 25: a free night back on campus
The Education in Zion Gallery, at the top of the spiral staircase in BYU's Joseph F. Smith Building, lists free FHE programs on Monday, January 25, at 7 and 7:30 p.m. on the BYU calendar, with "families and FHE groups welcome" and Italian cream fudge. The listings name two activities that evening, Brain Teaser FHE and Mission Impossible FHE (the second listing's title also mentions "Jan. 26," so confirm the night before you go). Each runs about 20 minutes.
The same gallery holds a Saturday party on January 16 at noon for Brother Karl G. Maeser's birthday, with a round of Maeser Jeopardy, a new exhibition called Quotable Maeser and free cake while it lasts, per the calendar.
The weather, and the one outdoor exception
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Provo BYU station make January the coldest month (average high 41.2 degrees, average low 23.8) and the snowiest (12.5 inches). The one outdoor idea that improves in that weather is fresh snow: a snowman contest in the yard on the first Monday after a storm takes 30 minutes and costs nothing. For bigger winter outings, save them for a Saturday or for MLK Day itself; our winter activities guide lists them.
Related Guides
- Family Home Evening in Utah Valley: 52 Ideas for the Year
- December Family Home Evening Ideas in Utah Valley
- February Family Home Evening Ideas in Utah Valley
- FHE at the Library, the Museum and the Free Places
- FHE With Teenagers
- Coming Back to Provo in January
- Winter Activities in Provo
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Monday dates in January 2027?
What scripture does Come, Follow Me study in 2027?
Does the BYU planetarium have public shows on Monday nights?
Is Luminaria open in January 2027?
Are Provo schools closed for MLK Day 2027?
What should we do for FHE on a bad air day in January?
Is there a free family home evening program on BYU campus in January?
How cold and snowy is January in Provo?
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.
- Utah Department of Environmental Quality: Inversions, Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Checked October 20, 2026.
- 2026-2027 School Year Calendar, Provo City School District. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Utah State Legislature home page (2027 General Session dates), Utah State Legislature. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Utah Code 63G-1-301, Legal holidays, Utah State Legislature. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Royden G. Derrick Planetarium: General Public shows, Brigham Young University. Checked October 20, 2026.
- BYU Calendar (events API listings: Education in Zion Gallery FHE programs, concerts, Bean Museum Easter Family Night), Brigham Young University. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Church announces dates for 2027 broadcasts and events, Church News. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Thanksgiving Point: Luminaria, Thanksgiving Point. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Luminaria 2026 pricing calendar (PDF), Thanksgiving Point. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Sunrise and sunset times for Provo, Utah (API, America/Denver), Sunrise-Sunset.org. Checked October 20, 2026.
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Provo BYU station (USC00427064), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Checked October 20, 2026.
