Stoopfest Transforms Moab Porches Into Free Pop-Up Stages March 6–7

Porches, stoops and vacant lots across Moab will become impromptu stages when Stoopfest rolls through neighborhoods March 6–7, 2026, with all Saturday pop-up performances free to attend and Friday’s ticketed solo clown kick-off sold out with a waitlist. The weekend festival, organized by ephemeral, aims to stage short and mid-length performances on front steps, trailer beds and side yards and to link shows with a self-directed community crawl.

Ephemeral, described as a Moab arts collective and publisher, framed the festival as an open invitation. "Stoopfest is an invitation for all who love Moab, locals and visitors alike, to explore art of place with emphasis on self‑expression, connection and creation," the group wrote in its event materials. Ephemeral said it began the project after expanding into workshops, open mics and community events and will provide featured artists with budget, cast, crew and technical support.

Programming spans a wide swath of performance forms. The Times‑Independent and ephemeral materials list short plays, pop-up dance performances, stand-up comedy, experimental noise experiences, magic tricks and under-represented art forms alongside theater, clowning, conceptual physical art, puppetry, immersive experiences, multimedia, games, creative storytelling, parades and light projections. Ephemeral’s promotional language included "No markets, no booths, no tickets, no roof! Just weird and wonderful ideas, devised and performed on our stoops" and the program asks artists to "Get weird in response to weird times."

Moab Sun News published the Saturday, March 7 pop-up schedule and locations as follows: 2:00–2:45 p.m.: "The Garden" — a soft opera. Performer credited: The Youth Garden Project. 3:00–3:45 p.m.: "The Perch" — fable of song and dance. Location: 218 E. 300 S. 4:00–4:45 p.m.: "The Yard" — plays and poetry. Location: 589 Locust Lane. 5:00–5:45 p.m.: "Under the Tree" — erosion and becoming. Location: 611 Bowen. 6:00–7:00 p.m.: "The Lot" — circus-like festival. Location: the lot on Locust Lane. 7:00–7:45 p.m.: "The Court" — comedy. Location: Rotary Park basketball courts. Friday’s kick-off is a solo clown show by Meat Bar and is sold out with a waitlist, Moab Sun News reports.

Funding and sponsors helped make the weekend affordable. Ephemeral says the festival was organized with support from the City of Moab RAPTax; National Today reports ephemeral received a $5,000 RAP tax grant. Moab Sun News lists additional supporters for Saturday’s free programming as Back of Beyond Books, The Synergy Company and Project Rainbow Utah. Organizers encourage tips and donations at Saturday pop-ups.

Ephemeral ran an open call Nov. 17–Dec. 14 asking for pieces "between 5 to 45 minutes long" while targeting "approximately 45‑minute‑long performances at each location" and programming multiple short pieces at a stoop when appropriate. A Saturday morning clowning workshop still has spots, Moab Sun News notes. Sam Van Wetter, one of the event organizers, summarized the intent: "It's a spectacle you can watch ... an invitation to add your voice to the chorus ... it blurs the line between participant and performer." Follow @Moabstoopfest on Instagram and ephemeral’s Substack for waitlist and sign-up details as Stoopfest prepares to activate Moab neighborhood stages March 6–7.