Take in 10 of the Top Festivals & Events in Big Sky, Montana
Offering extraordinary access to world-class ski slopes as well as the many, inimitable amazements of Yellowstone National Park, Big Sky, Montana ranks among the Mountain West’s premier vacation retreats. And thanks to our 100 Collection local partner Ascend Properties, you’ve got an absolutely choice selection of rental lodgings to choose from in this swoony getaway, which comes faithfully watched over by the iconic skyline summit of Lone Mountain.
Big Sky’s got an impressive lineup of annual festivities and other events, a standout sample of which we’re profiling below!
Big Sky PBR
- July
The centerpiece of “Big Sky’s Biggest Week,” this stop along the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Challenger Series has been proclaimed by more than a few of the world’s top bullriders as their absolute favorite. And it’s certainly among the flagship Big Sky events.
Held in the Big Sky Events Arena, Big Sky PBR showcases the thrilling spectacle of these stout-hearted riders aboard (for a few exhilarating moments, anyway) some truly outstanding bucking bulls, and draws better than 30,000 attendees each year keen to experience “the Toughest Sport on Dirt” firsthand. Other associated events include the Big Sky Community Rodeo and mutton-bustin.’
Music in the Mountains
- June – September
Head over to Center Stage at Len Hill Park on Thursday evenings in the summertime to enjoy Music in the Mountains, a free and family-friendly concert series that features both local and nationally touring acts.
The musicmaking—which includes such special yearly concerts as a Fourth of July edition and a “Metal in the Mountains” show—gets underway beginning at 6 PM.
The Rut
- September
Established in 2013 by a pair of trail/ultrarunners, Mike Foote and Mike Wolfe, The Rut is a three day bonanza of footraces playing out on challenging, scenery-blasted courses at Big Sky Resort’s Lone Peak.
Events include the 11K, 21K, 28K, 50K, and Trifecta, plus the ever-popular KIds Runt Run, among others.
Big Sky Oktoberfest
- October
Wait—is this southwestern Montana or Bavaria? Well, a look at the skyline will convince you it’s Big Sky Country for sure, but the local version of Oktoberfest definitely fires up plenty of German spirit within that magnificent Rocky Mountain landscape.
Taking place at Big Sky Town Center, this three-day affair features lots of excellent beer from both German and local breweries, plus such culinary essentials as bratwurst and pretzels.
No shortage of traditional German dress can be seen—not least during the Lederhosen Fun Run—and there are themed games aplenty, including stein-holding contests, and a soundtrack of live music.
Wildlands Festival
- August
The Wildlands Festival raises money for and awareness of conservation concerns and open-space preservation in southwestern Montana and beyond while featuring some awesome live music at the Big Sky Events Arena. Presented by Outlaw Partners, the festival benefits various organizations and initiatives devoted to wild places, public lands, and like causes, with past beneficiaries and conservation partners including American Rivers, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and the Gallatin Valley Land Trust.
Meanwhile, Dave Matthews, Dierks Bentley, Molly Tuttle, Maren Morris, and Lukas Nelson are among the previous Wildlands headliners.
The Big Sky Biggie
- August
The Big Sky Biggie is a fabulous cross-country mountain-biking race that proceeds on well-maintained—and gobsmackingly beautiful—trails threading both public and private lands.
Proceeds support the Big Sky Community Organization and the Big Sky Chapter of the Southwest Montana Mountain Biking Association.
Big Sky Farmers Market
- June – September
Ranking among the largest of its kind in the Rocky Mountain West, the Big Sky Farmers Market brings 150-plus vendors every Wednesday evening in summertime to the Big Sky Town Center.
Booths feature farm-fresh produce as well as baked goods and other prepared foods, arts and crafts, and more, with live music enlivening the proceedings.
Snowshoe Shuffle
- March
This delightful event serves as a fundraiser and benefit for the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter, which cares for lost, abandoned, and given-up pets in both the Gallatin and Madison valleys. Participants trek along a snowy trail a bit more than a mile in length out of the BASE Community Center in company with plenty of four-legged buddies.
Big Sky Wildflower Festival
- July
Run by the local organization Grow Wild, which seeks to promote native plants and responsible land stewardship, the Big Sky Wildflower Festival is a weeklong event held in early July, when local blooms are in their full glory.
The free and all-ages happenings that make it up include guided hikes, educational talks, hands-on workshops, and more, with a focus extending beyond wildflowers proper to touch on other aspects of regional natural history as well. The festival’s hub is Crail Gardens on the Historic Crail Ranch/Crail Ranch Homestead Museum.
Shedhorn Skimo
- March
Big Sky Resort hosts this intense and highly regarded ski-mountaineering race up and down Lone Mountain. Three courses—5-mile Ramshorn, 7-mile Pronghorn, and 16-mile Shedhorn—entice contestants ranging from advanced to expert-level.
Enjoy Big Sky MT Festivals & Incredible Rocky Mountain Vacation Accommodations With The 100 Collection
From ski and bike races to celebrations of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and bullriding of the highest order, Big Sky festivals really run the gamut! And you’ll certainly find the perfect home base here within the varied—and resplendent—collection of vacation rentals managed by our partner Ascend Properties.
