Fans attending FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention 2018 take a bike taxi at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept., 8, 2018.
SALT LAKE CITY – Downtown could be busier this weekend than we’ve seen it in years. Several high profile events are expected to bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors and massive amounts of cash.
Fan X Comic Convention, The University of Utah football home opener, the 2019 Men’s Skating World Championship, the Salt Lake City Greek Festival, The Farmer’s Market, plus the 95th birthday celebration of The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints President Russell M. Nelson. All of these activities, and several more, could make the streets of downtown feel pretty crowded.
“This weekend is unusual. There’s an unusual number of events,” says Downtown Alliance Executive Director Dee Brewer.
Just how many people are expected to pack the streets?
Brewer says, “We anticipate that there will be about 200 thousand people visiting downtown this weekend and that they will have an economic impact of over $19 million.”
Analysts say the number of high profile attractions in the downtown area has been steadily climbing over the years. Brewer says there used to be only a few key events every summer, but, now there are multiple things happening every single weekend.
The nighttime economy is reaping a lot of the benefits that come with big ticket events. Brewer says a lot of people are getting used to traveling to and through downtown.
“The events like we see this weekend attract what I would term, ‘new users,’” he says.
He also says a thriving artistic community is helping to boost business.
“The city is becoming an ’18 hour city.’ The city is growing a nighttime economy that typically has not been associated with Salt Lake City,” says Brewer.
Utah Transit Authority will be running extra Trax trains for Fan X and the Utah football home opener. If you have a ticket to the game, Trax fare is free.