Jim James, Dumpstaphunk headline 2026 Song Summit in Park City

Song Summit is betting that Park City will show up for more than a concert bill. The 2026 edition, set for Aug. 27-29, will be led by Jim James, Dumpstaphunk, Sierra Hull and a Bob Weir tribute, while founder Ben Anderson says the three-day event will pair morning wellness, lab discussions, chef-and-musician dinners and live music.

That mix is the point. Song Summit has spent the past several years trying to position itself as “a different way to experience a music festival,” built around intimate conversations, performances, wellness activities and culinary experiences rather than a single-stage concert format. In a mountain town that already has a crowded summer calendar, that makes the festival less about one headline act than about whether it can carve out a durable niche among visitors who want a full weekend experience.

The event’s structure suggests an economic strategy as much as an artistic one. In 2025, Song Summit moved its main footprint to City Park, with related programming at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, morning wellness sessions in Library Field and after-hours music at the Marquis. Spreading the schedule across downtown and nearby venues could send attendees into local restaurants, bars, shops and lodging properties over several days, a pattern that matters in a market where festivals compete not only for attention but for overnight stays and per-visitor spending.

Song Summit is also leaning on its nonprofit arm to broaden its role in the region’s cultural economy. The Song Summit Foundation says it supports musicians and music enthusiasts through educational opportunities, wellness programs and creative-expression outlets, and its Summit Rising program is aimed at emerging artists with mentorship, career development, performance opportunities and wellness resources. That gives the event a longer-term pitch: not just ticket sales, but artist development and industry-minded programming that can keep the festival relevant beyond one weekend each August.

The 2026 lineup follows recent Park City editions that have mixed star power with conversation-heavy programming. The 2025 festival ran Aug. 14-16, and the 2024 gathering opened with Mavis Staples and Cimafunk. For Park City, Song Summit is now testing whether a festival built on music, recovery, food and discussion can become a meaningful fixture in the local calendar, one that stands apart from more familiar arts brands by turning the whole town into part of the show.