Seeing the lights on Temple Square is a tradition for many families and they are lighting up a small portion of the downtown block starting on Friday, Nov. 26. Due to the Temple Square renovation project and the COVID-19 pandemic, many traditional events have been adjusted.
Here’s a guide to events and what’s open and available on Temple Square this Christmas season.
Please note that attendees at any event on Temple Square are required to wear masks and be vaccinated if in the eligible age categories, according to the Church’s Newsroom.
This list may be updated with adjusted times or events.
Lights and events on Temple Square
- Christmas lights on Temple Square will be turned on in the evenings starting Friday, Nov. 26. The displays are limited due to the renovation of the Temple Square, including the Salt Lake Temple and the Church Office Building plaza projects. As part of the renovation, the North Visitor’s Center is being demolished.
Despite renovations, there are lights on Temple Square. See a photo gallery of this year’s Christmas displays
- In the Tabernacle on Temple Square, “Peace on Earth,” a four-minute animated presentation about the Nativity, will be projected on the ceiling of the building starting Friday, Nov. 26. It will continue daily every 15 minutes from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will and will alternate between Spanish and English.
Read more: An animated Nativity will be projected on the Tabernacle’s ceiling this Christmas season
- International Nativities will be on display around the Assembly Hall. (The Assembly Hall will be closed during the day until 3 p.m. Dec. 8-22 for building repairs. It will be open after 3 p.m. on weekdays and regular hours on weekends and holidays.)
- Viewings of “The Christ Child” will be available in the Conference Center Theater every 30 minutes in the evenings.
- The Conference Center will be open most days to visitors from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. It will temporarily be closed for event preparation from Dec. 1-5 and Dec. 13-19. The Conference Center hosts a replica of sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen’s the Christus; a cutaway model of the Salt Lake Temple; the 21,000-seat Conference Center auditorium; and views of Temple Square and the Salt Lake Temple renovation. It will be open Saturday, Dec. 25, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Organ recitals are offered daily in the Tabernacle and are open to the public. The 30-minute recitals are Monday through Saturday at noon and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. The organists also perform a weekly online concert “Piping Up! Organ Concerts on Temple Square” which streams Wednesdays at noon on the Tabernacle Choir’s YouTube channel, Facebook page website and also at Broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
- Light the World Giving Machines, which have previously been in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, are at the nearby City Creek Center in the food court this year.
Read more: Giving Machines open around the United States for #LightTheWorld 2021
Virtual events
- “Witnesses of Christ,” a 50-minute musical tribute, was broadcast Sunday, Nov. 28, and is now available to watch on-demand on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. It includes performances by the Truman Brothers, the Utah State University Chamber Singers, Daniel Beck and host David Butler.
Read more: Christmas on Temple Square officially begins with the broadcast musical event ‘Witnesses of Christ’
- The First Presidency’s annual Christmas devotional is Sunday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m., MST. In addition to messages from Church leaders, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square will also perform. In-person attendance will not be open to the public this year and it will be broadcast on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the Church’s satellite system and other media, according to the letter. After the event, it will be available on the Church’s website and the Gospel Library mobile app.
First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional 2021: Read talk summaries and see photos
- The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square’s musical Christmas event this year will be “20 Years of Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” featuring Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell as narrator and guest soloist. The two-hour special will air on PBS on Monday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. MST and Friday, Dec. 24, at 6 p.m. MST. It will also air on BYUtv on Thursday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. MST; Sunday, Dec. 19, 5 p.m. MST; Friday, Sec. 24, 8 p.m. MST; and Saturday, Dec. 25, 1:35 p.m. MST. On-demand viewing of the two-hour program will be available on both networks after the respective premieres on pbs.org/tabernaclechoir and byutv.org.
Read more: Tabernacle Choir announces Christmas concert plans for 2021 — and 2022
- “Luz de las Naciones” — “Light of the Nations” in English — is a celebration of Latin America’s history and culture through dance and music. This year is was prerecorded and presented virtually on Saturday, Nov. 20. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivered a message of hope and light near the conclusion of the program. In addition to Spanish, the 50-minute program is available on YouTube in English and Portuguese and on the Church’s broadcast page in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Read more: ‘Luz de las Naciones’ celebrates light and joy found in faith, family
What’s open
Here’s the status of several buildings on and around Temple Square, according to Newsroom and TempleSquare.org. Times may be adjusted through the season.
- The Assembly Hall is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be open in the evenings while the lights are on. The Assembly Hall will be closed Dec. 8-22 until 3 p.m. on weekdays due to building repairs. It will be open after 3 p.m. on weekdays and regular hours on weekends and holidays.
- The Conference Center will be open most days to visitors from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. It will temporarily be closed for event preparation from Dec. 1-5 and Dec. 13-19. The Conference Center hosts a replica of sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen’s the Christus; a cutaway model of the Salt Lake Temple; the 21,000-seat Conference Center auditorium; and views of Temple Square and the Salt Lake Temple renovation. It will be open Saturday, Dec. 25, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- The Beehive House is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. It will be closed for Thanksgiving through Saturday, Nov. 27, for Christmas from Thursday, Dec. 23, to Saturday, Dec. 25, and for New Year’s from Friday, Dec. 31, to Monday, Jan. 3.
Read more: See what Joseph F. Smith’s rooms in the Beehive House might have looked like in 1918
- The Church History Library is open and the reading room is open by appointment. A limited number of appointments is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. See the library’s Plan Your Visit section of their website for information on appointment times and hours. It will be closed for Thanksgiving through Saturday, Nov. 27, for Christmas from Thursday, Dec. 23, to Saturday, Dec. 25, and for New Year’s on Friday, Dec. 31.
Read more: How you can make the most of the Church History Library
- The Church History Museum is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The current exhibits are “The Heavens Are Opened,” “Sisters for Suffrage,” “Mormon Trails,” “Presidents of the Church” and “Temples Dot the Earth: Building the House of the Lord.” It will be closed for Thanksgiving through Saturday, Nov. 27, for Christmas from Thursday, Dec. 23, to Saturday, Dec. 25, and for New Year’s from Friday, Dec. 31, to Monday, Jan. 3.
- The Family History Library is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening appointments are available on Tuesday and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. See media.familysearch.org/family-history-library-expands-hours-of-operation. It will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 25, and for Christmas on Friday, Dec. 24, and Saturday, Dec. 25.
More Christmas resources
- Download the #LightTheWorld daily service calendar for December 2021
- See the children’s #LightTheWorld daily service calendar for December 2021
- Church releases new Christmas album ‘A Savior is Born’
- ‘A Christmas at the St. George Temple’ provides nightly opportunities for visitors to feel the Christmas spirit
Note: The Assembly Hall hours were updated on Saturday, Nov. 27.
