Millions of people are expected to descend on Salt Lake City during a monthslong public open house for the renovated Salt Lake Temple next year.
The city and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are working together on a plan to handle the crowds touring the historic edifice on Temple Square in the heart of downtown.
“This will certainly be the largest temple open house the church has ever held. It’s been over 130 years since the public has been able to access the Salt Lake Temple,” Marty Stephens, director of government, community and interfaith relations for the church, said noting there were limited tours in 1893 before the temple was dedicated.
The temple closed Jan. 1, 2020, for seismic upgrades and extensive renovations. All of the reconstruction will be complete by the end of this year.
The church estimates 3 million to 5 million visitors will participate in the reopening celebration, scheduled for April 5, 2027, through Oct. 1, 2027. That comes out to 20,000 to 29,000 a day, roughly the equivalent of one session of the church’s biannual general conference every day for six months.
“We’re planning for a larger number rather than a smaller number so that we don’t get overwhelmed,” Stephens said.
By comparison, an estimated 70,000 visitors a day were in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Olympics during, with more than 1.5 million tickets were sold, according to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. But that was over only 17 days.
What security measures will be in place?
Security and guest experience are the two biggest concerns in planning for the massive event.
“We want to make sure that people have a good experience while they’re here. But we also want to make sure that they feel safe and that this is a safe environment,” Stephens said.
To that end, the church, the Salt Lake City mayor’s office, police and fire departments and the Utah Department of Transportation started, a year ago, looking how to best hold the event “without any unfortunate or malicious events happening” in those six months.
Plans call for a fenced perimeter around Temple Square and adjacent church property with 10 access points equipped with security devices, the main entrance being on the west side.
In addition to Temple Square with two new visitor centers, the Beehive House, Lion House, the newly renovated Relief Society Building and refreshed FamilySearch Library will be inside the perimeter and open to visitors. Once inside the perimeters, guests will not be subject to security checks to enter the other buildings, Stephens said.
Salt Lake City wants to temporarily close streets around Temple Square to accommodate the open house.
“The proposed closures are limited in scope and duration as much as possible and are necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of residents, visitors, and event participants,” according to Andrew Whittenberg, a spokesman for the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office.
“Based on anticipated attendance, event activities and traffic volume, the street closures will support orderly crowd management, mitigate traffic congestion, and allow for the proper placement of safety infrastructure such as barricades, emergency access, signage and accessibility accommodations.”
What downtown Salt Lake City streets will close?
As currently proposed, the closures include all of North Temple between West Temple and Main Street; a portion of North Temple between 200 West and West Temple Street; all of West Temple between North Temple and South Temple; a portion of West Temple between 200 North and North Temple Street, and a portion of South Temple between West Temple and Main.
The church will pay the city $2 million to $2.5 million to lease the roads over the six-month period, Stephens said. It also offered to cover the cost of additional law enforcement, as it does for general conference, and any added signage the city might need to redirect traffic.
The Salt Lake City Council will hold a public hearing on the plan Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. A vote on the proposal is anticipated on March 24.
The church asked the city to close the streets beginning in March 2027 through the duration of the temple celebration.
Whittenberg said the mayor’s office and police, fire and community and neighborhoods departments are working with the church to balance public safety needs with traffic circulation and access for nearby residents and businesses. The UDOT, Utah Transit Authority, businesses and property owners are also part of the discussions.
“Approving these temporary street closures is a proactive and necessary measure to uphold public safety, support emergency preparedness, and ensure the successful and responsible execution of the event while balancing community needs,” Whittenberg said.
Stephens said area church leaders around the world are inviting dignitaries, government officials, community leaders and interfaith leaders to attend the open house. “With the historic nature of this building and the worldwide nature of our church today, we’re expecting millions of people here,” he said.
When will tickets for the Salt Lake Temple tour be available?
In late August or early September the church will launch an app to book times to tour the temple, Stephens said. It has arranged with UTA for ticket holders to use TRAX, Frontrunner and the bus to travel downtown. The church also will lease property at South Temple and Redwood Road for a lighted, secure park-and-ride lot with regular shuttle service to Temple Square.
Church employees will receive free UTA passes for the six months to help mitigate downtown traffic, Stephens said. The church will invite nearby businesses and residents to tour the temple in March 2027, ahead of the general public.
The tour will start at the church’s Conference Center just north of Temple Square and make its way underground to the temple, Stephens said. The tour of the building itself will take 60 to 80 minutes. The church intends to call special missionaries to serve as docents and help with tours for the open house period, he said.
Once inside the perimeter, visitors will have access to Temple Square, including its new statues, and other church buildings. The entire experience could last several hours.
“There will be a lot of things for people to see,” Stephens said. “We just think this is going to be a remarkable, memorable event for anyone who chooses to come.”