Update: Additional Salt Lake Temple Tour Reservations Announced

UPDATE: September 9, 2026, 6:00 p.m. MT

Church Newsroom announced that additional Salt Lake Temple open house tour reservations will become available September 15 and October 1 at 6 p.m. MDT. The new ticket releases follow an overwhelming response in which the first one million reservations were claimed in less than 24 hours.

The staggered releases form part of the Church’s planned effort to accommodate as many visitors as possible. Visitors should watch the Temple Square website, app and email updates for these reservation opportunities and future ways to participate.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened reservations for tours of the renovated Salt Lake Temple on September 1 and announced “Rejoice in Christ” as the theme of the 2027 Salt Lake Temple Celebration. According to Church Newsroom, the six-month celebration will run from April 5 through October 1, 2027.

Church leaders and Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox gathered in the new West Temple Entrance Building on Temple Square to outline opportunities for visitors to participate in person and online. The celebration will include temple tours, exhibits, films, performances, visual arts, family history opportunities and other activities for individuals and families.

Reservations Open for Temple Tours

Richard Sutton, whom Church Newsroom identified as the senior director in the Temple Department over the Salt Lake Temple Celebration, announced the reservation details during the event. He encouraged people not to feel discouraged if the first available reservations fill quickly because the Church will release additional tour times periodically over the coming months.

Church Newsroom reported that individuals can reserve up to six free tickets to tour the Salt Lake Temple. Larger parties, including family reunions, Church groups and community organizations, can submit a separate reservation request.

Many activities throughout Temple Square will remain open to the public without reservations. These experiences will include exhibits, films, live music, visual arts, family history opportunities and other activities, according to Church Newsroom.

The Temple Square website and app will provide virtual experiences, celebration resources and updates for those who cannot travel to Salt Lake City. Church Newsroom also reported that the Church is developing a virtual tour that will allow participants to explore the Salt Lake Temple and learn about its history, architecture and purpose.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and chair of the Salt Lake Temple Executive Committee, attended the event with Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President; President Emily Belle Freeman, Young Women General President; President Rosemary K. Chibota, Primary General President; and Governor Cox also participated.

Children and Youth Lead the Celebration

President Chibota opened the program by inviting children, youth, families, neighbors and friends throughout the world to tour the Salt Lake Temple. “This is more than touring a building—a remarkable building,” she said, as quoted by Church Newsroom. “It is about coming closer to Jesus Christ. It is about feeling God’s love for us and remembering that all of us are beloved children of our Heavenly Father.”

New art glass behind President Chibota depicted the Savior’s invitation to “behold your little ones” in 3 Nephi 17:23. She said the scene shows that children “are not an afterthought to Him” and invites adults to notice, teach and listen to them while helping them understand that they belong.

President Chibota invited children to “come and see,” youth to “come and feel” and families to learn together inside the house of the Lord. She encouraged young people to ask questions about the temple, invite others to participate and share their feelings about Jesus Christ.

“In my culture, and in many cultures throughout the world, whenever there’s a celebration, children and youth lead the way,” President Chibota said. She also introduced the September issue of the Friend magazine, which focuses on the temple and remains available without charge in print and digital formats.

President Chibota closed by recalling the Savior’s invitation to two early disciples who asked where He lived. “And so today, we invite everyone to come and see,” she said, extending that invitation to people who will participate virtually as well as those who will visit Temple Square.

A children and youth choir from Northern Utah followed her remarks with a performance of “I Love to See the Temple.” Jamie Kalama Wood conducted the choir, and Crystal Lynn Mellor accompanied the young singers.

Church Newsroom reported that “Rejoice in Christ” will also serve as the Church’s 2027 youth theme and comes from Philippians 4:4. President Freeman said the shared theme will connect youth throughout the world with the Salt Lake Temple Celebration and the blessings of temple worship wherever they live.

“This will be a year of hallelujah,” President Freeman said in remarks reported by Church Newsroom. “This will be a year of hosanna. This will be a year of rejoicing for us. I love that the youth will be part of that great year of rejoicing.”

Governor Cox Welcomes Visitors to Utah

Governor Cox began his remarks by sharing a lighthearted exchange that occurred while he and President Uchtdorf greeted the choir members. “At the very end, one of them turned to me and said, ‘Are you his bodyguard?’” he recalled before describing himself as “a poor bodyguard indeed.”

The performance also led Governor Cox to reflect on the Latter-day Saint pioneers who settled the Salt Lake Valley nearly 180 years ago. He shared that his great-great-great-grandfather entered the valley and that the man’s son, Governor Cox’s great-great-grandfather, became the first Caucasian male child born there who lived to adulthood.

Governor Cox described the pioneers as people who came to an area others had bypassed and sought the opportunity to practice their religion under the protections of the United States Constitution. He connected their efforts to the Salt Lake Temple and to the generations who followed them.

The governor quoted remarks President Theodore Roosevelt delivered in the nearby Tabernacle 123 years earlier about the character of Utah’s settlers. President Roosevelt praised the people who took land that required extraordinary effort and “literally made the wilderness blossom as the rose.”

Governor Cox then connected those remarks to the young singers who had just performed. “And we just listened to their children’s children’s children’s children as they sang that beautiful hymn,” he said.

Governor Cox thanked the Church for preserving a building that serves as a place of faith for Latter-day Saints and as a point of interest in the history of westward migration and American faith communities. He noted that people have visited Temple Square for years without entering the Salt Lake Temple, but the open house will allow millions to step inside.

The governor said Utah had ranked as the nation’s top state for four consecutive years and credited residents rather than elected officials. He praised people who seek to leave their communities better than they found them for their children and grandchildren.

“We are so grateful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their efforts in preserving this building,” Governor Cox said. “Thank you for giving the world this opportunity. We look forward to sharing it with you.”

Rejoicing in Christ on a Strong Foundation

President Uchtdorf concluded the program by formally announcing “Rejoice in Christ” as the celebration’s theme and motto. He said the phrase will appear in publications and in locations throughout the city and across the world as the Church invites individuals from every background to participate.

The invitation extends to people regardless of their faith, race, language or socioeconomic circumstances. “In Jesus Christ, we unite in this wonderful time of rejoicing in Him,” President Uchtdorf said.

President Uchtdorf also connected the theme to the Church’s concern for people suffering in Nepal and other locations. Although few Church members live in Nepal, he said the Church was preparing substantial assistance for people there.

The Salt Lake Temple’s extensive structural renovation provided President Uchtdorf with an image for his message about building life on Jesus Christ. He recalled how Latter-day Saint pioneers cared for the Nauvoo Temple until they left Illinois and then selected a location for a new temple shortly after reaching the Salt Lake Valley.

“Because they rejoiced in Christ and knew that Jesus Christ is the foundation in our lives,” President Uchtdorf said when explaining the pioneers’ focus on temples. He connected that foundation with questions about life’s purpose, humanity’s relationship with God and the hope found through Jesus Christ.

President Uchtdorf said crews strengthened the Salt Lake Temple with almost 100 base isolators and steel running through the building. He explained that those supports allow the structure to move during an earthquake without breaking.

He compared those structural supports to the spiritual strength people need when difficulties push them “a little to the right, a little to the left, a little bit forward and back.” Those movements do not have to pull disciples away from the values of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he said.

President Uchtdorf illustrated the temple’s immense weight through several comparisons that drew laughter from the audience. He said the building weighs approximately 10 times as much as the Eiffel Tower, 250 fully loaded Boeing 747s, one million people or 50,000 African elephants.

The temple’s new foundation offers a symbol for people examining their own lives before the celebration, President Uchtdorf said. He encouraged listeners to identify where their foundations need renewal and strengthening so they can withstand future challenges while remaining committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Temple Worship and the Work of Salvation

President Uchtdorf also connected September 1 with the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 127. Joseph Smith received the revelation on September 1, 1842, as questions arose about how people who died without baptism could receive that ordinance.

Temples provide a sacred setting where Church members perform ordinances on behalf of those who have died, President Uchtdorf explained. He emphasized that individuals remain free to accept or decline that gift and that no one enters the Church of Jesus Christ without personal choice.

President Uchtdorf said the Salt Lake Temple Celebration belongs to a worldwide Church with a universal message centered on Jesus Christ. “We invite you to come and see and love Jesus Christ and the people who come here,” he said.

He also thanked Governor Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and other state and city leaders for helping organizers prepare the celebration. President Uchtdorf said their cooperation will help create a safe, welcoming and unifying experience for visitors.

Women Will See the Savior Throughout Temple Square

Following the event, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson reflected on what women will encounter beyond the history and beauty of the renovated temple. She pointed to a new sculpture near the West Temple Entrance Building depicting Jesus Christ with the woman at the well, one of several pieces on Temple Square that portray the Savior interacting with women.

President Johnson also mentioned the Thorvaldsen Christus in the south visitors’ center and the representations of Jesus Christ found throughout the surrounding artwork. “You see Him in the stained glass windows. You see Him in the art on the walls,” she said.

Those visual representations reinforce the identity and worship of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Johnson explained. She emphasized that Jesus Christ stands at the center of the Church’s focus and worship and that people receive the opportunity to return to their heavenly home because of and through Him.

Church Newsroom reported that President Johnson also hopes visitors will better understand why the Church builds temples throughout the world. “We hope you understand in a more complete way why we build houses of the Lord all over the world, what our intention is, that people will have a greater understanding of what motivates us—our love for God and our love for our neighbors,” she said.

President Johnson said understanding the Church’s motivation constitutes only part of what she wants visitors to take from the experience. “And importantly, I hope people will feel something. They’ll feel that peace and love and help that Jesus Christ offers.”

Volunteers Needed to Welcome Millions

According to President Uchtdorf, organizers expect five million people to visit during the Salt Lake Temple Celebration. The Church needs thousands of volunteers to help welcome those guests throughout the six-month event.

People interested in volunteering must apply by September 14. President Uchtdorf invited people everywhere to come and see, strengthen their personal foundations and join the celebration in person or online.

What are your thoughts about the theme and plans for next year’s Salt Lake Temple Celebration? Share with us in the comments below!

Holly Wallace

Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.