Kilby Block Party 2027: how a venue's birthday party ended up booking Deftones, The Strokes and Jungle

There is a music venue in Salt Lake City called Kilby Court. It sits in the city's Granary District, it lets in all ages, and it is where a lot of local bands first shared a bill with a touring act.

In May 2019 it turned twenty. Its promoter, S&S Presents, closed off 700 South next to the venue for a day and booked Death Cab for Cutie to headline. Not bad for a first party. Further down were local acts including The Backseat Lovers, Ritt Momney and The National Parks.

Seven editions later, the guest list has grown a little. On 28 October, Kilby Block Party announced Deftones, The Strokes and Jungle as headliners for 14 to 16 May 2027.

Out of the street

There was no edition in 2020. When the party came back in October 2021, it was still one day on the same street.

The year after, it moved: Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City, two days, around 36 artists, with Phoebe Bridgers, Mac DeMarco and Clairo on the bill. In 2023 it moved again, to the Utah State Fairpark, and went to three days. The Strokes headlined that year.

Lorde closed the 2026 edition in the rain and called it the "absolute coolest festival ever", according to the organisers' press release. The xx and Turnstile headlined too.

More than 34,000 people came, and 46% of them travelled in from outside Utah. The street party for a local venue had become something people plan a trip around. Those figures come from an economic impact report commissioned by the organisers, which also puts the festival's contribution to the state's GDP at $33.5 million.

Three days in May

In 2027, Deftones and Fontaines D.C. top Friday, the latter with a fifth album, Dopamine Chamber, to play. The Strokes come back on Saturday, four years after they headlined the festival's first year at the Fairpark, with Slayyyter on the same day. Jungle and Lil Yachty close on Sunday.

Below them the bill runs wide: IDLES, Spoon, Weyes Blood, Hot Chip, Kim Gordon, Julien Baker, Wednesday. Two Door Cinema Club are billed to play their debut album Tourist History, and Whitney will mark ten years of Light Upon the Lake. More names are still to come.

Still from down the road

Further down the poster are Salt Lake City band Choir Boy, who have played Kilby Block Party before, Provo's Olympic Deth, and Seeking the Sun, who are split between Salt Lake City and New York.

Kilby Court still runs all-ages shows in the Granary District. The festival has moved twice and grown to around 70 artists. The venue it was named after hasn't had to move at all.

Kilby Block Party 2027 takes place from 14 to 16 May at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Three-day passes start at $245. Full lineup at Kilby Block Party; for more festivals, see TREACLE's Festival Season 2027 guide.