Kevin Bacon returned to Payson High School in Payson, Utah, on April 20, 2024, four decades after the school served as a filming location for Footloose. Students had campaigned for his return, and the visit brought together the film’s 40th anniversary, a Footloose-themed prom in the old school building, and a community project building essential resource kits for Bacon’s charity, SixDegrees.org.
Why Kevin Bacon returned to Payson High School
The visit grew out of a student effort to bring Bacon back to the school before its old building was demolished and replaced. Payson students launched the #BacontoPayson campaign in fall 2023, according to the Associated Press; the Utah Film Commission described it as an almost year-long social media campaign. The campaign connected a specific place in the film’s history with a moment of change for the school community.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
![Footloose (1984) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fDGRzZZ5L._SL160_.jpg)
|
Footloose (1984) [Blu-ray] | $22.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Footloose (2011) [Blu-ray] by Warner Bros.](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/514GggXFxLL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Footloose (2011) [Blu-ray] by Warner Bros. | $15.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Footloose (1984) [Blu-ray] [1986] [Region Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61iamBmYFCL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Footloose (1984) [Blu-ray] [1986] [Region Free] | $17.46 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Footloose (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) | $20.71 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Footloose (2011) | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Payson High School had been one of the locations used when filming for Footloose began in Payson in 1983. The film was released on February 17, 1984. Bacon’s return on April 20, 2024, therefore came during the film’s 40th-anniversary year, while the school was preparing to leave the building that had appeared in the movie.
The event was not simply a celebrity visit or a retrospective screening. Students’ campaign gave Bacon a reason to return, the building’s impending replacement gave the occasion local significance, and the anniversary tied the school’s story to the film’s lasting cultural presence. Bacon acknowledged the students’ effort when he opened his remarks with, “You talked me into it,” the Associated Press reported.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
- The disk has English audio.
What happened at the April 20, 2024 event
Bacon visited the school on April 20 and joined students and other participants in building essential resource kits through Building Kits by Kevin Bacon, an initiative for SixDegrees.org. The kits made charitable work part of the day rather than leaving the anniversary as a purely commemorative event.
The day also included a Footloose-themed prom. It was described as likely to be the final prom in the old building before its planned demolition and the school’s move to a new building. That qualification matters: the event was presented as a probable last prom there, not as a confirmed final event of every kind in the building.
The Utah Film Commission reported that more than 1,000 volunteers took part in building resource kits. Separately, the Associated Press quoted principal Jesse Sorenson estimating that roughly 700 students and 300 community members participated. Those figures come from different accounts and should be understood as reported descriptions, not as an audited headcount. The AP’s estimate adds to roughly 1,000 people; the commission’s account says more than 1,000 volunteers.
How to understand the two attendance figures
The numbers are close in scale but are not interchangeable. The Utah Film Commission’s April 30, 2024 account describes more than 1,000 volunteers building resource kits. The AP report, published April 21, quotes principal Jesse Sorenson giving a rough breakdown of about 700 students and 300 community members. The accounts do not establish whether both counts use the same definition of participation or cover precisely the same activities. It is therefore more accurate to keep each figure tied to its source and wording than to turn them into a single exact total.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThat distinction also helps explain the event’s scope without overstating what is known. The gathering joined students, community members and Bacon in a day with more than one purpose: marking the film connection, holding a prom in the old school, and assembling kits for SixDegrees.org. The reported figures convey a large turnout, but neither account supplies an audited attendance record.
How the school, the film and the campaign came together
A filming location with a real community history
When Footloose filming began in Payson in 1983, the high school became one of the places associated with the production. The 2024 visit brought that connection back into public view at the same school, rather than treating the anniversary only as a date on a film calendar.
The school’s old building was also approaching a transition of its own. Its planned demolition and replacement meant that the setting for the reunion would soon change. The campaign’s timing made the visit an occasion to recognize both the film location and the building’s place in the school’s life.
Students turned a social campaign into an in-person event
The #BacontoPayson campaign began in fall 2023, according to the AP, and ran for almost a year according to the Utah Film Commission. Students used it to invite Bacon back; the resulting visit took place on a day that combined the themed prom with the kit-building project. The campaign’s outcome was concrete: Bacon appeared at the school and participated in the event, rather than merely acknowledging the anniversary from elsewhere.
At the visit, Bacon said, “I also think that it’s amazing to see the power that this movie has had to bring people together.” The AP attributed the comment to his remarks in Payson on April 20. It captured the event’s unusual mix: a movie’s connection to a high school, a student-led invitation, a community gathering and a charitable activity.
The campaign’s chronology places the return in a specific anniversary window. The Associated Press describes the student effort as beginning the previous fall, before Bacon’s April 20, 2024 appearance. The Utah Film Commission calls it an almost year-long social media campaign. Those descriptions point to sustained outreach rather than a one-day invitation, even though the accounts do not provide a post-by-post campaign history or a precise launch date.
Rank #3
- The disk has English audio and subtitles.
What the anniversary means—and what the reporting establishes
The strongest documented story is the connection among the 1983 filming in Payson, the school’s role as a location, the student campaign and Bacon’s 2024 return. The reporting also establishes that the visit coincided with the themed prom and kit-building, and that the old building was expected to be demolished as the school moved to a replacement.
The accounts do not establish a complete production history for Footloose, a full list of scenes filmed at the high school, or the precise schedule of each activity during the day. Nor do they establish that every person counted by the two attendance descriptions participated in the same way. The Utah Film Commission’s “more than 1,000 volunteers” and the principal’s AP-quoted estimate of roughly 700 students and 300 community members are best kept with their respective attributions.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThese distinctions do not diminish the event. They clarify why it resonated: the film gave students a reason to reach out, but the school’s own transition and the practical service activity made the gathering matter locally as well. The visit linked a remembered movie location with a community saying farewell to a familiar building and looking toward its replacement.
Other Utah locations associated with Footloose
The Utah Film Commission also identifies Payson Memorial Park, Lehi Roller Mills and American Fork Presbyterian Church among locations associated with Footloose. Its film-location page includes an interactive map. Those references establish a connection to the film, not present-day access, tours, opening hours or visitor facilities. Check current information with the relevant location before planning a visit; the reporting on Bacon’s school reunion does not establish that these sites are open to the public.
For readers comparing places connected with the movie, the official map is a starting point for identifying documented locations, not a ready-made tour itinerary. The available location information names the sites but does not provide verified current access details, travel distances, opening schedules or visitor services. In particular, a place’s association with a production should not be taken to mean that it is open for filming-location tourism. Confirm access directly before making plans, and respect any restrictions at schools, churches or other active properties.
Rank #4
For Payson High School in particular, the 2024 coverage describes the old building’s planned demolition and replacement. It should not be treated as a guarantee that the former filming location remains intact or is accessible now. The event is a historical account of Bacon’s April 2024 return, not a current visitor itinerary.
Timeline of the Footloose school reunion
- 1983: Filming for Footloose began in Payson, and Payson High School was among the film’s locations, according to the Utah Film Commission.
- February 17, 1984: Footloose was released, as noted in the AP’s anniversary coverage.
- Fall 2023: Payson students began the #BacontoPayson effort to bring Bacon back, according to the AP. The Utah Film Commission characterized the campaign as almost year-long.
- April 20, 2024: Bacon visited the school, participated in resource-kit building, and appeared on the day of its Footloose-themed prom.
Why the visit was more than a film anniversary appearance
The return joined two kinds of memory. For film fans, the school was a recognizable part of the story behind Footloose’s production in Utah. For the students and community, the old building was a place they were preparing to leave. The campaign brought those histories into the same room and made the anniversary an occasion for participation rather than nostalgia alone.
The resource-kit project added a further purpose. Through Building Kits by Kevin Bacon, volunteers worked on essential resource kits for SixDegrees.org, giving the gathering a service component alongside the prom and reunion. The Utah Film Commission’s volunteer figure and the principal’s estimate indicate the scale reported by organizers and local leadership, while remaining separate estimates rather than a verified final tally.
In that sense, the return’s defining detail is not only that Bacon revisited a filming location. It is that students persuaded him to come back at a moment when the school building itself was nearing the end of its role, and the day was organized around both celebration and community work.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What readers should know about the anniversary date
The “40th anniversary” refers to the film’s 1984 release year: the AP notes its release on February 17, 1984, and Bacon’s visit took place on April 20, 2024. The visit was therefore part of the anniversary year, not on the film’s release-date anniversary itself. The date also placed it ahead of the old building’s expected demolition and replacement, giving the return a local milestone beyond the movie calendar.
Best Value
- This refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, and may arrive in a generic box
The contemporaneous AP account was published the day after the visit, on April 21, 2024. The Utah Film Commission published its account on April 30, 2024, describing the campaign, the kit-building and other filming locations. Together, those dated accounts document the visit and its setting; they do not supply current status information about the building or other sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Kevin Bacon return to the Footloose high school?
Payson students campaigned for his return through #BacontoPayson. His April 20, 2024 visit marked the film’s 40th-anniversary year and came as the school prepared to leave its old building, which was slated for demolition and replacement.
When did Kevin Bacon visit Payson High School?
He visited on April 20, 2024. The film had been released on February 17, 1984, so his appearance took place in its 40th-anniversary year, though not on the release-date anniversary itself.
What took place during the visit?
The day included a Footloose-themed prom and building essential resource kits for SixDegrees.org through Building Kits by Kevin Bacon. Bacon also addressed the students and community; the AP quoted him saying, “You talked me into it.”
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
How many people participated in the kit-building event?
The Utah Film Commission reported more than 1,000 volunteers. Separately, the AP quoted principal Jesse Sorenson estimating roughly 700 students and 300 community members. These are differently worded reported figures, not an audited headcount.
Can visitors still tour the Footloose locations in Utah?
The Utah Film Commission lists Payson Memorial Park, Lehi Roller Mills and American Fork Presbyterian Church and provides an interactive location map. The 2024 accounts do not verify current public access, tours or opening hours, so check with each location before visiting.
The Bottom Line
Kevin Bacon’s April 20, 2024 return to Payson High School grew from a student campaign and brought Footloose’s 40th-anniversary year together with the school’s likely final prom in its old building and a large kit-building project for SixDegrees.org. The visit is well documented as a community event; it does not establish current access to the former school or other filming locations.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
