Folk Festival Information.
The Montana Folk Festival is the Northwest’s Largest FREE Outdoor Music Festival.
The Montana Folk Festival features performances and demonstrations by over 200 of the nation’s finest musicians, dancers and craftspeople. It will feature 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.
The festival site will be situated in the heart of the nation's largest National Historic Landmark District. Open air and tented sites will provide a variety of performance venues ranging from intimate stages to amphitheater-sized venues. The Original Stage, which offers a panoramic view of Butte's historic high rise buildings and the surrounding mountains, is located on the site of the historic Original Mineyard, with its dramatic headframe that is a remnant of Butte’s early days as an underground copper mining center.
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Festival dates: |
July 12-14, 2013 |
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Hours of operation: |
Friday - Sunday |
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Schedule of performances: |
TBA |
Festival Marketplaces.
Up to 50 traditional artists and craft vendors will be hosted in the festival’s two marketplaces: the Montana Arts Market and the adjacent First Peoples’ Market that will feature Native American artists and craftspeople.
Food and Drink Vendors.
Nearly 30 food and beverage vendors will serve ethnic and festival food representing the cuisine of natives and immigrants to the region as well as festival favorites such as ketttle korn, funnel cakes, fresh squeezed lemonade and huckleberry shakes.
Free to All.
Admission throughout the three-day event is free to everyone.
Festival Music Sales.
Throughout the festival there will be opportunities to purchase the recorded music of the performing artists who will also be available to sign CDs after their performances near the CD sales tents.
Festival Merchandise.
At assigned booths, festival goers can purchase festival merchandise, too, including shirts, hoodies, hats and other commemorative merchandise.
Information Booths.
Strategically placed booths will be available for directions and answers to all questions. Try to stump the volunteers with questions you can think of about the festival, the community of Butte and where to go and what to see in the state of Montana.
Beer and Wine Sales.
Beer and wine will be available for sale at special booths and imbibing areas.
Volunteer Registration.
Volunteers who sign up in advance can check in at the volunteer registration booth to get their assignments and their T-shirts. We still need help (only 800 or so are needed) to help complete a variety of tasks to help put up, operate and then tear down such a large festival site. To volunteer, go here.
About Montana and Butte.
Butte is Montana’s Festival City. Located between Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks at the crossroads of two major Interstate highways, I-15 and I-90, the Montana Folk Festival will join Butte’s busy festival season that begins early in February with the world’s loudest and shortest Chinese New Year's Parade followed by one of the nation’s most famous St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in March, Evel Knievel Days on the last weekend in July and the Montana Irish Festival on the second full weekend of August.
