Red Lodge Festival of Nations Tribute
The second weekend of summer is full of festivals across the board, whether you are in Carbon County or Sweet Grass County. We’ll start in Red Lodge. Starting today and taking place throughout the weekend until Sunday, June 29, the Red Lodge Festival of Nations Tribute will be celebrating the 75-year mark after the first event of its kind. This is also the grand return of the festival since 2017, when organizers say the event took some time off following a general shortage of volunteers. Let’s go farther back than that, though, when it all started. The Festival of Nations first came to Red Lodge in 1951, starting with the dedication of the Red Lodge Veterans Memorial Civic Center the year prior. Back then, what now is a three-day event once lasted nearly a week and a half. While that has changed, this weekend is set to be chock full of activities downtown, kicking off with a dinner showcased with a culinary wave of ethnic foods tonight (Friday, June 27.) The rest of the weekend will bring dancers, musicians, craftsmen and more to the streets, along with cultural talks, games and classes. Organizers aim to represent a wide variety of cultures, to boot, with a Sunday closure consisting of a “New West” BBQ. It’s another great way to start off your summer in the mountains.
Sweet Grass Fest 2025
The next festival has us saddling up for Big Timber over in Sweet Grass County, just an hour east on I-90 from Billings. What is already a great half-way destination for Bozeman and Billings travelers is now escalating into full summer culture, opening the weekend tonight with the 102nd Big Timber Rodeo and more NRA-sanctioned events. Events all begin at 6pm Friday, June 27 (with the rodeo starting that night at 7pm at the Sweet Grass Fairgrounds) and carry through Saturday night. You can still buy tickets for both nights of the rodeo on the festival’s website. Saturday is also brimming with events, starting with the Firemen’s Breakfast at 7am at the Big Timber Fire Hall, then taking those filled stomachs to the 5k Fun Run (check-in for that is at city hall, starting at 8am.) From 9am onward, vendor booths will fill 2nd Street, while a car show will be parked over on McLeod. Plus, you can find live music performing throughout the festival.
Summer Bash
Sunday also promises to be an activity-filled affair back in Billings. From 11:30am to 2pm in Centennial Park, the Canvas Kids are hosting the Summer Bash, an event aimed at bringing families and their kids all to one place to enjoy the good weather (which it looks like Sunday could be beautiful.) There will be lots of things to do, including inflatables, food trucks, a live DJ, and water activities… perfect for beating the heat. Best part? Other than the individual costs of food trucks, the event is totally free.
Symphony in the Park
As Anne Harrigan, director of the Billings Symphony Orchestra, put it on Montana This Morning on Thursday, it’s set to be a beautiful Sunday in the park. At 4pm on Sunday, June 29 at Pioneer Park in Billings, the symphony is prepared to bring the music back to you and under the big sky. The Symphony in the Park is bringing much more than the orchestra, also; 4pm, the Montana Fiddle Club takes the stage. Then, at 5pm, the Billings Community Band will follow. All the while, there will be events for all ages, including food trucks, ice cream stations, balloon twisting, and the Instrument Petting Zoo (you read that correctly.) I’ll leave that as a surprise for you when you get there. Also, there will be a Kids Conducting Contest, which will be no small feat. Kids will compete for the chance to conduct the orchestra in a John Phillip Sousa march. Last but certainly not least, the orchestra will be joined on stage by guest performances from Scott and Hannah Jeppeson, both with extensive musical backgrounds and with Montana roots.
