When Do Salt Lake Temple Open House Reservations Start?

Free tickets for the renovated Salt Lake Temple open house go on sale September 1, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said reservations open on TempleSquare.org and the Temple Square app for tours during the April 5 to October 1, 2027 celebration.

According to the Church Newsroom release dated August 20, 2026, individual guests may reserve up to six tickets in one request. Larger parties use a separate group request form. The practical traveler rule is simple: if you want a timed temple tour, be ready at 11:00 a.m. MDT on September 1 with an account and preferred dates.

What September 1 actually unlocks

September 1 is a reservation drop, not the open house itself. The celebration that includes temple tours runs from April 5 through October 1, 2027. That lag matters for lodging, flights into Salt Lake City, and any Utah national-park add-ons you plan around the same trip.

Temple Square ticketing guidance says tickets will release in batches across the registration window. If your first-choice slot is gone, later drops may reopen inventory. Do not treat the first minute as the only chance forever.

Tour hours listed by the Church are 8:40 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8:00 p.m. on Sundays. Accessibility support is planned for language, assistive listening, and mobility, vision, or hearing needs. Confirm the exact accommodations when you reserve.

How to claim tickets without burning the window

First, create or verify your Temple Square account before September 1. Second, shortlist two or three date ranges inside the April to October 2027 window so you can pivot if the first block is empty. Third, submit only one individual request of up to six tickets, then use the group form if your party is larger.

Keep Mountain Daylight Time front and center. A 11:00 a.m. MDT drop is 1:00 p.m. Eastern and 10:00 a.m. Pacific. Set a calendar alert the night before and open the site a few minutes early so login friction does not eat the first release.

Reservations are recommended for the temple open house tour. Many other Temple Square celebration activities do not require a reservation. That split lets you still visit the square even if a tour ticket is delayed.

Do not buy nonrefundable airfare solely on hope of a specific hour. Secure the tour reservation first, then lock flights and hotels that match the confirmed ticket date.

What is free, and what is not the same as a Sunday chapel

The Church describes the open house tour as free and open to the public. After dedication, temples are reserved for members participating in temple worship. The open house is the public walk-through window before that rededication milestone.

Meetinghouses used for Sunday services are a different building class. Do not assume a chapel schedule or dress code matches temple open house rules. Follow the instructions printed with your reservation and any Temple Square app updates.

Virtual experiences are also planned as part of the wider celebration for people who cannot travel. Those online options do not replace an in-person tour ticket if walking through the renovated building is your goal.

Building a Salt Lake and Utah trip around a tour date

Once a ticket date is locked, reverse-plan arrivals into Salt Lake City International Airport with buffer for baggage and downtown transfers. Summer 2027 Utah roads and park entrances can be busy, so same-day rushes from Arches or Zion into a timed temple slot are a poor fit.

For a nearby Wasatch Front planning page, use Deep Arrival’s Provo things to do guide. For a southern Utah extension after Temple Square, Arches National Park is a natural overnight or multi-day add-on when dates allow.

If you are watching Salt Lake ground access separately, the earlier news post on Salt Lake airport ramp and TRAX closures is chronology only. Recheck live airport and transit notices for 2027 travel dates.

Book refundable lodging when possible until the tour confirmation email or app receipt is in hand. Ticket batch releases can force a date shift of days or weeks.

What remains uncertain

The Church has not published a minute-by-minute inventory calendar for every future ticket drop after September 1. Future releases are promised when preferred times sell out, without a fixed public timetable for each batch.

Exact rededication timing inside or after the celebration window can still move as renovation work finishes. Treat April 5, 2027 as the published celebration start, and watch TempleSquare.org for schedule refinements.

On-the-ground security screening, bag rules, and photography limits for the tour will be confirmed closer to arrival. Pack light and follow the reservation instructions rather than assuming museum-style photo rules.

International visitors should also check passport and U.S. entry timing separately. A temple open house ticket does not change immigration processing.

If your group includes older relatives or guests who need mobility support, note accessibility needs in the reservation flow and arrive earlier than the ticket time. Downtown Salt Lake walking distances between parking, transit, and Temple Square can add ten to twenty minutes that a tight connection will not forgive.

Parents traveling with children should decide whether everyone needs a temple tour ticket or whether some of the party will use unticketed square activities while others take the tour. Splitting the party only works if you agree on a clear reunion point and time before you enter the queue.

Travelers coming from outside Utah should also decide whether Salt Lake City is a one-night stop or a multi-day base. A single overnight can work for a morning tour plus downtown walking, while a longer stay makes more sense if you are combining Temple Square with Timpanogos Cave or a southern Utah park drive that needs its own full day.

If a Salt Lake Temple open house tour is the trip’s anchor, treat September 1 as a booking deadline and build the rest of the Utah itinerary only after the ticket confirmation lands.