SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Tuesday the theme for the 2027 Salt Lake Temple Celebration and opened public reservations for tours of the newly renovated historic landmark.
The six-month celebration, themed “Rejoice in Christ,” will run from April 5 to Oct. 1, 2027. Church leaders, community representatives, and state officials gathered inside the new West Temple Entrance Building on Temple Square for the announcement, marking the first time media were admitted inside the newly constructed entry facility following years of renovation.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a global church with a universal message of Jesus Christ in which we rejoice,” said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, chair of the Salt Lake Temple Executive Committee. “We invite you to come and see and love Jesus Christ and the people who come here.”
Free reservations for the public open house became available Tuesday through TempleSquare.org and the Temple Square mobile app. Individual reservations are capped at six tickets, while separate requests can be submitted for larger parties, family reunions, and community organizations.
In addition to in-person temple tours, the event will feature live music, visual art, historical exhibits, and family history activities across Temple Square. To accommodate global audiences, Church officials are developing interactive digital resources, including a 3D virtual tour allowing people worldwide to explore the building’s interior and architecture.
“This is a worldwide celebration,” said Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “It’s something that is going to be celebrated in every corner of the world.”
Leaders also announced that “Rejoice in Christ,” derived from the biblical verse Philippians 4:4, will serve as the Church’s global youth theme for 2027. Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman said the theme will help connect youth internationally to temple worship.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox praised the preservation effort, calling the temple one of Utah’s primary historical landmarks and predicting millions of visitors will travel to Salt Lake City for the event.
Unlike standard meetinghouses used for weekly Sunday worship, temples are considered the faith’s most sacred places, reserved for formal religious covenants and ceremonies. The Salt Lake Temple originally opened in 1893 and has undergone extensive seismic retrofitting and structural renovation since 2020.