Whether you’re visiting Park City from out of state or just coming up from Salt Lake to escape the heat, there’s lots to do here in the summertime! One of the best activities that runs from summer through early fall is the Park Silly Sunday Market (or Silly Sunday, as locals call it).
I’d heard of the Park Silly Market through a friend, but it wasn’t until my partner and I had a spur-of-the-moment decision to book a hotel for a night up in Park City. We were wiped out, coming back from a hike near Salt Lake and wanted to escape the valley heat.
We happened to stumble upon the Sunday market the next morning and it was the perfect way to spend a day in Park City. Read on for my itinerary and review of Park Silly.
What is Park Silly?
The Park Silly Sunday Market is a (FREE) eco-friendly artist and farmers market that runs all down Park City’s historic Main Street. Also considered a street festival, it’s currently in its 16th season. Park Silly starts in early June and runs until the end of September, every Sunday from 10am – 5pm MT.
Note: Park Silly doesn’t happen on the Sundays of August 7th, 14th, and 21st.
What makes this market unique is its display of different vendors each week and its commitment to an eco-friendly venue! All of their food vendors use recyclable forks, bowls, plates and napkins. There are “Zero Waste” bins located throughout the market, where you can either recycle or throw uneaten food in a separate bin. The leftover food gets fed to pigs in Kamas!
What Vendors are at Park Silly?
Every week, different local and regional vendors come together at Park Silly and display their incredible artwork. Whether that’s in the form of gourmet food, fresh produce, paintings, drawings, sculptures, jewelry, beer, electronics, clothing, trinkets–you name it!
Who Can Attend Park Silly?
Families, couples, elderly, dogs, kids–everyone is welcome at Silly Sunday! They just ask that pets are kept on leash and that you bring doggy bags to clean up after them.
Just be wary that the asphalt can reach well above 100F so Park Silly recommends leaving pets at home if it’s hotter than 85F outside. We don’t want them burning their little paws!
What to Bring to Park Silly
Definitely your sunnies, sun hat and sunscreen. The only way you’ll be escaping the sun here on a hot day is by running into the small stores along Main St.
I also recommend a backpack or big canvas bag if you think you’ll be buying anything bulky.
Lastly, I highly recommend bringing a water bottle – they have a couple of water stations at each end of the venue, but there’s a lot of space between those two points! You’ll want to stay hydrated as you make your way around.
Park Silly Venue Layout
Park Silly has public bathrooms, tables and seating, and water stations at the entrance off 9th St. This is also where the beer vendors are located–and the music stage! That’s right, they have live performers providing great music throughout the day. Check out this PDF of the venue layout.
Where Can I Park?
We were lucky enough to snag a spot in the Mawhinney Park Lot, which offers free parking for a max of three hours. This lot is about a ten minute walk to the entrance of Park Silly on 9th St. This is a prime option if you think three hours is enough time for you. We had to wait a few minutes for a car to pull out and open up a spot for us, though. It was packed!
There’s limited paid parking options around the China Bridge parking structure and Old Town area. You may come across a random good spot here and there, just be aware of posted parking signs because Park City is strict about this.
Park Silly recommends leaving your car at the (free) Park City High School lot and taking the (free) shuttle bus to Main St. This is probably your best option if you plan to stay all day!
My Park Silly Experience
We had so much fun wandering up and down Main Street! I got myself a new pair of stylin’ sunglasses and my partner got this beautiful, original artwork design of California.
We took a tour of Park City Fine Art Gallery to escape the heat for a bit and look at some astounding artwork designs. After grabbing a big soft pretzel at one of the baked food vendors’ tents, our sweet tooth got the best of us and we stopped at the Java Cow for ice cream.
Since this was his first time in Park City, I splurged on $15 tickets to the Park City History Museum so he could see how epic PC was back in the day. Of course it’s still epic, just light years different from the mining town it used to be! And truthfully, I just wanted to show him the insanely creepy jail dungeon.
Lodging
If you’re looking to make it a weekend in Park City, there are lots of lodging options.
You can get bougie like we did for one night and stay at the Marriott Mountainside Resort and it was absolutely fabulous. In the wintertime, prices can easily reach over $500/night, but in the summertime, they drop to around half of that.
The Marriott Mountainside is, as it sounds, right on the side of Park City mountain for easy-access skiing. But in the summertime, you get gorgeous green forest views and a kitchen, living room and bathroom (with bathtub) all in your one unit.
It was so relaxing that we ended up getting takeout and just hanging out in the room for as long as possible. And the next day, it was off to Park Silly!
Here are some other local hotel options to consider:
- Sweetwater Lift Lodge Resort (~$99/night)
- Park City Peaks Hotel (~$112/night)
- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City (~$135/night)
- Sheraton Park City (~$184/night)
- Westgate Park City Resort (~$270/night)
I hope you get a chance to check out Park Silly at some point during your Park City adventures! I’d love to know your thoughts and review of Park Silly–leave a comment and share if you’ve been!
And if you’re ready to go farther north this summer, check out my epic weekend itinerary for Victor, Idaho to Jackson Hole, Wyoming!
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