Westside CultureFest draws thousands of art lovers, music fans and car enthusiasts
Sep 13, 2024 10:46AM ● By Carl Fauver
Many different types of art were celebrated during two nights of fun, at the second annual Westside CultureFest. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)
The Utah Arts Alliance and Salt Lake County Arts & Culture division recently took over the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center next to Taylorsville City Hall for a two-night celebration. The organizations hosted their second annual Westside CultureFest—a free gathering that featured a variety of activities for art lovers of all ages.
The Aug. 9 and 10 event included art, entertainment, cultural performances and a wide variety of food from different food trucks.
Lakota Nation indigenous hip-hop music artist Stella Standingbear—a former Taylorsville High School student—was the featured performer on night one of the event. Then, the second night included a lowrider custom car exhibit.
A lowrider custom car exhibit drew many spectators to this year’s annual Westside CultureFest. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)
"Arts & Culture is proud to partner with Utah Arts Alliance to present the Westside CultureFest at (the County-operated) Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center,” said Matt Castillo, division director for Salt Lake County Arts & Culture. “The festival is a cultural fusion of westside artists and performers celebrating their rich heritage through contemporary art forms and performances.”
The festival featured many different performances, an artist marketplace, food trucks, art activities for kids and interactive art for older guests. Organizers say the relatively new event provides “a fun, exciting opportunity to strengthen community bonds and bridge diverse cultures by showcasing emerging, historically-underserved artists to a wide audience.”
“Our mission is to unleash the arts’ transformative power in our community,” stated Utah Arts Alliance Executive Director Derek Dyer. “The Westside CultureFest reflects our vision of a world where the arts flourish and inspire meaningful community connections. Our attendance at the first annual event, a year ago, was about 2,000 people. This year, the numbers are still coming in, but I think it was probably double that.”
And, Dyer adds, there wasn’t a seat to be had when Standingbear took the arts center main stage Friday night.

Lakota Nation hip-hop performing artist Stella Standingbear was a headline entertainer during the Westside CultureFest. (Courtesy Stella Standingbear)
“I was there, and it looked like standing room only to me,” he added. “Stella was awesome—really amazing— she did such a good job. Afterward, she signed autographs and posed for pictures for two hours, during a meet-and-greet. I’m not sure how long ago she attended Taylorsville High, but she told me she’s been performing for about 10 years now.”
Standingbear is a rapidly rising musical performer who enjoyed two historic wins at the 2023 Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and Music Video of the Year. Her fans say “Stella's unique blend of melodic alt-rap has captured the hearts of listeners worldwide. Her catalog is a rich tapestry, offering a versatile array of musical experiences.”
Standingbear’s debut single, "Home Runs," became a TikTok sensation and reached No. 1 on a prestigious indigenous music countdown hosted by SiriusXM. Standingbear has shared the stage with many respected artists like Kirko Bangz, Montana of 300, Futuristic, KYLE and Bizzy Bone. She has also been featured in Teen Vogue, solidifying her presence in mainstream media.
The Utah Arts Alliance was established in 2003 to boost all different types of artistic endeavors. The nonprofit’s Marketing and Communication Manager is Quinn Winter.
“Westside CultureFest was created a year ago to provide better access and exposure for artistic endeavors on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley,” she said. “This is part of our core value to uplift all artists. We did not specifically require CultureFest artists to be from the westside but we did prioritize them during the selection process. We also focused our event advertising on westside communities like Taylorsville, West Jordan and West Valley City.”
Performers from a group called Cirque du Salt Lake were part of the second annual Westside CultureFest. (Carl Fauver/City Journals)
The Utah Arts Alliance also operates radio station KUAA 99.9 FM, which is described on its website as “a low-powered FM community radio station, broadcasting at 99.9 FM and streaming around the world. We pride ourselves on specializing in musical, cultural, linguistic and artistic diversity.”
As the Westside CultureFest continues to grow, the Utah Arts Alliance and Salt Lake County Arts & Culture are already promising a third annual, returning to the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center next summer.