For most of the year, Midway is a quaint mountain town of about 6,000 residents. But every Labor Day weekend, visitors flood in for Swiss Days, one of Utah’s largest annual festivals, to explore unique vendors while taking in the beauty of the Wasatch Back.
Founded by Swiss immigrants in the 1850s, Midway has long celebrated its Swiss heritage with its architecture and murals throughout the town. What started as a community harvest festival in 1947 has evolved into a two-day celebration of the town’s Swiss roots. Festivities like a huge artisan market, parade and Alpine entertainment require municipal-scale coordination.
But this isn’t carried out by a city department or professional event company. Instead, Swiss Days operates under a volunteer infrastructure.
Thousands of helping hands
Max Willis, chairman of the Swiss Days executive committee, says that, aside from a free meal, T-shirt, and ballcap, the only compensation the 2,000-3,000 volunteers get is “the joy of serving.” Planning begins months before the first booth is set up each September. “We really start in January,” Willis says. “It’s no small thing.”
Committee members coordinate mass-gathering permits, food safety inspections, law enforcement support, transportation systems, sanitation services and vendor operations.
Meanwhile, community volunteers handle everything from food service to parking and cleanup. These volunteers are working throughout the year, right alongside committee members. One example of this is the people who come to make bread and cookies throughout the summer, as early as 5:30 in the morning. They work hard to get the baked goods made and frozen, ready for the event.
Elise Jones, Swiss Days’ social media chair, says that she loves seeing Midway come together to make the event happen each year. “It’s such a loving celebration of the heritage of our town,” she says. “And it’s just something that the community loves to do.”
This summer, Jones hopes to include more behind-the-scenes community preparations on the Swiss Days’ social media platforms, like trash cleanup or the sauerkraut making that happens months in advance to allow for proper fermentation.
The economics of the Swiss Days experience
Swiss Days brings the community together as they prepare for and build the festival, but it also brings in money.
Willis says that proceeds generated through vendor fees and food sales go right back into supporting future festivals and the Midway community at large, including scholarships, community events, humanitarian efforts and beautification projects.
“If you come to Midway, you’ll see things like roundabouts, banners, flowers, trails, pavilions and all sorts of things that have been built with Swiss Days money,” Willis says.
The festival’s most visible economic engine is its vendor marketplace.
Each year, between 500-600 businesses compete for a limited number of vendor spaces, turning booth selection into a strategic exercise that helps define the festival’s brand.
“We’re trying to preserve the integrity of what Swiss Days started as,” says Tara Maxfield, chair of the vendor committee. She says that in the beginning, the festival was more of a craft fair, so her committee pays homage to that heritage by giving highest preference to vendors that have an artisanal component to their business.
After the application deadline ends in February, Maxfield and the vendor committee review every application, using applicants’ websites, social media accounts and product information to determine whether businesses align with Swiss Days’ focus on artisanship.
In addition to honoring tradition, this approach of prioritizing artisan brands over mass production creates a unique experience that attracts visitors and supports smaller businesses. The committee has also become more intentional about introducing new vendors to keep the festival fresh for returning attendees.
“We want people to be excited every year for Swiss Days,” says Maxfield. This year, more than 60 vendors will be participating for the first time.
Of course, the economic impact extends beyond those selected vendors. Restaurants, boutiques and other businesses throughout Midway also benefit from the influx of visitors.
“It’s a lot of exposure in two days,” Maxfield says. “More eyes and ears … in town means more traffic and more revenue.”
The soul of Swiss Days
While Swiss Days might be an economic driver, for the people behind the festival, its lasting value comes from the way it turns community identity into something tangible.
“It’s so much more than just the shops and the booths,” Jones says. “People in the community come together to create something really great and magical to keep our town’s fun traditions and to give back.”
The festival’s Swiss-inspired food, traditions, entertainment and artisan marketplace reinforce a distinct identity that residents have spent decades cultivating.
“Midway is special for many reasons,” Willis says. “But I would put Swiss Days at the very top of that list.”