Park City’s history takes center stage at 130th Miners Day Parade

PARK CITY, Utah — Main Street once again became the center of Park City’s annual Miners Day celebration Monday, as thousands gathered to watch golf balls race down the street, cheer on the parade, and celebrate the mining history that helped build the community.

The 130th annual Miners Day began with the traditional breakfast and Bark City 5K before the festivities moved to Main Street for the Running of the Balls, a flyover by the Commemorative Air Force’s Utah Wing, and the Miners Day Parade. The day later continued with mining competitions, live music, food, and family activities at City Park.

The Running of the Balls sent 15,000 golf balls racing down Main Street, continuing one of Park City’s most recognizable Miners Day traditions while raising money for local nonprofits through the Park City Rotary Foundation.

Then came the parade, where the community’s mining heritage took center stage alongside the organizations, businesses, and groups that make up Park City today.

A camel marks 100 years of the Egyptian

One of the more unusual sights in this year’s parade was a live camel accompanying the Egyptian Theatre’s entry.

The camel, named Cosmo, carried Egyptian Theatre manager Randy Barton down Main Street as the theater celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Egyptian opened on Christmas Day in 1926 and is marking the milestone throughout 2026.

The parade appearance played off the theater’s Egyptian theme  and made for one of the day’s most memorable sights.

The Egyptian also partnered with Park City Rotary for a special 100-Year-Old Ball run during this year’s Running of the Balls, with proceeds supporting the theater’s next century.

A new way to walk through Park City’s mining history

The parade also provided a fitting setting for the official launch of the Park City Historic Mine Route, a new seven-mile, self-guided route connecting 24 historic mining sites throughout the community.

The Park City Museum and Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History held a ribbon cutting for the new route during the Miners Day parade.

The route begins and ends at the Park City Museum and uses interpretive signs and a GPS-triggered audio guide to tell stories at sites connected to Park City’s mining history. The experience is designed to function as an open-air museum, bringing visitors into conversation with the landscapes where the town’s mining story unfolded.

The Park City Go Miners Athletic Foundation also joined the Museum in the parade, connecting Park City’s historic miners with a very different group of “miners” — the students who carry the name today as the Park City High School Miners.

According to Colleen Logan with Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, the groups walked together as part of an effort to help the next generation of Miners better understand the people and history behind their school’s mascot.

The traditions may be playful, but at its core, Miners Day remains a celebration of the people who built Park City. While the mines that once drove the city’s economy closed decades ago, the identity they created remains woven into the community.