At the close of the October 2026 general conference, President Dallin H. Oaks invited the world to the Salt Lake Temple. After years of renovation, the temple will open its doors to the public on April 5, 2027, for the first time since 1893, and stay open for tours through October 1. For Utah Valley, an hour's drive or a train ride from Temple Square, it is the biggest event on the 2027 calendar, and the free tickets are already being reserved.
This guide covers what the Church has confirmed, mostly from TempleSquare.org, the Church's official site for the event, along with reporting from KSL and Church News. Plans for an event this size can shift, so treat TempleSquare.org as the final word on dates, hours and tickets.
The Essentials
- Dates: April 5 through October 1, 2027, every day.
- Tour hours: TempleSquare.org lists open house tours from 8:40 a.m. to 8 p.m. KSL has reported that Sunday tours begin at noon.
- Cost: free.
- Tickets: reserve on TempleSquare.org or in the Temple Square app. Reservations opened September 1, 2026.
- Who can come: everyone. The Church describes the event as open to all.
- Rededication: not yet announced. After it, the temple is used only for worship, so the open house is the window to see inside.
How the Free Tickets Work
Tickets for the temple tour are free but limited, and the Church releases them in phases rather than all at once. According to TempleSquare.org, if no tickets show for the day you want, you should check back often: reservations come back into the pool when people change or return them, and more are added with each new release. The Church's own announcements have marked these releases as they happen, so a sold-out week today may not be sold out next month.
The official wording is that reservations are recommended for the temple tour. KSL described them as required. Either way, the practical advice is the same: if seeing inside the temple is the point of your trip, book a time slot before you plan anything else. The broader celebration on Temple Square, with its exhibits, videos, performances and activities, does not require a reservation at all.
If you are organizing a family or ward group, settle on a few possible dates early. Six months sounds like a long time, but the Church expects millions of visitors, and summer weekends are likely to go first.
What You Will See
The temple itself. The heart of the event is a tour of the renovated Salt Lake Temple, a building that has been closed to the public since its dedication in 1893. TempleSquare.org notes that it was built mostly by hand over 40 years, beginning in 1847.
The Temple Square Visitors' Center. The new visitors' center opened to the public on May 18, 2026, according to TempleSquare.org, and Church News describes statues, artwork, miniature models and replicas inside that teach about Jesus Christ and the role of temples. Church News also reported an "Inside a Temple" tour there with tickets released every other Monday.
The Lion House and Beehive House. TempleSquare.org lists a new experience at these two historic homes opening April 5, 2027, with four self-guided tours.
The celebration around it. The event's theme is "Rejoice in Christ." Church News reported sacred music around Temple Square, lighting on the temple each night, exhibits throughout the grounds and plenty of spots for family photos. KSL reported that the Church hopes the experience leads visitors to think about why it invests so much in restoring and preserving the temple.
Why This One Is Different
Temple open houses are common in Utah County; our guide to temple open houses and dedications in Utah Valley walks through how they usually work. This one is not typical. It is the first time the public has been able to enter the Salt Lake Temple since 1893, and the open house runs six months instead of the usual few weeks. KSL reported that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said the Church anticipates about five million visitors, and Church leaders have described it as a celebration rather than a standard open house.
Planning the Trip From Utah Valley
Book the tour first. Pick your date around the ticket you can get, not the other way around.
Take the train. FrontRunner from Provo runs to downtown Salt Lake City, and TRAX light rail connects to Temple Square, which spares you the downtown parking search on a day when tens of thousands of others may be making the same trip. TempleSquare.org has a getting-there page with the latest transportation guidance.
Give it the whole day. Between the temple tour, the visitors' center, the Lion and Beehive houses and the grounds, there is more than a morning's worth of things to see, and none of the experiences outside the temple need a reservation except the special tours noted above.
Plan around Sunday. If you go on a Sunday, KSL reported that tours start at noon, which leaves the morning for church at home and the afternoon for the trip north.
Bring the kids. The temple tour is open to everyone, and visiting a temple before its dedication is a chance most families get only once or twice. Our guide to visiting Utah Valley's temples covers what children and first-time visitors can expect at a temple more generally.
Can't Make It in Person?
TempleSquare.org offers virtual options alongside the in-person event, and KSL reported that a virtual temple celebration begins in October 2026, before the doors open in April. At the October 2026 general conference, President Oaks also announced Dedicate, a new video series about temples aimed at young adults, premiering in multiple languages after conference.
Volunteering
KSL reported that the Church will need members to volunteer during the six-month celebration, and TempleSquare.org is inviting volunteer performing groups to apply to take part. Watch for invitations through your ward and stake, and check TempleSquare.org if your choir or musical group wants to perform.
What We Don't Know Yet
The Church has not announced the rededication date. Detailed arrangements for parking, shuttles and crowd management will matter for Utah Valley visitors, and TempleSquare.org is the place they will appear first. Ticket availability changes constantly, so anything said today about sold-out dates may be out of date tomorrow.
From This Weekend's General Conference
President Oaks made the announcement in the concluding remarks of the conference; our Sunday afternoon recap covers that session talk by talk, our weekend summary pulls all four sessions together, and every recap lives on our General Conference page.
Related Guides
- Utah Valley Temple Open Houses and Dedications: What's Coming
- Visiting Utah Valley's Temples: A Guide for Everyone
- FrontRunner from Provo: What to Know Before You Ride
- October 2026 General Conference: The Whole Weekend in One Read
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Salt Lake Temple open house?
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Is the Salt Lake Temple open house free?
Do I need a reservation?
Can people who are not Latter-day Saints attend?
When will the Salt Lake Temple be rededicated?
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