Gallivan Center

I really love what Gallivan Center has become.
My last review (almost 5 years ago!) detailed some of the past, and the construction and changes that they’ve made.
Fast forward to now, and you’re seeing the fruits. I’ve really been impressed with the variety of events that we’ve seen there over the years. I’ve been to eating things, music things, vendor things, and everything in between. Credit the venue and the staff for keeping it super tidy and always friendly.
You should keep an eye on the SLC events calendar, as many events happen here. Especially in the summer, you could probably plan most weekends around what’s going on, from concerts of the guitar and drums variety, to concerts of the string and baton variety. Don’t forget the ice skating rink in the winter.
Besides the open plaza, they do have an indoor events venue that can be rented, with compatible facilities to any other event venue rental space, and of course, the staff to man the event. That could be a corporate meeting, or wedding reception venue, or anything that needs a space and a room with a view.
Here’s hoping I get to spend much more time at Gallivan.

I came here to ice skate with friends a couple of weeks ago. They have a good outdoor ice rink with music playing and lights that are constantly changing color. I love the atmosphere I’ll bring a date next time. Maybe I’ll post a cute picture on Instagram with the caption «I only fell once» even though I will have fallen at least a dozen times.
Ice skating is pretty cheap too. Even cheaper if you get a good groupon deal like i did.

This is a really beautiful place in the heart of downtown. Last summer I used to walk here every day to eat my lunch that I brought from home. There are plenty of benches that are underneath trees to provide some shade. They also have lots of events including concerts, ice skating, and Food Truck Thursdays! The events obviously change with the season, but it’s a pretty cool center of fun things. It’s tucked behind the big Wells Fargo building, and nearby are some delicious, but often overlooked restaurants. You’ve got Bangkok Terrace, Pulp SLC, and From Scratch right there on the secluded street side. The only downfall of this place is parking! I’ve never had to deal with the parking since I just walked over from work, but the options aren’t that great. You’ve got some street parking and a parking garage, but it’s all paid. Bonus though — TRAX station is right there!

This is a great place for concerts, ice skating, wedding receptions, etc. Beautiful. Parking can be tricky though.

I absolutely love the Gallivan Center for all of its year round activities. It’s never a dull moment if you get a chance to visit one of the events they host frequently. I follow them on Facebook to keep up with all that’s going on here.
On Tuesdays til the end of this month, they’ve been doing Big Band Dance Night. Basically there’s a huge band playing music with dance lessons for you to get your groove on in a manner of unison. There’s also food trucks, an order taker from the restaurant From Scratch, and beer available for sale.

Never been to an event here, but as a cool little oasis in midst of the big bad city it’s a ton of fun. There’s a big curvy wall with water cascading everywhere on the South Side. There’s a neat statue of kids playing with their adults. A set of water curtains where jets blast down on either side of a walkway through a pagoda. All of this against the backdrop of skyscrapers and historic buildings. Yay! I’m a fan.

I had my wedding reception here summer of 2014. We rented the stage and grass area. The cost was pretty affordable. My mom and I worked with Amy majority of the time. She was pleasant to work with and always had time to speak with us over the phone or via email. We had minor hiccups down the road with the office but nothing that would prepare us for the disaster a head on my wedding day. The first issue we had was a very rude voicemail from Bart (the event manager?) calling my mom who was busy in meetings all morning to remind her he could cancel our event if she failed to pay the remaining amount on our event that was due that day. This voicemail was not a friendly or courteous reminder. My mother had until close to pay and had no intention to forfeit the money she left as a deposit.
A week before our wedding my partner and I went down to the Gallivan to check out the lighting during dusk. To our surprise there was a wedding in the same spot! We took notes from a distance and even got a back stage tour by the event staff that was working the event that night. This reception had a live band that ended around 9 or 10 and then had a DJ playout the rest of the evening. We left around 11:00 pm and their party was still going strong. This interaction with the staff made me look forwards and feel like I was going to be in good hands BOY WAS I WRONG !
Our reception started at 6 pm on a Friday and was scheduled out till 10. We were told by Amy via phone (our mistake not having it on an email) that the cost for the venue was a set price regardless of how long we use it for, the only hourly charge is security who is there regardless ²⁴⁄₇ watching the grounds. If our event ran later than 10 pm we would just be charged the additional security fee of 14.00 an hour. Sounded great !
While I was greeting my guests the man in charge of security and the building (I never got his name or title) got my attention and told me the food cater’s truck had to be moved. Why he felt to burden me with this instead of speaking to the cater is beyond me. I grabbed my aunt and passed on the message. The evening went on great until again around 9:30 I believe. My guest were dancing and the music abruptly turns off, the same guy came up to me and my partner and tells us the music was too loud and had to be turned off at 10. We told him that we were not informed about this (you would think that that would be one of the first things The Gallivan would tell you on the tour before you rent the place) We told him that the reception a week before us went long past 10 with a live DJ and that concerts go on here as well. We came to an agreement to turn down the music but not turn it off. An hour later the same guy came up to us and said our party was over and to pack up. Not only did he say this but allowed the other members of security to badger my mother who had come into the discussion and told the members of security to stop bothering the us, the couple and that she was the name on the contract and would be handling any questions or concerns from them. These men were yelling and turning red in the face and even threatened to call the police if we did not end our event. Let me assure you our party was not getting out of hand or were our guests being disrespectful to the grounds.
Security finally let off but instead of doing their rounds on the rest of the property they all just leered at our event from a close distance.
We ended our event around 11:45
My mother later wrote an email to Tatyana Koshevaya about our experience with security. Her reply (which I wanted to upload as a photo but took multiple screen shots) didn’t address our concerns about how rudely we were treated by security. She simply brushed us off.
My partner and I feel like the members of securities actions were influenced by bigotry and prejudice. It’s a shame such a lovely and special event celebrating two peoples love and commitment was ruined by such small minded people. Renter beware, better off renting somewhere else for your event

I went earlier to buy tickets and they said that was fine and wrote my name down, but when I came back the same old guy manager that said it was okay ended up lying and said he didn’t remember me and called me a liar, I showed him my receipt and just refused to give me my money back. Terrible service, rude manager, and definitely a waste of money. Of course I didn’t pay again to go in. I won’t go back, and I’ll be happy to continue to share the story to my friends.

Outdoor ice skating has always had a special place in my heart and the Gallivan Ice Skating Rink partially fulfills my yearning. It is situated in Gallivan Center right in downtown Salt Lake City. They have figure and hockey skate rentals with a small food offering such as popcorn, hot chocolate, and pizza. Skate rental is included in the price of admission. The rink is a little small, but the lights on the tress are a great touch at night. This is a great place for a date, but it can get busy at times. When it gets warmer outside, pools of water are present on the ice. So I would go when it is fairly cold outside. There is plenty of parking on the streets near Gallivan, but just make sure to get there early on a Friday or Saturday night. Since it is downtown there are a number of restaurants nearby. I would recommend going skating here, but there are some compromises such as the size of the rink and it can get crowded.

Ice Skating around Christmas and New Years is a novelty that I still enjoy. Ice Skating in a rink so small & over crowded that you can’t gain any momentum isn’t. Taking your significant other to cuddle with while skating to the latest top 40 mix will salvage the experience though. Limited food options (chips, churros, hot chocolate, etc…) are available for a few bucks.

I first discovered Gallivan Center because an old high school friend was running Craft Lake City… and another friend’s wife was performing ballet in their outdoor theatre.
There’s plenty of space to sit or walk around with a beautiful overhanging fountain that sprays down for those really hot days. I haven’t been to any of their concerts but I’ve heard they have some famous faces pass through.
It’s a fun little place to walk around and on the southwestern end, if you walk by the Wells Fargo building, you can see a little alley garden with some man-​made waterfalls spilling out of a wall with a beautiful poem engraved upon it.

This is a perfect little city park. There isn’t a lot of grass but it has interesting features like like a modern waterfall, an ice skating rink, beautiful lights at Christmas time, a stage for concerts, & restaurants. My favorite time to visit is Thursday’s in the summer because they have a variety of food trucks during lunch. You can grab a bite and enjoy live music. Don’t forget to check their Facebook page before you go because they don’t have the same vendors every week.

My first time at the Gallivan Center was a pretty special event… the free gathering of USA soccer/​football fans for the knock-​out round-​of-​16 match vs. Belgium. Official city and police estimates put the number of fans in attendance at around 3,000… I would agree… and the venue held that number quite easily and fairly comfortably. Bringing chairs was allowed and seemed like a good idea before I left for the game… but at about 15-​minutes before the start of the match, everybody in the place stood-​up and never sat down. It was 90-​degrees and I had not planned on standing the entire time.
The city allowed a few food-​trucks in… could have used more. The cold-​drink machine at the back of the park ran out of cans of drinks… The line for beer was ridiculously long … kudos to the City of Salt Lake for ALLOWING a beer-​stand in the first place, but the day I stand-​in-​line for a $ 5.00 3.2% ABV Bud Light… let’s just say that you will sooner see Santa Claus riding along the TRAX on Main Street riding on a silver unicorn.
I had a good time, but I ended up bailing at halftime to go up to my wive’s office high up in the Wells Fargo tower to look down at the crowd from air-​conditioned comfort.
I see that there are Friday movies and other music festivals and events over the summer. I am sure I will be back… but for the next couple of months, I will limit my attendance to the hours after twilight!

The perfect place to sit down for a bit of lunch and afternoon meditation.

An oasis in an otherwise barren and lifeless downtown. Still the only real heart of Salt Lake City.

Nice spacious open venue, with lots of green and water and no interrupting objects on sight, so that you can have a clear view of the stage from wherever you are seated. I’m sure the Gallivan has to be awesome for a live concert experience under the stars and the city lights, or during the day on a sunny day.
I was there for SLC’s FNO, and it was just okay. I think everyone was frustrated with the seating, as a lot of people were dressed up nicely, so sitting on the stair steps, or the grass weren’t an option, thus; making lots of show goers upset. I can’t blame it on the Gallivan, so I am not rating 3 stars based on FNO.
As a concert venue that it most likely is, the sound system was not as good as I expected considering the center went under massive construction and renewals, the stage is a bit too small, and the lighting could definitely improve. It’s just a matter or making it not just better, but make it the best.
The Gallivan has the looks and location to be, (and should require) state of the art lights, sound system, and stage. Maybe it’s me being picky, but the place would seriously be kick ass with those improvements.
The bar upstairs is okay, its cool you can watch the show from upstairs for a killer view.

The Gallivan Center is an venue that has outdoor ice skating during the winter season and in the summer season has different outdoor events ranging from concerts to festivals. It is convenient to travel to via Trax because there is a station station that stops right near it.
I think this place is a great addition to Salt Lake City and it just adds to the culture of this ever-​growing metropolis of Utah.

The Gallivan Center has been down and out for quite some time due to construction but it’s proven to be a good thing. I’ve been spending a lot of time here over the last couple of weeks and I love it.
I love that Gallivan is opening itself up to fun events and activities. I was just there for Craft Lake City, a big craft fair put on by SLUG magazine. There is ample space for rows and rows of booths to showcase their goods. I was also at Gallivan for a couple of concerts including B.B. King and Adele. The latter was sold out and there were tons of people but the vibe was great. People had blankets lined up on the grass and plenty of standing room all over the place for those who wanted to dance.
Can I just say that I love the new bathrooms? Big and spacious.
Gallivan Center is also home to a handful of food trucks on Thursdays for lunch. I love this! Not only do you get to choose from a bunch of delicious treats, you get to enjoy it on the grass, by a tree, or on a park bench. Best lunch spot ever.

The Gallivan Center is looking SO great these days! They are hosting lots of cool events and I am loving it.
Quite possibly the best is the food trucks congregating there on Thursdays. Gallivan is a gorgeous little spot to spend a lunch hour in the summertime.
In the winter, ice skating here cannot be missed. It’s a true «city» experience and a lot of fun during the holiday season.

This is my all time favorite place to visit when I come home for the holidays. It is an extraordinary venue to come year round especially during the winter season. As dead as downtown may be at times, this is must see when in the area.
During the winter, the city decorates the majority of the downtown trees with christmas lights. It creates a very cool atmosphere that catch your eyes with all the glitz and colors. They put out the ice skating rink and its pretty amusing watching peeps fall on their buttocks. The neighboring shops give it a small town feel if you can ignore the star bucks around the corner. But overall I love coming here, a lot of good memories.
I remember when the Olympics happened here they held beer world here. Yes as shocking as it might be, not everything is censored in Salt Lake. The Gallivan brings out the culture of the city and its nice to get a brief glimpse at home.