The Festivals & Events of Montana

Food, Film, and Folks in Big Sky Country

It’s always a party in Montana. Throughout Big Sky Country, hungry, happy and honky-tonking visitors find everything from food and wine festivals to rodeos and film festivities.

This spring, make your way to the scenic city of Great Falls for the annual Wine and Food Festival in early March. Attendees are met with dancing and live music, a killer breakfast menu, and more than 100 beers, wines and other refreshments. Still thirsty? Head to Montana State University in the late spring for the MSU Billings Wine and Food Festival – a celebration of domestic wine and gourmet food up for tastings, auction, and sale.

Even film fans find haven in Montana. Helena is home to the Martin Luther King Jr. Film Festival, celebrated in mid January, and when you just so happen to have the day off. Later in the year, the cultural hub that is Missoula hosts the Montana CINE International Film Festival in mid October. Don’t miss special screenings and discussions of films with a focus on social and environmental issues right in Historic Roxy Theater – set on the Hip Strip in downtown Missoula.

For more Montana happenings, check out the cultural and music festivals of Big Sky Country. Whether an avid skier, aficionado of the Old West, or a fan of folk music, Montana has your answer somewhere on its busy calendar.

Winter & Western Festivals:

Montana is an active state, and more often than not, includes its western heritage in its many annual festivities. Here’s hoping you like the cold, because we’re attending the Wild West Winterfest and the Yellowstone Ski Festival.

Kick off your holiday celebrations with the Yellowstone Ski Festival – a staple of West Yellowstone’s event calendar. Cross-country skiers flock to West Yellowstone for a zip down the Rendezvous Trail System, not to mention the lectures, exhibits and clinics of the Fall Camp Nordic Ski. Cap off your getaway with the Yellowstone Ski Festival – complete with food and children’s activities – and maybe try your hand in some night skiing. Cozy up with come cocoa at one of the the Best Western hotels in West Yellowstone, and don’t forget you’re but a short drive away from Yellowstone National Park.

Set in Bozeman, the Wild West Winterfest is a Montana celebration if ever there was one. A fun mid February weekend, this festival features beer, wine, food and many a show and sale. Check out the Dog Keg Pull, the Children’s Art Show, and the All Breed Horse Sale, and enjoy some leisure time with the family at the petting zoo or the chili cook-off. Hayrides, car races, and live music, nothing beats the Wild West Winterfest – all just minutes from the Best Western hotel in Bozeman.

For those with thin blood, head to Kalispell in mid August for the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo. You can check out the many RAM PRCA Rodeos from the Grandstands, or saddle up for some pig wrestling, horse races, and even a demolition derby. Each year famed music acts headline the Northwest Montana Fair, so enjoy a night out in the warm air of Montana in the summer. Don’t miss the Great American Pie Contest, a make sure you get a good seat at the Fair Parade along Main Street – all a few miles north of the Best Western hotel in Kalispell.

Music & Folk Festivals:

Montana should sound like music to your ears – and it soon will. If you’re traveling through Big Sky Country in the late summer, get ready for some craft markets, beer sampling, and all things audible.

Don’t miss nearly 300 artisans doing their thing in Butte at the Montana Folk Festival – a lively, three-day celebration happening in mid July. Fill up at the Montana Folk Festival food court, stroll through one of two marketplaces, and sample your way through beer and wine. Get your ears ready for cowboy poetry, storytelling, and nightly concerts in Uptown Butte Historic District. This free event is just minutes from the Best Western hotel in Butte – so shop up, and unload your new treasures back at your room.

A mid September celebration, the Music On Wings Bluegrass Festival is a pride of Miles City. The celebration starts off with open-mic jam sessions, allowing any attending bluegrass musician to hop on stage and show off. Sign up for vocal and instrumental workshops, or just enjoy the many gospel, country, and of course bluegrass concerts in heavy rotation throughout the weekend. Enjoy the fresh air of Big Sky Country, and cap off your day at the Music On Wings Bluegrass Festival with a stay at the Best Western hotel in Miles City.

Enjoy celebrations galore in Montana – the best place for food, fun and folks.

Best Western Hotels Along the Way: