Throughout the Last Best Place summertime is concert-time! If you have never experienced any of our thriving outdoor events, this summer is the time to do so. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you may enjoy as the concerts are wrapped with activities for all to enjoy.
The best part about concerts in Montana, without a doubt, is that the scenery that wraps around all the festivities can’t be beaten.
Think: Big blue skies, clear fresh air, and good old-fashioned hometown hospitality that make visiting and living in our great state one to experience and treasure year after year.
To get you on your way, we have selected six of the top summer concerts in Montana and listed some highlights below. If you ever want to know more about what it’s like to live in the Last Best Place, feel free to reach out to our real estate office specializing in ranch properties like those that host these awesome events every summer.
Top Summer Concerts in Montana
Montana Folk Festival
July 8-10, 2022
Butte, Montana
The Montana Folk Festival features performances and demonstrations by over 200 of the nation’s finest musicians, dancers, and craftspeople. It showcases multiple performances by more than 20 Artists/groups on six stages including a dance pavilion dedicated to participatory dancing, a family stage with performances appealing to children of all ages, and a Montana folklife stage. In addition to the performance stages, there are several themed festival areas: the Montana Folklife Area, the Family Area, two Festival Marketplaces and the Festival Food Courts.
Under the Big Sky
July 15 – 17, 2022
Big Mountain Ranch
Whitefish, Montana
Although this oh-so-popular music, rodeo, and roundup, event is SOLD OUT, we wanted to include this in our blog to be sure you didn’t miss it next year! It is perfectly depicted in an article we found on Outdoorsy.com.
Under the Big Sky is more than just a music festival; it’s an authentic Montana experience set on a 350-acre ranch that serves as an amphitheater. While you’re at this event, you can dance to nationally known and upcoming artists, watch rodeo events, enjoy food and drinks, go for a walk in nature, or just sit back and marvel at the alpine scenery. This family-friendly festival draws music and mountain lovers of all ages.
For RVers, this event also serves as a jumping-off point to RV camping destinations like Glacier, as well as Waterton Lakes National Park just across the Canadian border and Yellowstone National Park to the south. The town of Whitefish is also a summertime paradise dotted with old western saloons, restaurants serving bison, elk, and huckleberry pie, and gift shops stocked with Montana delights.
Red Ants Pants Music Festival
July 28 – 31, 2022
White Sulphur Springs, Montana
With a mission to ‘bring good folks together to celebrate Montana, this 100% homegrown music festival is more than just a kickin’ good time. It is run by 900 volunteers who collaborate year-round to do good in their hometown and throughout our great state. As their motto notes:
It is a program of the 501(c)(3) Red Ants Pants Foundation. Our non-profit mission is to develop and expand leadership roles for women, preserve and support working family farms and ranches, and enrich and promote rural communities. We use proceeds from the festival to fund our community grants and run our timber skills workshops and Girls Leadership Program.
To get you in the mood, visit their website that offers a PLAYLIST where you can tune in to what’s to come. And if you missed last year, you can hear some of the top performers on stage from 2021 as well.
August 5 – 6, 2022
Magic City Blues
Billings, Montana
Promoted as Montana’s top Urban City Music Festival, this group knows how to do it right and have fun along the way. Any festival that pairs Lynyrd Skynyrd, with Whisky Myers and dozens of other rockin’ talent knows what they are doing. This annual event at Metrapark has attracted thousands from across the country to what is noted as ‘an urban music festival in a rural state.” It is the signature event for the City of Billings and one of the top music festivals in the State of Montana.
In a nutshell, here’s what the organizers have to say about it all: “We are proud of our natural Montana hospitality, unique setting, fabulous lineups, and the appeal of The Last Best Place.”
August 5 – 7, 2022
Sweet Pea Festival
Bozeman, Montana
If you have yet to head to Bozeman to enjoy all that this burgeoning city has to offer, this summer is the time to do so. Home to the annual Sweet Pea Festival, the group that pulls this multi-faceted festival together does it for all the right reasons:
The Sweet Pea Festival is committed to its mission statement of “promoting and cultivating the arts.” We strive to evaluate ourselves and create a new masterpiece for you each and every year. Our dedicated team of 400+ volunteers runs and organizes this event with a professionalism and generosity that shines through in each event.”
Unlike the other music festivals noted within our blog, the Sweet Pea Festival offers much more than country, blues, and rock ‘n roll. Throughout the weekend (and during selected weekends in July) you can stroll through town and see some of the finest arts and crafts during the Sweet Peak Juried Art Show, Sweet Pea Chalk on The Walk, spoil your taste buds during the Sweet Pea “Bite of Bozeman” event, enjoy their “Music on Main” performances, sit back and enjoy the Sweet Pea Parade … and so much more.
August 18 – 20, 2022
Headwaters Country Jam
Three Forks, Montana
Headwaters is a three-day country music festival that features over 20 bands on two stages … all surrounded by Montana’s stunning landscape. For those who like to travel and park to participate in all the festivities, the Headwaters event may be the number one place to do so.
Check out their website to see the variety of packages offered for those with RV, tents, or Travel Trailers. The packages include concert tickets and site fees. Those packages are just as impressive as this year’s line-up of talent that includes: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Craig Morgan, Ian Munsick, Kameron Marlow, Red Clay Strays, Tyler Rich, Shy Carter, McKinzie Porter, King Calaway, and other top talents from all over the USA.
