The Salty Toes Music Festival is ready to take a dip back into the Bonneville Seabase after a three-year break. Local musician Will Sangster, a Park City High School graduate, took some time to reassess the event, which will run Sept. 4-7, and decided to make it bigger and longer. “The last time we did it was in fall of 2023, and it has always been a single-day event until now,” he said. “I thought if we’re going to grow it, we should do it legit and offer some things in addition to music and dancing. So, now we’re doing three days.” This year’s event, the festival’s fourth iteration, will feature wellness experiences, said Sangster, who started his music career with the Utah Conservatory’s Park City Rockers program. “In the morning, we’ll have workshops like yoga, breathwork and sound baths,” he said. “This was something I saw that needed to get integrated as we built the event. When you have a larger festival, people will want to party. So I wanted to have another option, and we decided to do it in the morning so people could tune in before a full day of music and dancing.” The festival will also include an expanded art market, Sangster said. “We wanted to have art as an element in itself,” he said. “That way people could have the music, and if they wanted to do something different, they could take a stroll in the vendor area.” In addition, Salty Toes attendees can sustain and hydrate themselves with food trucks and swimming, according to Sangster. “Seabase is such a cool venue,” he said. “We’ll have the lagoon open so people can take a dip.” Of course, Salty Toes is anchored on live music, which includes headliners Felli and The Nude Party. (See accompanying list of performers.) “I had an ideal list of bands, and I’ve learned you have to make that list longer than you think because you aren’t going to get everyone on it to play,” he said. Once Sangster had the list, he began calling and emailing. “I kind of felt I was working the best of both worlds, between my personal connections and agents,” he said. Sangster began programming the days once he got the musicians on board. “I learned there is a fine line between balancing the energy level and popularity levels of the bands,” he said. “You want to build up each day.” The original idea of Salty Toes stems from Sangter’s friends Wyatt Pike, an American Idol finalist, and Cam Gallagher, leader of Cam Gallagher The Tasty Soul. “During my first year of college at the University of Utah in 2021, they did a show on the Bonneville Salt Flats,” Sangster said. “It was them two and an open jam. And when I heard about the show, I thought we should build on it.” Sangster got to work to properly create Salty Toes as a way to bring music lovers together. Salty Toes Music Festival organizer Will Sangster, left, a musician raised in Park City, stands with fellow musician Sam Debenham from Kissing Booth during a recent visit to Bonneville Seabase, the cite of this year’s event. Sangster will bring back an extended version of the festival, from Sept 4-7, after taking a few years off to recalibrate. This year’s event will feature live music, an art market and wellness sessions. Credit: Photo courtesy of Brian Jackel “Music is better when it is experienced together, and I wanted to bring everything back to what I have done with my own life, from finding the passion of playing, setting up shows and seeing how special the music community is here while tapping into that more to  help grow the scene with everyone,” he said. “So, the idea of the festival is the same. It’s just bigger.” Sangster has developed a bond of trust within the music community by making a name for himself as a solo artist and in local bands such as Sundog Sky, Resident Owl, The Magpipes, and the Medicine Company. During this year’s Salty Toes, Sangster will also perform with his own band, The Fine Chaps, as well as Dragons with Matches and Lapdog. “The typical approach for the bands is to do a unique set and maybe do some experimental and improv and digging into more originals,” he said. “This all has given me good hope and faith in this thing continuing and getting the festival on the map.” Still, Sangster knows Salty Toes would not have been possible if it weren’t for his sponsorship partners — Mountain Town Music, KUAA radio, SLUG Magazine, Salt Lake City Weekly, Monarch Metal Works, N8V Son and organizations from the University of Utah, including Utah Students for Conservation and Women’s Outdoor Leadership Initiative. “I’ve worked with Mountain Town Music since I was in high school, and my friend’s company, Monarch Metal Works, is building the VIP viewing decks,” he said. “I’m also thankful for KUAA, SLUG and City Weekly for getting the word out, and for N8V Song for doing our merch.”  Sangster also thought it would be a good idea to add a conservation element with the festival’s music, wellness and art. He decided to partner with Utah Rivers Council’s Great Salt Lake Waterkeeper project, and 5% of the ticket proceeds will help the initiative to save the Great Salt Lake. “This was something that I have been thinking about since stepping back to decide how I could continue to grow the festival,” Sangster said. “I thought this was something that I thought would be good to tie in. That way, people can feel like they are supporting something bigger and spreading awareness.” Sangster never thought his dream of performing music when he was growing up would lead to producing and organizing an annual three-day music festival. “It’s been amazing,” he said. “There are a lot of moving parts, logistics and time planning. And as we get closer, it’s been super rewarding to see it all come together.”  Singer-songwriter Wyatt Pike, one of the inspirations for the Salty Toes Music Festival, will play at this years event that runs Sept. 4-7 at Bonneville Seabase. Other artists set to perform include Blue Byrdes, Kublaii and Felly. Credit: Photo courtesy of Cassilyn Anderson 2026 Salty Toes Music Festival lineup Day one, Friday, Sept. 4: Blue Byrdes Kublaii Modern Speed Goat Mode Day two, Saturday, Sept. 5: Felly The Plastic Cherries Familiar Faces Kirk Dath The Bruisers Superbubble Lapdog Dragons with Matches The Painted Roses Will Sangster The Fine Chaps Chasin’ the Sky Day three, Sunday, Sept. 6: The Nude Party Grandmaster Moon Owl’s Mages Cytrus Wyatt Pike Jewel House Lee Rafugee Eastern Dreamers Dino Troupe Branson Anderson 2026 Salty Toes Music Festival When: Sept. 4-7 at the Bonneville Seabase Note: Weekend, single-day, general admission and VIP passes available as are weekend, single-day, general admission and VIP camping and parking passes Web: saltytoesfestival.com The post Salty Toes Music Festival steps forward with a three-day event appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less