From Coachella to Salt Lake City: How a Utah block party became one of indie music’s biggest festivals

Kilby Block Party started in 2019 as a literal block party on a quiet street of Salt Lake City. Seven years later, the musical festival hosts 30,000 guests a day and features international superstars.

In the festival’s closing performance on Sunday night, singer-songwriter Lorde called Kilby “the absolute coolest festival ever” — high praise coming from an artist who has previously headlined Coachella and Lollapalooza.

“I am so psyched to be here,” the “Royals” singer said to the cheering crowd.

Several other artists made their Kilby Block Party debuts this weekend, including fellow headliners Turnstile and The xx. Hayley Williams’ Sunday set marked not just her first Kilby appearance but also her first solo festival performance — this is her first time touring without her band, Paramore.

“I’ve never done a festival as me before,” she told the crowd during her set. “It feels nice.”

The festival also welcomed back several artists, including local talents The Moss and Ritt Momney.

Ritt Momney performed at the inaugural Kilby Block Party in 2019, when it was a one-day show in a small block of a Salt Lake neighborhood. Ritt Momney is the stage name for Jack Rutter, a Salt Lake-based singer-songwriter who said Kilby’s explosive growth is proof of Utah’s arts infrastructure.

“You don’t need to move away from Utah to be a musician,” he told the Deseret News before performing on Friday.

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In 13 years of touring, Lorde had never performed in Utah before Kilby — but she promised she’d return.

“I’ve been meaning to come here for a long time,” she told the crowd. “I’ve always heard good things about you guys. ... You really like good music.”

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Although the first two days of the festival were warm and sunny, Sunday brought wind and cold. A late afternoon drizzle turned to steady rain, but festivalgoers stayed put, donning ponchos or simply accepting the downpour in their band tees.

“I love a rain show,” Lorde said, and she indeed braved the storm, dancing barefoot around the stage and descending into the pit to greet fans. She paused the performance once to put on a jacket and shoes and commended the audience for withstanding the downpour.

“You are dancing ... a lot for people who are soaked to the bone right now,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

The Kilby appearance was the 65th show of Lorde’s “Ultrasound” tour, which she said has been close to her heart.

“In some ways, it feels like the tour I have been waiting my whole life to be in,” she said. “I feel like the realest version of me that I have ever brought into my art.”

The little festival that could: How Kilby Block Party became a success

The first Kilby Block Party looked nothing like it does now. It began as a celebration of Kilby Court, Salt Lake City’s longest-running all-ages music venue, and took place on the street outside the venue.

Momney recalled feeling nervous before that first performance.

“I remember hearing there were 500 people at our set or something, which was way more than we’d played to before,” he said.

He said there was a sense of community surrounding that first festival — one that continues to this day and makes him proud to participate in Kilby, even as its visitors have grown by the thousands and Momney’s nerves have disappeared.

Part of that community comes from Kilby’s prioritization of local artists, Momney said. S&S Presents, the company that runs Kilby Block Party, Kilby Court and several other music venues, regularly works with Utah-based artists.

“To get some experience, especially opening for cool and big artists, it’s a pretty priceless experience,” Momney said.

Local artists are always featured at Kilby — something Riley Bode, the festival’s head of marketing, believes makes the festival unique.

“I really attribute (Kilby Block Party’s growth) to the community,” she said. “Local bands have played a huge part in building this community around Kilby Court.”

What makes Kilby special?

Austin McLean has been attending music festivals yearly with his best friend since the ’90s. He travels from Michigan and used to attend Lollapalooza in Chicago every year. But Lollapalooza started booking more pop artists, he said, so they tried Shaky Knees in Georgia.

“They were pretty good,” McLean said. “But then when we saw Kilby, the lineup was so awesome compared to Shaky. So the last three years, we’ve been coming here.”

Other than the array of artists, McLean said one of his favorite parts about Kilby is the people he gets to meet in the crowd between sets.

“Being from the Midwest, I didn’t know anything about Salt Lake, but people here are so cool and down to earth,” he said.

McLean added that Salt Lake City’s public transportation and relative affordability add to Kilby’s appeal. Other than the cost of airfare and the festival ticket, he said, you don’t have to spend much.

“Salt Lake is a very manageable city,” he said.

Others have praised Kilby for its organization — a rarity among music festivals in the era of Astroworld and Fyre Fest.

“That’s such a well-run festival,” “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings, who regularly attends Kilby Block Party, recently told an audience. “I don’t even want to give it away to you people.”

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Bode credited the festival’s organization to the team’s willingness to accept feedback. She said they make an effort to listen to attendees and constantly make adjustments.

“Anybody that comes to the festival, we see you, we hear you,” she said. “We love everyone that comes to Kilby Block Party.”

‘You don’t have to leave Utah to be a musician’

Kilby’s success is representative of Utah’s growing importance in the entertainment industry.

A number of movies and shows have filmed in Utah, and more are coming. Angel Studios, the distribution company behind “Animal Farm” and “Sound of Freedom,” is based in Utah. Although the Sundance Film Festival is moving to Colorado next year, the Sundance Institute will remain in Park City.

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Several high-profile recording artists have also made Utah their home, such as Post Malone and Benson Boone. Salt Lake City is also home to the Redwest country music festival.

Ritt Momney said he did leave Utah at one point to pursue music in New York and Los Angeles, but found he has everything he needs at home.

“You don’t need to do all that,” he said. “If you’re happy in Utah, then stay in Utah and make music there.”

Why live music matters

Several artists spoke during their sets about the power of live music. Hayley Williams said shows like Kilby Block Party taught her “how to be part of a community.”

“That’s where we learn how powerful collective action and belief is,” she said. “So don’t stop going to shows, all right?”

Lorde had a similar message for her fans.

“It is a very dark time in our world and it can feel very difficult to see any light,” she said. “When we get together in this way and we ... let ourselves be torn apart by the art that we love and then we let it rebuild us, that means something. That does something.

“So whatever happens, let’s just keep meeting up like this, OK?”