World Strength Games Expo

The World Strength Games returns to the Dixie Convention Center at 1835 South Convention Center Drive in St. George, Utah, for its annual Memorial Day weekend edition, May 21–23, 2026. The event combines a world-level strongman championship with a full fitness expo, drawing competitors who have qualified through regional events including the Utah Strength Games in Salt Lake City, the Kentucky World Strength Games Qualifier in Stearns, and Fitcon Utah’s Strongest Man at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Four-time World’s Strongest Man Magnus Ver Magnusson and strength sports competitor Travis Ortmayer are confirmed for autograph and photo sessions at the TrackIt Verified booth during Fan Fest on Thursday, May 21, from noon to 9 p.m. NFL athletes and fitness industry figures round out the appearance schedule.

Main competition days are Friday, May 22, and Saturday, May 23, with doors opening at 8:30 a.m. each day. Athletes compete in weight-class-based strongman events, including the signature 402-pound basalt stone carry, a Farmer’s Walk, and log press variations, with each competitor typically allowed two attempts per event. The format creates a particular kind of crowd tension: the weight choice is strategic, the attempts are irreversible, and the margin between a world record and a failed lift narrows to a single moment that the audience shares collectively. The expo runs concurrent with competition, with merchandise, supplement, and food vendors operating throughout both main days. Kids’ events are free throughout the weekend, and admission to the competition is accessible to all ages. The Utah’s Strongest Kid Challenge runs Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m. for children ages 5 to 12.

St. George and the Red Rock Setting

St. George sits at 2,860 feet in the upper Mojave Desert transition zone, surrounded by the red Navajo sandstone formations that make the region visually distinctive even by Utah standards. Snow Canyon State Park, five miles north of downtown, is a 7,400-acre canyon park with lava flows, sand dunes, and petroglyphs accessible on trails ranging from flat paved paths to moderate scrambles on sandstone slickrock. The Rosenbruch World Wildlife Museum on Riverside Drive, which holds one of the largest private collections of taxidermied wildlife dioramas in North America, is a reliable family destination for the exhibition day’s off-hours. Zion National Park, 40 miles northeast on I-15, is a 90-minute drive that positions any St. George visit within reasonable range of one of the Southwest’s signature canyon landscapes.

If You’re Going with Kids
The Utah’s Strongest Kid Challenge on Friday evening is the standout family event of the weekend, giving children a structured and supervised strength activity in the same venue where professional world record attempts are happening. Snow Canyon’s Lava Flow Trail, a flat 0.8-mile path through a volcanic field adjacent to the sandstone walls, is the most accessible natural history experience in the immediate area and works well for children as young as three.

Lake Powell and the Water Connection

Lake Powell, 75 miles northeast of St. George via US-89, is the most significant body of water in proximity to the Dixie Convention Center and one of the most dramatic lake environments in North America. The reservoir stretches across the Colorado Plateau for 186 miles, backed by Glen Canyon Dam, with 96 major canyon arms accessible by boat. Wahweap Marina near Page, Arizona, provides full-service houseboat and speedboat rentals for visitors who want to extend the Memorial Day weekend from the Strength Games to a full canyon lake experience.

Where to Stay

St. George’s lodging concentrates along Bluff Street and the I-15 corridor, with a range from national chain hotels to newer boutique properties near the Dixie Convention Center. For vacation rentals near Lake Powell and the canyon country surrounding St. George, look on Lake.com for properties that position you within reach of both the convention center and the broader red rock recreation corridor. Memorial Day weekend fills St. George lodging well in advance; book at least six weeks ahead for the May 21–23 event.