The Song Summit, which celebrates six years of live music, wellness and culinary arts Thursday through Saturday, wants to say thank you to the community.
And it will do that through free programming that runs from 9 a.m-7 p.m. at the Song Summit Village that will be set up at Library Field, said the event’s cofounder, Ben Anderson.
“We will start with what we call Mindful Mornings, where we will do yoga and meditation,” he said.
The yoga sessions that will take place on the lawn from 9-10 a.m. will be led by Tommy Rosen, who will also lead a recovery hang from 11-11:50 a.m. in the Foundation Tent. (See accompanying story.)
The meditation from 10-11 a.m. will be led by K.J. Ward of the Backseat Lovers, Anderson said.
“They are a great Salt Lake-based band, and K.J. is a certified breathwork and meditation specialist,” he said.
Friday morning will also feature a special event at 8 a.m., Anderson said.
“The James Beard Award-winning chef, Gregory Gourdet, will lead everyone who is there on a 5K run or walk,” he said. “Chef Gregory is in recovery, and his recovery path is food and running. He is now a long-distance runner.”
Members of the community are invited to participate, whether they walk or run, Anderson said.
“You can do the run or just take your kids or dogs on a walk,” he said. “We’ll have some running clubs there, and other sponsors who will provide hydration and snacks. Then at the end of the run, Chef Gregory and I will have a discussion about his journey.”
From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the village will offer an array of activities and events, including live performances by young musicians, Anderson said.
“The village is run by the Song Summit Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Song Summit that supports rising and emerging artists and puts them on the stage,” he said.
The Song Summit Foundation, the 501(c)3, charitable arm of Park City Song Summit has been around for a few years, according to Anderson.
“Its vision, its goal and its mission, is to identify emerging artists through the Summit Rising Program,” he said. “Through that program we, through the cost of the foundation, have brought in dozens of young musicians from this region and county, as well as Havana, Cuba, New Orleans, Louisiana, in the past. This year, we’ve included Mexico and put these artists up with lodging and food, so they can meet (fellow) emerging artists from other backgrounds and genres of music so they can collaborate musically and socially.”
These artists can also meet, interact and network with established artists who will also perform and participate in lab discussions on Friday and Saturday, Anderson said.
“These emerging musicians will also be able to attend these labs,” he said. “We feel as we continue to pursue the pillars of why Song Summit was created — to bring more clarity and normalcy around conversations and resources in mental health, recovery from chemical dependency, trauma and underserved communities — it’s important for people to be seen, to be heard and have them realize they are not alone in this epidemic of isolation.”
Anderson believes these labs and performances can build bridges through the “simple principles of love, kindness and connection.”
“Hopefully we all can make a better world where people realize that color is only skin deep, that your bank account has nothing to do with your soul and, at the end of the day, we are all one,” he said. “We want people to learn that there is a oneness and a consciousness out there that doesn’t care how you were raised, how much your parents made or what your skin color or heritage is.”
Music, connection, food and wellness peel back these labels and attitudes, Anderson said.
“What’s left is humanity and the beautiful offering this world has of live music and dancing,” he said. “If we can do that, we can show these emerging artists that they will face challenges and that they can overcome them. We want to show them that there are other artists out there who have written songs about this and have used different tools like yoga, meditation, therapy and other resources to live their best lives and still bring forth their best music.”
Anderson decided to open the Summit Village to the public after the Song Summit Foundation failed to secure any grant money.
“Unfortunately, we applied for every grant we could through the city, state and county but didn’t receive a dollar,” he said. “Despite getting shunned in that regard, we didn’t want to return a cold shoulder with a cold shoulder. We return it with a hug. So, the Song Summit Village is our give back to community members as a thank you for supporting us all of these years.”
The village will be fenced, due to libations for adults that will be served in a designated space, but there will not be an entry fee, Anderson said.
“However, if people want to donate, they can,” he said. “Song Summit Foundation board members will be there with a QR code, and any donation of any size will be appreciated.”
In addition to free entry to the village, this year’s Song Summit provides different ways to save money on tickets, Anderson said.
“We offer bundles of the Song Summit Supper Clubs and the live-music experiences at the Marquis,” he said.
Song Summit also offers a special with lab-ticket purchases, Anderson said. (See accompanying schedule.)
“Our labs have always been our special sauce with our emerging-artist programs, and these are what makes us different from the average music festival,” he said. “If you are a music teacher or a community leader and have a group of people who want to attend the labs but can’t afford the price point for the tickets, please, reach out to us by [email protected], and we will work with you to find a way for you to bring them to the labs. It is that important to us that people be transformed by what goes on in those rooms.”
Anderson encourages the public to take advantage of these Song Summit points of entry.
“I know there are a lot of distractions out there, but the Song Summit happens only once a year,” he said. “We invite people to commune with their community and support something that has been around since 2019. We’ve been showing up for the community since then, and we can only continue to show up if the community shows up and supports us. I’m so grateful for this community. I love this community. It is the reason why we do this year in and year out. We believe it’s worthwhile, impactful and world-changing to get together around these platforms of live music, food, wellness and talks that explore our challenges in life.”
2026 Song Summit lab schedule:
All labs are held in the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Ave.
Friday
- ‘Be The Dog: Emotional Sobriety and the Art of Being,’ participant: Chef Andrew Zimmern, noon
- ‘Healthy People, Healthy Planet,’ participants: Antonio Nuño from Someone Somewhere and Wes Carter from A New Earth Project, 1:30 p.m.
- ‘Vinyl & Vittles Vol. 1,’ participants: Chef Sean Brock and Eugenie Jaffe of KRCL radio, 3 p.m.
Saturday
- ‘Workingman’s Dead: Songs Stories and Improvisation,’ participants: singer-songwriter Steve Poltz and Grateful Dead photographer Jay Blakesberg, 11:45 a.m.
- ‘The Creative Thread: Connecting Sound, Sport, Film and Story,’ participants: Jim James of My Morning Jacket, filmmaker and skier Chris Benchetler and moderator Ross James, 1:30 p.m.
- ‘The Mountains of the Moon’ screening with live music, participants: narrator Paul Stamets, Grateful Dead music performed by Ross James, Eric Krasno, Nicki Bluhm, Alex Koford and Holly Bowling, 3 p.m.
2026 Song Summit
- When: Aug. 27-29
- Where: Various venues in Park City
- Tickets: tinyurl.com/b7372cr5
- Web: songsummit.com and songsummit.com/pages/foundation