The 2026 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference takes place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14-15, in Salt Lake City. Like the previous three years, conference attendees will learn from general Church leaders, participate in service projects and build friendships.
There are also some new features and changes to look forward to. 2026 Utah Area YSA Conference co-chairs Zach Sutton and Shelby Hurst recently spoke with Church News about what conference attendees can expect at this year’s conference.
Theme
While attendees will notice the familiar phrase “Together in Christ” — the conference’s theme for the last three years — across the conference’s website and social media pages, this year’s event has also adopted the Utah Area theme of “Joyfully gathering Israel one by one.”
Hurst said conference planners are thinking a lot this year about individuals who are coming to the conference alone, and that focus “ties in really nicely” with the Utah Area theme.
“I think we each have a unique role to play in gathering the one, because if we each just reach out to one individual, what an impact that could make,” Hurst said.
Rally kickoff
For the first time this year, the conference will host an ongoing activity starting the night before — Thursday, Aug. 13 — called the “Rally Kickoff.” Sutton and Hurst described it as a scavenger hunt throughout the conference, where teams earn points by competing to win various “missions.”
Prizes include a backstage tour of the Conference Center, a special tour of the new Temple Square Visitors’ Center and a scripture study session with Utah Area President Brian K. Taylor.
Sutton said the activity is intended to help people see everything offered at the conference, as well as build interaction between participants.
Breakout classes
Breakout classes in previous years were sorted under tracks such as emotional wellness, spiritual growth and personal development.
This year, breakout classes fall into seven categories:
- “Joyful Discipleship”
- “Hope and Healing in the Savior”
- “Called to Contribute”
- “The Lord Will Lead You”
- “Covenant Relationships”
- “The Living Restoration Symposium”
- “Voices of Discipleship Mini Keynotes”
Hurst said she and other conference organizers tried to prioritize making the keynote sessions and breakout classes places where young single adults can learn about who they are, particularly as members of the Church.
“Especially when we’re young single adults, and as we get older and maybe we’re not in a relationship or we’re not married, how do we fit into the gospel?” Hurst said.
She added: “I think we focus a lot on identity and our identity as a child of God and how that impacts us. And that’s really been a big focus of the conference.”
Concert
For the last three years, the Utah Area YSA Conference has hosted concerts with musical artists such as One Republic, Rachel Platten and Andy Grammer. Concerts were held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City or America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
This year, Latter-day Saint singer Iam Tongi — winner of “American Idol” season 21 — will take the stage both nights of the conference, along with interfaith musical group the King will come. And instead of performing in an off-site venue, the concert will take place within the Salt Palace Convention Center, alongside the rest of the conference.
Hurst recounted how the planning team initially chose to host the concert at the Salt Palace after learning that other Utah venues were already booked. They knew the decision was right, however, when the Utah Area Presidency — without knowing prior details — requested that the concert take place at the Salt Palace.
“That just shows me that the Savior has a plan for this conference and that the concert this year is supposed to be at the Salt Palace Convention Center,” Hurst said. “Just to have that unique environment where it’s smaller and you can really feel that connection with Iam and just have that Spirit there, I think, is going to be really unique and really cool.”
Sutton added that he’s especially excited about Iam Tongi, who also performed during the 2024 conference.
“I think one of the unique parts about this is that as he’s a member of our faith, he can talk about his testimony,” Sutton said. “And we can see this big concert performer, someone who’s very musically gifted, but at the same time seeing that he’s like us as well and that he can talk about his faith.”
