Jam band Goose plays during the headline act at Park City Song Summit 2025. Photo: TownLift//Randi Sidman-Moore

PARK CITY, Utah – This weekend, Park City may have found a new rhythm. After the departure of the Sundance Film Festival, the city’s cultural spotlight lit up again as the 2025 Park City Song Summit stepped to center stage. The festival, which brought music, storytelling, and community connection on Friday and Saturday enlivened City Park and music lovers strolled the streets.

Music meets meaning

Unlike traditional music festivals that focus only on big names and late-night sets, Song Summit has carved out something more intimate. Alongside headliners like Goose, Marcus King, Greensky Bluegrass, and Dawes & Friends, the event layered in spaces for conversation and reflection. Its “Summit Labs” brought artists, experts, and audiences together for candid talks about creativity, mental health, and the deeper struggles often hidden behind the music.

As organizers like to say, the Summit is designed as much for listening as it is for dancing. It’s an invitation to slow down, hear the stories behind the songs, and connect through shared experience.

A festival that spills into the streets

The move to Park City’s downtown gave this year’s event a different energy. Stages and sessions were woven into familiar venues—the Jim Santy Auditorium and the Songwriters’ Porch at Library Field offered free morning performances from local talents like Debra Fotheringham, Matt Warren, and Miss Margaret.

Wellness was also part of the mix. Yoga, meditation, and “recovery hangs” sat alongside the music.

Park City Song Summit 2025, Trombone Shorty Academy. (TownLift//Randi Sidman-Moore)

A new cultural anchor

For a town still adjusting to the loss of Sundance, Song Summit felt like a fresh start. Where January once brought red carpets and paparazzi, August now brings guitars, harmonies, and open-air porches. The vibe is less Hollywood, more hometown—one where residents and visitors mingle in the heart of the city, experiencing art in a way that feels uniquely Park City.

As one local musician put it last year, Song Summit isn’t just about who’s on stage. It’s about “building a space where the community and the music belong to each other.”