If you lived in Provo anytime between 2010 and 2019, you probably remember the Rooftop Concert Series without needing it described. On the first Friday of each month, downtown turned into something it isn't most of the year: a place where thousands of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder on Center Street and listened to live music for free. Imagine Dragons played one. So did Neon Trees, The National Parks, The Backseat Lovers, The Moth & The Flame. The thing that started on a downtown parking garage roof became, for a stretch of about a decade, the single most distinctive piece of Provo's identity to anyone outside the city.
Then it ended in 2019. The funding model — relying entirely on corporate sponsors — stopped working, and the series went on indefinite hiatus. For six summers, Provo had a Rooftop-shaped hole in its calendar.
It's back. Co-founders Sarah Wiley, Mindy Gledhill and Justin Hackworth — the original team — announced in late April that the series would return Friday, May 15 at Nu Skin Plaza, with five shows running through September 18. The opening lineup featured three returning favorites: I Don't Know How But They Found Me, Sego and Pinguin Mofex.
The short version, if that is all you came for: the 2026 season runs May 15, June 26, July 24, August 21 and September 18 at Nu Skin Plaza, 100 W Center Street. Music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free and there is no ticketing. Lineups are announced closer to each show on rooftopconcertseries.com and @rooftopconcerts. Note that these are not "every third Friday" despite what several event listings say — the dates move between the third and fourth Friday, so use the list.
Why This Is a Bigger Deal Than It Sounds
Most cities don't have an event that defines them the way Rooftop defined Provo at its peak. The closest comparison is something like First Friday in Phoenix or Last Fridays on Main in Salt Lake — recurring downtown events that anchor a place's identity for people who don't live there. Provo's been quietly building a downtown that has more reasons to visit it than it did a decade ago — Black Sheep, Communal, Velour, the Covey Center, an actual coffee scene — but it hasn't had the event. The thing where the question isn't "what should we do this weekend" but "are you coming to Rooftop."
The revival is being supported by the McGowan family — a private benefactor stepping in where corporate sponsorships fell short last time — and by Mayor Marsha Judkins, who campaigned on bringing it back. That combination matters. A series funded by one family plus a sympathetic city government is more durable than one that depends on whichever local company is feeling generous this fiscal year.
What to Expect on a Rooftop Night
The format hasn't changed: free outdoor show, downtown closing for the evening, audience that ranges from BYU sophomores to families with strollers to the people who were there in 2012 and want to be there again. Get there early if you want to be close to the stage — historically, the plaza filled and people spilled onto Center Street. Bring something to sit on if you want to be comfortable. There's no ticketing, no RSVP, and no real way to know how big the crowd will be on opening night until it shows up.
Sarah Wiley told reporters the goal this time isn't to revitalize downtown — that's already happened — but to bring people together in a moment where, in her words, things feel divided. Whether a concert series can fix that is another question. But it can absolutely give Provo back something it lost — and for a few hours on Center Street, five Fridays a summer, that is what it looks like.
Mark Your Calendars
The full 2026 season:
- Friday, May 15 — I Don't Know How But They Found Me, Sego, Pinguin Mofex
- Friday, June 26 — lineup TBA
- Friday, July 24 — lineup TBA
- Friday, August 21 — lineup TBA
- Friday, September 18 — lineup TBA
All shows at Nu Skin Plaza, 100 W Center Street, Provo. Music at 7 p.m. Admission free.
For the rest of the city's music calendar, see our guide to live music in Provo; for what else fills a summer evening downtown, our summer activities guide and the roundup of free things to do in Provo both start here.
Related Guides
- The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival: The West's Biggest Story Party
- The Rooftop Concert Series: Provo's Free Friday Night, Explained
