Pie & Beer Bash returns to the Ballpark Stadium this July 24th

July 24th, 4.00 – 8.00 p.m.
$10.50 – $50.50, tickets online

Back for the 13th year, at least in an official sense, and returning once more to the Ballpark – Utah’s largest assembly of pie and beer. Heck, according to organizers, The New York Times billed the event as the largest assemblage of pie and beer in the nation. I’ve yet to see the Guinness Book of World Records disagree with that claim.

For 2026, the event will see:

• Utah’s largest-ever Pie Market, plus a free slice of pie for every single ticket holder
• An expansive Beer Garden featuring local breweries and cider makers
• VIPP passes (that’s Very Important Pie Person) with exclusive pie-and-beer pairings from 4–6 p.m. and a commemorative glass
• Celebrity Kickball Showdown Nick Rimando’s “Mis-Kicks” vs the Salt Lake City Fire Department’s “Ash Kickers”
  Amateur pie baking contest and a pie eating contest, for those who prefer their pie competitive
• Live local music, food trucks, a Bakers and Brewers Market, and picnicking on the infield
• A Kids Zone, with root beer and ginger ale for the under-21 crowd
• “Seventh-inning stretch” yoga at 7 p.m., courtesy of Maple Grove Hot Springs & Retreat Center, to make room for one more slice

In total, the event aims to serve up some 7,000 slices of pie from some of the best in town (expect sweet and savory if years past are to go by), with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Ballpark Action Team (BAT), a grassroots nonprofit working year-round to strengthen one of Salt Lake City’s most historic and often overlooked neighborhoods.

Deer Valley

July 25th & 26th, 11.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Admission free with lift tickets

The next installation of the Fire & Flavor Festival at Deer Valley’s Silver Lake follows the very next day. The Summer series runs through August 9th, with each event celebrating a specific style of BBQ.

The next event will be led by Overland Cookery’s expedition chefs, drawing inspiration from cooking in remote environments. Held on the Silver Lake Lawn, guests can also expect a showstopping eight-foot paella presentation filled with fresh seafood and local meats, and plank salmon, slow-cooked over the fire. Pair each bite with craft pours from Utah breweries and live music.

Admission is free with lift access. Food and beverage are available à la carte, with $25 entrée plates.

Tupelo

July 29th, 6.30 p.m.
$90, tickets via Resy

Sean Minor wines will be the driver for this four-course wine dinner at the Park City staple. Four wines and four dishes will be served as follows:

• Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, parmesan foam, snap peas, sourdough, lemon
  • Sean Minor Invited Sauvignon Blanc
• Blue Crab Cake, cream corn, tasso ham, pickled okra, hot sauce butter
  • Signature Series Chardonnay
• Sous Vide Niman Ranch Pork Chop country ham, cherry gastrique, braised collard greens, butter bean purée
  • Signature Series Pinot Noir
• Valrhona Chocolate Tart, salted bourbon caramel mousse, peanut brittle
  • Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon

Urban Hill

August 19th, 6.00 p.m.
$131.34, tickets via Resy

These special dinners at Urban Hill have been selling out at an increasingly faster clip this year; no doubt people are excited to see what special creations James Beard (now triple) nominated chef Nick Zocoo is cooking up. An upcoming collab alongside Viet Pham was gone in the blink of an eye; so here’s an early update on next month.

There’s not much info on the event so far, aside from the Farm Tasting moniker, where “Urban Hill collaborates with local farmers to showcase our culinary talents with their delicious products.” Given we’ll be hitting peak produce by the time the dinner rolls around, I can’t imagine it will be anything less than fantastic.

Also worth keeping an eye on is the next Chef’s Counter Experience. The first event kicked off on July 13th, and the restaurant promises a duo of events each month. Zocco plates up an extra special tasting menu, counter-style, for six lucky guests only. The ultra-limited experience obviously goes fast – be sure to sign up for their mailing list or tune into the socials to stay abreast of the next one.

Brownstone 22

August 26th

A little further out, but a tremendously intriguing one; especially if, like me, you are endlessly attracted to these three things: meat, meat on sticks, and more meat. Oh, make it four – things on sticks too. The next pairing dinner at Brownstone 22 (missed my preview? read it here) is titled World Of Barbecue, with the menu tentatively reading:

• India – tandoori
• Japan – robata
• Mozambique – peri peri
• Jamaica – jerk
• USA – Texas BBQ
• Perú – anticuchos

B22 write that, “For this dinner, our chefs will be serving seven courses using seven unique styles of barbecue from across the globe. And alongside each plate will be a paired cocktail incorporating flavors from that country.” Wowser.

Other useful links

• Free newsletter – signup and receive our weekly newsletter for free
• Food talk group – chew the fat with other like-minded Utah foodies over on Facebook.
• Best of SLC 2024 – what you can’t miss in the Beehive right now.

Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC.  I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City  dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.

I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV.   Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.    I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.