In 100 days, the world will gather for the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. During that time, residents across Utah are invited to gather downtown in Salt Lake City’s Civic Center to watch the Games unfold and cheer on Team USA.
Beginning February 6 for approximately five weeks, Salt Lake City will host a watch party and celebration free to all families, individuals, and athletes where the entire state can commemorate the Games.
“We are shepherding our legacy as an Olympic city,” said Mayor Mendenhall. “The Olympic & Paralympic Games are a uniting force across the world, and I’d like to invite residents of any city near and far to celebrate with us. This will give our kids a taste of the excitement we felt in 2002 while looking forward to the incredible experiences they’ll enjoy in 2034.”
The downtown, family-friendly celebration will include:
- Giant screens livestreaming Olympic & Paralympic events
- Food trucks
- Family programming
- Bands and performances
- Olympians, Paralympians and guest speakers
- Warming areas and more
A vendor was recently selected by the City to facilitate the weeks-long event, with more details to be shared with the public in the coming months. It follows an energetic, early-morning party held on July 24, 2024, when thousands of Utahns gathered on Washington Square in Salt Lake City to cheer on Salt Lake City-Utah 2034’s winning bid to host the 2034 Games.
Current and former Olympians and Paralympians joined Mayor Mendenhall for today’s announcement, as well as representatives from the 2034 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG).
“What an opportunity we have to be supported by such a great community helping build a culture of sport, embracing values that we all share,” said Catherine Raney Norman, chair of the Athletes’ Commission for OCOG. “It’s rare and special to be on this kind of journey, this level of excitement—propelling the next generation of athletes and creating lifelong fans.”
In a little more than 3,000 days, the 2034 Winter Games will also return to Salt Lake City and Utah. As an Olympic city, Salt Lake City’s legacy only grows stronger by the day. In the coming months, the City will also engage with its residents to see what impacts they hope to see from the Games. To do this, Salt Lake City is preparing to release a Request for Information to build out the City’s 2034 impact and legacy efforts that will take residents’ input and turn it into action.
