Park City High School Class of 2026 to Graduate at Deer Valley Resort

Principal Caleb Fine announced April 3 that the Park City High School Class of 2026 will graduate at Deer Valley Resort's Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater on June 5, after a $15.7 million renovation forced the district to abandon Dozier Field, the school's long-standing graduation venue.

Families heading to the ceremony should note the venue address is 2250 Deer Valley Drive South. Free parking is available in the Snow Park Lodge lots north of the lodge, though those lots fill during large events and carpooling is strongly encouraged. Park City Transit buses serve the Deer Valley base area at no charge, connecting from Old Town, Park Meadows, and Kimball Junction. The amphitheater uses general admission seating throughout and is fully accessible. Guests should wear suitable footwear, as the ground around the venue can be uneven, and glass containers, pets, and cameras are prohibited on the grounds.

The ceremony itself will be unlike any Dozier Field graduation. Rather than walking across a football field, graduates will ride the Silver Lake Express chairlift down the mountain and arrive at the amphitheater floor to families seated and waiting below. The Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater is the summer home of the Utah Symphony and the annual host of the Deer Valley Music Festival, a stage that has featured performers from Bob Dylan to OneRepublic.

The Dozier renovation is Phase 4 of the district's multi-phase athletics master plan. Approved by the school board in a special session last November at a guaranteed maximum of $15.7 million, the project adds a new track and replaces the home-side bleachers with a concrete structure housing locker rooms, restrooms, concessions, and a press box. Funding draws from Treasure Mountain Sports Complex reserves, high school bond money, and capital reserves, requiring no new taxes. The district told families in a December 9 email that it would announce a new graduation venue once one was confirmed.

"Graduation is one of the most important milestones for our students, and we wanted to create an experience that reflects the significance of that moment," Fine said. "Deer Valley offers a setting that is not only beautiful, but deeply connected to our community. This will be a graduation our students will remember for the rest of their lives."

Todd Bennett, Deer Valley's president and chief operating officer, said the resort is "proud to host the graduation ceremony for the Park City High School Class of 2026" and that the team is "thrilled they chose to celebrate here among Park City's stunning mountains, a place we are all so fortunate to call home."

Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman said: "There's a unique magic that happens when Park City comes together. Seeing our community rally to create something so meaningful for our students is inspiring."

The chairlift element echoes a pandemic-era partnership: Deer Valley hosted a chairlift commencement for the Class of 2020 on July 31, 2020, after COVID-19 canceled the spring ceremony. Then-principal Roger Arbabi called it "a Park City graduation backdrop no other PCHS graduate has ever had." Six years later, the chairlift returns as the ceremonial entrance, this time depositing graduates onto one of Utah's premier outdoor performance stages.

The Class of 2025, the most recent class to graduate at Dozier Field, counted 401 seniors, with 85 percent planning to continue to higher education. The district has not disclosed the financial terms of its arrangement with Deer Valley Resort.