Free things to do in Salt Lake County, printed and mailed to you every month.

Free events and places to volunteer, picked for people who'd rather go than scroll. No ads, nobody pays to be listed, and the back page goes on your fridge.

Issue 1 mails Nov 9 if enough people order by Oct 27. If it doesn't print, you get a full refund by Oct 30.

See the two options
Salt Lake Monthly Issue 1 front page, from the draft

From the Issue 1 draft. Listings change before print.

What it is

Salt Lake Monthly is a printed newspaper of free, in-person things to do and places to volunteer around Salt Lake County. Issue 1 is 8 tabloid pages of full-color newsprint, mailed to your door. Each issue lays out the weeks ahead day by day, plus a few bigger free things within about an hour's drive. Readers pay for it, so there are no ads and nobody pays to be in it.

What's in every issue

  • Top picks. The few things this month I'd tell a friend to go to, starred on the calendar too.
  • Day by day. Free events in date order, with where, when, whether to RSVP and who it's for, so you can just show up.
  • Every week and All month. The standing stuff, like group runs, open mics and game nights, plus things that are free all month long.
  • Outside your bubble. A few rooms you'd probably never walk into on your own, each with a tip for your first time.
  • Lend a hand. Places that need volunteers, from a one-time shift to something weekly.
  • Worth the drive. A few big free things within about an hour of Salt Lake City.
  • Cale's letter. A short letter from me on the front page.
  • A piece by a local. Someone who lives here writes about whatever they want, as long as it isn't their own business or project.
  • The fridge calendar. The back page is the whole month on one grid, made to hang on your fridge.

Why paper

The point is to get you off your phone. Sending it to your phone would defeat that. A paper sits on the counter, the calendar goes on the fridge, and nothing buzzes.

Why you pay for it

Social media is free because you're the product. Advertisers pay for your attention, and the feed is built to hold on to it. Here you pay $10 and you're the customer. That's the whole model: no ads, and nobody paying for a spot.

Yes, you probably got here from an ad. Paying Instagram and Google to find readers is fine with me. Selling space in the paper isn't.

Three promises

  • No ads. Not now, not later.
  • Nobody pays to be listed. Not hosts, not businesses, not my friends.
  • Cancel anytime. From your account or by email. No minimum, no phone call.

Two ways to get it

Founding subscription

$10 a month

Issue 1, covering Nov 14 through Dec 31, then a new issue every month. Mailed to you, postage included.

Issue 1 mails Mon Nov 9.

Renews automatically: $10 today for Issue 1, then $10 on the 1st of each month from Dec 1, 2026, until you cancel. No minimum. I'll email you at least 7 days before any price change. Cancel anytime in your account or by emailing saltlakemonthlypaper@gmail.com. Issue 1 is a presale. It prints only if enough people order by Oct 27, then mails Nov 9. If it doesn't print, you're refunded in full by Oct 30 and charged nothing more.

Subscribe for $10 a month

Issue 1

$12.50, once

One printed copy of Issue 1, covering Nov 14 through Dec 31. Postage included. No subscription.

Mails Mon Nov 9.

One printed copy, $12.50, postage included. No subscription and no renewal. Issue 1 is a presale. It prints only if enough people order by Oct 27, then mails Nov 9. If it doesn't print, you're refunded in full by Oct 30. Questions: saltlakemonthlypaper@gmail.com

Buy Issue 1 for $12.50

US addresses only. Questions before you buy? saltlakemonthlypaper@gmail.com

Who's making this

I'm Cale. I live in Murray, and I put this paper together myself, around a full-time job. I started it because I wanted to give people a reason to get out of the house, off their screens, and into a room with people they might not usually meet. And if you Google free events in Salt Lake, you don't get much that's any good.

Questions

When does it ship?

If Issue 1 prints, it goes in the mail Mon Nov 9 by USPS First-Class Mail, which the Postal Service says takes 1 to 5 days. It covers events from Sat Nov 14 through Dec 31. Subscribers get a new issue every month after that, mailed before the month it covers.

Where do you ship?

Any US address. The paper covers Salt Lake County, but you can have it sent anywhere in the US, say to a friend who's moving here. I can't ship outside the US yet.

How do I cancel?

Sign in to your account on this site with your email and a 6-digit code (no password), open Subscriptions, and click Cancel subscription. It takes effect right away. Or email saltlakemonthlypaper@gmail.com and I'll cancel it within one business day and confirm by email. You won't be charged again. An issue you already paid for still gets mailed to you.

If I sign up later, which issue do I get?

Order by Tue Oct 27 and you get Issue 1. After that, this page will say which issue you'll get and when it mails, so you know before you pay.

Can I give it as a gift?

Yes. Buy Issue 1 and put their name and address in the shipping section at checkout. If you want a note with it, email saltlakemonthlypaper@gmail.com with your order number and what you want it to say. Gift subscriptions aren't set up yet, because a subscription keeps billing the card that bought it.

Can I pick it up at a booth instead?

Not yet. Every copy goes by mail for now. If I set up at a market, I'll email subscribers where and when.

What happens if it doesn't print?

Issue 1 prints only if enough people order by Tue Oct 27. If not, everyone who paid gets a full refund to their card by Fri Oct 30, every subscription is canceled, and nobody is charged again. You don't have to ask. And if you change your mind before Nov 9, email me and I'll refund you in full.

How do you pick the events?

Everything listed is free, in person and open to the public, in Salt Lake County, plus a few bigger things within about an hour's drive. I go through city and library calendars, venue and nonprofit pages, flyers and tips from readers. Then I pick what's worth leaving the house for: things that put you in a room with other people. Nothing that's free in name only or really a sales pitch. Dates and details get checked against the host's own page before it prints.

How do I get an event listed?

Email saltlakemonthlypaper@gmail.com with the name, date, start time, address, a link to your own page about it, and one line on who it's for. It has to be free and open to the public. Listing is free. Sending it in doesn't guarantee a spot, and money can't buy one. For Issue 1, send it by Sun Oct 25.

Can my business pay to be in it?

No. There are no ads, and nobody can buy a listing, a better spot or a mention. If your business hosts something free and open to the public, send it in like anyone else.