Sailfest is back! On Saturday, June 7th from 10 am-4 pm at the Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina, Grow the Flow, the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club, and local sponsors are hosting Sailfest 2025—a free, family friendly day of cardboard boat racing, kayaking, a sailing regatta, live music, food trucks, art workshops, and more.
Last year marked the first Sailfest celebration in five years due to low lake levels. Just 12 months later, the future of this event is once again at risk—with plans to remove boats from the marina due to insufficient water levels. Grow the Flow and the Yacht Club invite community members to come celebrate the lake and bear witness to its decline, in what will likely be the last Sailfest until the lake reaches healthy levels.
Sailfest aims to reconnect Utahns with the Great Salt Lake at a pivotal moment. Great Salt Lake—a significant part of Utah’s economy, climate, and biodiversity—has lost more than half its water. Its continued decline threatens widespread consequences, from toxic dust storms and ecosystem collapse to economic hits. Yet, many Utahns remain unfamiliar with the lake or have never visited its shores.
The event invites the community to celebrate the lake while deepening public understanding of what’s at stake. Through cardboard boat races, hands-on art activities, educational workshops, and lakeside recreation, the event brings people into direct contact with a place many have only seen from afar—fostering a deeper connection to one of Utah’s most vital and threatened landscapes.
“Sailfest is about building connection,” said Jake Dreyfous, Managing Director of Grow the Flow. “Every Utahn plays a role in either the lake’s restoration or its continued decline. By gathering Utahns at Great Salt Lake State Park, celebrating the lake’s beauty, and learning from groups working to protect it, we hope to grow the movement to get water to the lake.”
Restoring Great Salt Lake will require coordinated policy change and broad public support—both of which depend on a shared sense of connection and care for the lake.
To register for Sailfest and receive one entry into the opportunity drawing, visit https://growtheflowutah.org/gsl-sailfest/.
Prizes include ski passes, spa treatments, sailing lessons, a fly-fishing trip, and more!
Grow the Flow thanks the event sponsors, participating organizations, volunteers, and activity facilitators who are making this event possible.