Auditions for TUCK EVERLASTING, a NOVA Youth production

This well-loved classic story will have auditions for ages 12-18 years old. The performances will be held May 10-12 and 17-19, 2024. Please plan on attending one of the audition dates if interested in working tech, or backstage.

  • Posted on: February 1, 2024

Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” at NOVA

One of the most loved comedies by Neil Simon.  Newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter are over the moon to begin their life together in their new apartment in Manhattan.  Paul is a straight-laced lawyer and Corie is a romantic free-spirit.  A wild night ensues as Corie attempts to set up her conservative, widowed mother with their eccentric bohemian neighbor.

  • Posted on: January 23, 2024

“Cinderella” – an operetta

A beautiful operatic spin on the fairytale of Cinderella, composed by Pauline Viardot.  The story has familiar, and new, characters seen in unexpected storylines.  Directed by Jan Michael Kliewer. Presented by Rimrock Opera Foundation and NOVA Center for the Performing Arts.

  • Posted on: January 23, 2024

Featured: Sandstone Gallery Completes “Symbols of Montana” Mural on Downtown Billings’ #LightBikeTrail

Featured Article

sandstone gallery


September 13, 2023

A new mural titled “Symbols of Montana” has just been completed in the alleyway between Sandstone Gallery and the Yarn Bar in downtown Billings. As part of the #LightBikeTrail sponsored by Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA).

The #LightBikeTrail will be a mapped and walkable trail of 10, neon-lit bicycle mural installations that winds through the alleyways of downtown Billings and is sponsored by Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA). The idea of the #LightBikeTrail is to brighten dark areas to make them safer and more beautiful, and to make an enjoyable family walk or bike ride through downtown. Sandstone Gallery was awarded a grant to install a fifty-foot wide by twelve-foot-high mural depicting traditional and well-known symbols of Montana.

The first step was to get the building owner’s approval. Once approval was attained, the fun began with the design consisting of several symbols of Montana including the state animal – grizzly bear; the state bird – meadowlark; the state flower – bitterroot; and other symbols many people recognize as truly “Montana” – moose, paintbrush flowers, and big sky. The grizzly was designed after Lynn Shield’s “Purple Bear” painting, and the moose was designed after Sandstone’s Co-Director Teresa Brown’s “Mr. Moose” painting. The meadowlark and flowers are a combination of styles by other gallery artists. The next step was submitting the proposal to DBA and waiting.

“I absolutely loved painting the bear. It is the largest canvas I’ve ever worked on, and it was a wonderful challenge. But I think what I loved most about this project was the teamwork of our members. I’ve only been with Sandstone for a few years, and this is the largest team project we’ve worked on. I really loved the energy everyone had toward creating something lasting and beautiful. I believe we reached our goal of representing Montana and the diverse styles of our artists.”

Lynn sheild, artist

Once we were given the green light, the real work began with Sandstone’s member artists Dick Cottrill, Madelein Bladow, Teresa Brown, and Ken Denning power washing the wall, which likely had 20 years of dust and who knows what on it, making sure to keep the integrity of the old bricks. Next came color selection from the amazing colors by Sherwin Williams. Dick, Ken, Lynn, Teresa, and Madelein spray painted the base coat of blue and yellow. Then, on a dark night in late August, Lynn and Teresa projected the design onto the wall and sketched the outlines of the moose, bear, and meadowlark. A few days later, Lynn set up early morning before dawn to sketch all the flowers and grass along the bottom of the mural.

“I loved seeing our vision come to life, and conquering my fears.” When asked about her favorite part, she said, “It so awesome to showcase the many talents of our gallery artists on a lasting piece of art to be enjoyed by the entire community.”

Teresa Brown, artist & Sandstone gallery co-director

Next, a schedule for painting was set, and the artists of Sandstone Gallery showed up with paintbrushes in hand. Lynn painted her bear and Teresa painted her moose, while Dick Cottrill painted the meadowlark. Lana Bittner, Madelein Bladow, Mary Hopper, Donna Moore, William Crain, Sandstone’s Co-Director Jennifer Crain Baretta, Ken Denning, and Christine Denning, all lent their artistic skills to the body of the mural. Some of Sandstone’s member partners were unavailable on painting days for various reasons, but they were there in spirit: Sandstone’s Treasurer Nancy Morrison, Victoria Wetsch, John Kennedy, Ken Dvorak, and Leo Olson Estate. Greg Brown selflessly volunteered to transport, set up and tear down scaffolding each day, for which the artists are very thankful. All told, over 160 man-hours were spent painting this vibrant mural. Teresa Brown struggled with heights but was able to muster up enough determination to brave scaffolding for two full days of painting.

“Thank you to Downtown Billings. We love our mural, and we are proud to be part of the Light Bike Trail! We have wanted to do something like this for many years, and this grant opportunity helped make our dreams a reality.”

Jennifer Baretta, sandstone gallery co-director

Sandstone Gallery, located at ​2913 2nd Avenue North in downtown Billings is a “Made in Montana” designated co-op gallery of sixteen local artists in the Billings, Montana, area with paintings, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, glass, photography, cards and gifts. Regular hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday 10 am – 2 pm. The gallery is closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays.

For more information, call (406)256-5837, email sandstonegallerymt@gmail.com, or visit the website at sandstonegallerymt.com.

Funky Bunch Improv at NOVA

NOVA Center for the Performing Arts’ newest high-school improv troupe! See them on First Fridays from September through May.  7:30PM, $12 at the door!

VARSITY: Cayson Fields, Katelynn Hampton, Macy Krumdieck, Indigo Thorson, Tyler Williams, Ace Anderson, Trevor Barbeau, Elias Jones

JUNIOR VARSITY: Stormy Baker, Dallin Despain, Reegen Snell, Madison Weston, Audrey Weston, Erin Tucker, Lyrik Macardo

  • Posted on: August 21, 2023

Alive After 5 wraps up its 20th Anniversary season at McCormick Cafe location August 3rd.

Alive After 5, Thurs. Aug 3, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Between McCormick Cafe (2419 Montana Ave.) & Craft Local
Band: Lost Canyons

McCormick Cafe, located at 2419 Montana Ave., has been an Alive After 5 host location for all twenty years of the series’ existence making it the perfect place for us to wrap up the 20th Anniversary season on Thursday, August 3rd from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, while band Lost Canyons, an indie rock duo from Bozeman Montana, make their Alive After 5 debut.

The Lost Canyons consists of Kennan Krause (vocals and guitar) and Mitch Lauenstein (acoustic, banjo, vocals). The group was recently voted as the #1 New Local Band and #2 Local Rock Band for 2023 Bozeman’s Choice! 

Every Alive After 5 season has a line-up that includes local, regional, and national bands. We know the Billings community love to support their local favorites so we make sure they are in the line-up, But we also see and hear all the time that they enjoy and crave a chance to support other touring bands from around Montana or from out of state too. This season alone we’ve hosted bands and musicians from Billings, Bozeman, Red Lodge, Hardin, Nashville, Illinois, and Colorado.

Alive After 5 is coordinated, from set-up to tear-down, annually by our downtown Business Improvement District (B.I.D.), a non-profit whose work plan focuses on a clean and safe downtown. The B.I.D. is a one of the four non-profit’s housed within the Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA). In the eight weeks leading up to this week’s final concert, our 2023 Alive After 5 series has brought over 11,000 people to downtown Billings this summer.


What is Alive After 5?

Alive After 5 is a weekly, all ages, outdoor summer event coordinated, from set-up to tear-down, annually by our Downtown team and hosted at a different downtown location each Thursday in June and July. Created to offer an outdoor space with live music and drinks for the community to gather downtown together during the week after work. The event moves from location to location to help boost the downtown economy of various downtown businesses, restaurants, breweries, and bars open in the evenings.

Admission

Admission for each Alive After 5 is free to the public, however, those 21 and older wishing to consume alcohol must purchase a $2 wristband at one of the Purple DBA tents at the event.

The V.I.P. Area
At each Alive After 5 there is a special tented V.I.P. area with seating options, tables, free ice-cold water, and easy access to one of the event bar locations. There are only twenty $10 V.I.P wristbands sold to the public each week, the rest of the V.I.P. wristbands are given to the many sponsors who support the Alive After 5 series. To purchase one of the twenty V.I.P. Wristband ahead of time you can call (406-294-5060) or visit the DBA office (116 N. 29th Street) Monday through Wednesday 9am to 4pm. 


The 2023 Series Sponsors

Valley Credit Union is the producing (title) sponsor of the 2023 Alive After 5 concert series. Supporting sponsors include TDS Fiber, MariMint, Alpha Overhead Door, B-Town Vapes & Glass, Hensel Law, Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery, ClockTower Inn, Planet 106.7, Zone 96.3, Classic Hits 105.9, KSKY 94.1, KBEAR 98.1, ESPN 910, and Earth First Aid.

Get ready to rock ‘n’ roll at the July 27th Alive After 5 at Tiny’s Tavern.

Alive After 5, Thurs. July 27, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Tiny’s Tavern (323 N. 24th St.)
Band: Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts

Tiny’s Tavern, located at 323 N. 24th St., celebrated their 30th Anniversary earlier this year. In March, their team led our Downtown St. Patrick’s Day parade as Grand Marshal with an impressive 30 foot tall float of a schooner glass of their locally famous Orange Crush drink. The float, made by their team using tens of thousands of napkins, was named as the parade’s 2023 Best Overall Entry. .

Now that summer is in full swing, Tiny’s Tavern is ready to host the next Alive After 5 concert on Thursday, July 27th, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on N. 24th St. between 3rd and 4th Ave N. Tiny’s team will undoubtedly be serving their Orange Crush drinks along with other beverages all while Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts, Colorado’s Country Music Hall of Fame 2019 Band of the Year, is on stage getting the whole crowd rocking. 

“Tiny’s has been hosting an Alive After 5 concert for almost the entirety of the summer music series’ existence. Their 2019 Alive After 5 with Arterial Drive held the attendance record until just two weeks ago. The community knows that the Tiny’s Alive After 5 is a fun one and they show up no matter the forecast.” 

Lindsay Richardson, Community Engagement & Events Director

Whether you love classic country or ’70s rock ‘n’ roll you are guaranteed to dance and sing the night away. Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts are a four piece band from Colorado consisting of Ryan Chrys (vocals/guitar), Michael Jochum (drums), Susan Phelan (bass/vocals) and Lauren Michaels (vocals). The group shares male and female leads in a mix of old school country and rock n roll. Their sound is influenced by the songs and personalities of legends like Waylon and Willie, they drive their sound with blazing guitars and a rock ‘n’ roll attitude. The band pays respect to classic styles, but anyone can tell from their overdriven sound that they’re far from traditionalists. Known for their original style of blending old school country and rock ‘n” roll. They’ve directly supported Dwight Yoakam, Shooter Jennings, Blackberry Smoke, Jason Boland, Justin Moore and more. 


This year’s 20th Anniversary of Alive After 5 is presented by our title sponsor Valley Credit Union. Alive After 5 is a weekly summer concert series that takes place Thursday evenings from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, outdoors at a different downtown location, June 8 through August 3.

Details on next week’s August 3rd concert at McCormick Cafe can be found here.

Admission

Alive After 5 is an all ages event. Admission for each Alive After 5 is free to the public, however, those 21 and older wishing to consume alcohol must purchase a $2 wristband at one of the Purple DBA tents at the event.

The V.I.P. Area
A special tented V.I.P. area with seating options, tables, free ice-cold water, and easy access to one of the event bar locations. Only twenty, $10 V.I.P wristbands are available for purchase each week. To purchase a V.I.P. Wristband ahead of time you can call (406-294-5060) or visit the DBA office (116 N. 29th Street) Monday through Wednesday 9am to 4pm. All remaining V.I.P. wristbands will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis each Thursday on-site directly at the week’s Alive After 5 V.I.P. area.  


Who Makes Alive After 5 possible?

Alive After 5 is coordinated annually by our team at the downtown Business Improvement District (B.I.D.). Valley Credit Union has been the producing (title) sponsor of the Alive After 5 concert series since 2019. Supporting sponsors include TDS Fiber, MariMint, Alpha Overhead Door, B-Town Vapes & Glass, Hensel Law, Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery, ClockTower Inn, Planet 106.7, Zone 96.3, Classic Hits 105.9, KSKY 94.1, KBEAR 98.1, ESPN 910, and Earth First Aid. Each series sponsorships help cover the booking costs of the many local, regional, and national bands in the line-up. 

WALKERS ALIVE AFTER 5 ON JULY 20 KEEPS IT ALL IN THE FAMILY

Alive After 5, Thurs. July 20, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Walkers Grill (2700 1st Ave. N)
Band: Honyaker featuring Josie Dunne, Guthrie Brown, and Luke Enyeart

Honyocker [Pronounced Hon-ya-ker]: Old Montana cowboy slang for those who lack respectability or social graces; prone to exhibiting frequent displays of the screaming yips. Fortunately, these screaming yips will be some of the better ones.

Walkers Grill will host Alive After 5 on Thursday, July 20th, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm in their parking lot. Featuring Honyocker, Billings will rock out to a collection of musicians curated by the father-son duo, Bill and Will Honaker (hence the nickname Honyocker). Will Honaker, a talented musician raised in Billings, works out of Nashville, TN and directs, produces, and records for numerous artists in Nashville and beyond. Will’s father, Bill Honaker, is not only the proprietor of Walkers, he too, is a musician. Bill has played drums with numerous bands and artists locally over the years.

“I can’t imagine a better collection of musicians, all with their own sound and style. I’ve always been proud of our unique music at Walkers’ events, but this one will go down in the books as one of my favorites.”

Bill Honaker – Walkers Grill proprietor

One of the talented artists joining the Honaker duo is Josie Dunne, a pop/soul singer-songwriter from Chicago, IL. With influences such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Amy Winehouse, Josie has adapted a unique style in her music. Her beyond-her-years soulful voice shines over her cleverly crafted, catchy songs.  She currently lives in Nashville, TN, where she is in the middle of working on her next recording project.

Joining Josie on stage is Guthrie Brown, a Nashville transplant by way of “old Montana”. Guthrie began playing the guitar at age six and, by the age of seventeen, journeyed to Nashville to pursue the dream of being a professional songwriter, recording and performing artist. Many will remember Guthrie and his band opening for John Fogarty at the 2015 Magic City Blues Festival.  In between touring, Guthrie continues to write songs for himself as well as other artists.

Luke Enyeart, a songwriter, guitar player, and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota will also be a part of the July 20th performance. Luke has toured and performed professionally with such acts as Katie Pruitt, Ryan Bingham, Chastity Brown, and more. Luke released his debut album under the name, “Lukester”, with Acrophase Records late last year.

These talented performers are joined by Nashville artist John McNally as well as some of Montana’s finest musicians, Sam White on sax, Jerom Hein on trumpet, Erik Olson on keys and Lloyd “Mr. Funk” Marsh on vocals and percussion.


This year’s 20th Anniversary of Alive After 5 is presented by our title sponsor Valley Credit Union. The all-ages weekly summer concert series takes place outdoors at a different downtown location Thursday evenings from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, June 8 to August 3. 

Admission

Admission for each Alive After 5 is free to the public, however, those 21 and older wishing to consume alcohol must purchase a $2 wristband at one of the Purple DBA tents at the event.

The V.I.P. Area
A special tented V.I.P. area with seating options, tables, free ice-cold water, and easy access to one of the event bar locations. Only twenty, $10 V.I.P wristbands are available for purchase each week. To purchase a V.I.P. Wristband ahead of time you can call (406-294-5060) or visit the DBA office (116 N. 29th Street) Monday through Wednesday 9am to 4pm. All remaining V.I.P. wristbands will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis each Thursday on-site directly at the week’s Alive After 5 V.I.P. area.  


Who Makes Alive After 5 possible?

Alive After 5 is coordinated annually by our team at the downtown Business Improvement District (B.I.D.). Valley Credit Union has been the producing (title) sponsor of the Alive After 5 concert series since 2019. Supporting sponsors include TDS Fiber, MariMint, Alpha Overhead Door, B-Town Vapes & Glass, Hensel Law, Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery, ClockTower Inn, Planet 106.7, Zone 96.3, Classic Hits 105.9, KSKY 94.1, KBEAR 98.1, ESPN 910, and Earth First Aid. Each series sponsorships help cover the booking costs of the many local, regional, and national bands in the line-up. 

Downtown Billings prepares for another record breaking Alive After 5 at Skypoint, July 13th.

On June 29th The Montana Brewing Company hosted Alive After 5 at Skypoint with approximately 2,427 attendees enjoying Bozeman based band El Wencho setting a record for the largest Alive After 5 attendance.

An average Alive After 5 sells 1,200 to 1,500 wristbands but last week we sold 2,378. The wristband fund a number of things for the Business Improvement District (B.I.D.) like the flower baskets, public art projects, landscaping projects, and free community events like the parades, chalk on the walk, and more.

“We had a feeling that night while we were in it, that it was probably going to be close to, if not break the previous record set on July 18, 2019 at Tiny’s Tavern’s Alive After 5 when Arterial Drive played their Alive After 5 debut concert.”

Lindsay Richardson, Downtown billings, Community Engagement and Events Director

The approximate attendance for the 2019 Tiny’s Tavern record breaking date was 2,290 attendees. Our team has seen the attendance numbers consistently climb for certain Alive After 5 host locations over the years. To make more room for attendees we’ve expanded and made some updates to a number of the street closures we create for the summer concert series. “People remember how they felt and we don’t want people to feel squished in close quarters, we want them to feel they have room to dance, mingle, and experience the location they are at.” continued Richardson.  

Preparing for This Week to be a big one too

We are preparing and excited for another big attendance night at the next Alive After 5 on Thursday, July 13th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. This week’s show will once again take place on the streets below Skypoint (2nd Ave N & N Broadway) with Hooligan’s Sports Bar as the host and the Billings based band Repeat Offenders on stage.

The Repeat Offenders are a popular and crowd pleasing band who cover songs from the 1980’s all the way to current hits. They play songs you can’t help but dance and sing along with. The band consists of Kenn Patterson (vocals), Dusty Young (Drums), Steve Shelton (Bass), Jay Fuson (Guitar), and Jon Verbeck (Guitar). The second the Repeat Offenders step on stage the crowd can feel their “we’re here to have a good time with you all” energy. They have been playing all over Southeast Montana for years and are known to bring the good tunes and good vibes with them.

The Downtown Billings 360 Video Booth powered by 406 memories will make once more Alive After 5 appearance this week. The booth will once again be under Skypoint and all attendees are invited to step up onto the video booth platform with up to four friends to make a digital video keepsake of the evening (FREE). 

The all ages weekly summer concert series takes place outdoors at a different downtown location Thursday evenings from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, June 8 to August 3.

Admission
Admission for each Alive After 5 is free to the public, however, those 21 and older wishing to consume alcohol must purchase a $2 wristband at one of the Purple DBA tents at the event

The V.I.P. Area
A special tented V.I.P. area with seating options, tables, free ice-cold water, and easy access to one of the event bar locations. Only twenty, $10 V.I.P wristbands are available for purchase each week. To purchase a V.I.P. Wristband ahead of time you can call (406-294-5060) or visit the DBA office (116 N. 29th Street) Monday through Wednesday 9am to 4pm. All remaining V.I.P. wristbands will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis each Thursday on-site directly at the week’s Alive After 5 V.I.P. area.  


Who Makes Alive After 5 possible?

Alive After 5 is coordinated annually by our team at the downtown Business Improvement District (B.I.D.). Valley Credit Union has been the producing (title) sponsor of the Alive After 5 concert series since 2019. Supporting sponsors include TDS Fiber, MariMint, Alpha Overhead Door, B-Town Vapes & Glass, Hensel Law, Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery, ClockTower Inn, Planet 106.7, Zone 96.3, Classic Hits 105.9, KSKY 94.1, KBEAR 98.1, ESPN 910, and Earth First Aid. Each series sponsorships help cover the booking costs of the many local, regional, and national bands in the line-up. 

The 32nd Strawberry Festival is Billings largest street festivals yet

Our 32nd Billings Strawberry Festival takes place on the downtown streets below Skypoint at N. Broadway and 2nd Ave. N. from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm this Saturday (July 8, 2023). The Strawberry Festival is a free community event coordinated and presented by our Downtown Billings team and our co-host sponsor, TDS Fiber

This year the festival includes over 130 different vendors, the festival’s largest vendor list to date. The vendors range from local retailers, non-profit organizations, and Arts & Crafts merchants from around the region. The offerings showcase crafted creations including fine art paintings, jewelry, textiles, woodwork, sculptures, glass, ceramics, candles, henna art, and garden art to name a few. The public can expect plenty of ‘Made in Montana’ goods, balloon twisters, laser tag, kids crafts and activities, and live entertainment at Skypoint. The variety of cuisine and beverages hosted by a large list of local and regional food trucks is mouthwatering. The new Downtown Billings 360 Video Booth powered by 406 Memories will be located inside the festival at booth #38 (on 2nd Ave. N just East of Skypoint). All festival attendees are invited to jump onto the platform to make a free 360 degree digital video keepsake. Wise Wonders Science and Discovery museum will once again host the Kids Zone on 2nd Ave N. near The Yarn Bar (2909 2nd Ave. N,). The Kids Zone includes a free strawberry themed craft activity (while supplies last) for young kids. Wild Rose Laser Tag is back again this year near the Kids Zone with a low cost laser tag and mini golf set-up that is fun for all ages. 

The Festival Footprint has Expanded

Not only has the vendor list grown but the festival closure expanded this year to include N. Broadway between 3rd & 4th Ave. N (in front of Spitz and Alberta Bair Theatre). The festival expansion will host a City of Billings department showcase. The following city departments will be on-site for all festival goers to engage with: MET, Fire Department, Police Department, Crime Prevention Center, Library, Parks and Rec, Mobilize the MAGIC City, Public Works, and Administration/Council.

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

The Billings Lions Club’s pancake breakfast returns to its N. 29th Street Alley location across the street from Barjon’s Books at 223 N. 29th St. The group will start serving breakfast to the vendors and early downtowners as early as 7:00am. Funds raised by the pancake breakfast at the Strawberry Festival help the Lion’s Club to continue to provide vision screenings, eyeglasses, and hearing aid assistance to those in need throughout the Billings area.

Skypoint Entertainment 

Live entertainment will happen under Skypoint at N. Broadway and 2nd Ave N all day long with the help of longtime Master of Ceremony (MC), Steve Gillis:

  • 10:00 am – Montana Fiddle Club
  • 11:00 am – Dancers from Greater Heights School of Dance
  • 1:00 pm – Dancers from Studio 38

Where are the Strawberries?

A map of all festival vendors noting which vendors have strawberry items can be found online at the event webpage on downtownbillings.com or at the purple information booth under skypoint during the July 8th festival.

and Why aren’t there pallets of strawberries?

Billings’ Strawberry Festival began as an early June event that kicked off the downtown Summer event season. Despite its name, the Strawberry Festival is and has always been a vendor street fair bursting with commercial merchants, arts and craft vendors, and food vendors and not a farmers market. Over the decades our team have tried various ways to incorporate the festival’s namesake into the event: For nearly twenty years the late Ziggy Ziegler, a founder of the Downtown Billings Association, wandered the festival in a large rubber strawberry costume and a group of chefs and cooks worked with Albertsons to craft a sixty-foot strawberry shortcake on-site to later sell by the slice as a fundraiser. The Strawberry man costume was retired from the festival when Ziegler himself retired in 2019 and the giant shortcake became an item of the past when the festival returned in July post COVID in 2021.

“Having strawberries at the Strawberry Festival has proven itself a challenge for years. Unlike huckleberry or sugar beets, strawberries are not a common Montana crop and our organization has struggled to find consistent and ripe berries to sell at the festival.”    

Katy Easton, CEO of the Downtown Billings Alliance.   

So, after 28 years of coordinating the early June festival, our hard working team grew tired of the inconsistent June weather literally raining or even snowing on our efforts and the day’s fun. When the festival returned in July 2021, after a one year COVID hiatus, we sought their board approval to permanently relocate the festival to July.

“The new early July date has offered more consistent weather, larger crowds, more vendors, and allowed the Strawberry Festival and HarvestFest to bookend the Yellowstone Valley Farmers Market Season. With the one downside of the new date being that by early July, we’ve sort of missed the prime ‘Strawberry Season’ and haven’t had much luck in our efforts to bring in fresh pallets of strawberries to the Strawberry festival.”

Lindsay Richardson, Community Engagement & Events Director with Downtown Billings Alliance.

Becky Stahl, owner of Becky’s Berries has been a vendor in this festival for fourteen years. “I’ve had my best two years of sales since the festival was moved to July.” Stahl shared. Even with the strawberry season being nearly finished, over fifty percent of the festival’s vendors, including Stahl, have incorporated some sort of strawberry item into their menu or products offered at the festival. Additionally, many of the downtown brick and mortar restaurants, sweet shops, bakeries, bars, and breweries have strawberry themed menus for the downtown visitors to enjoy. 

Who makes the Strawberry Festival happen?

The Strawberry Festival is coordinated by downtown’s Business Improvement District (B.I.D.), a non-profit whose work plan focuses on a clean and safe downtown. The B.I.D. is a one of the four non-profit’s housed within our organization. Supporting sponsors include: Valley Credit Union, Visit Billings, B-Town Vapes & Glass, media sponsors The Zone 96.3, My Classic Hits 105.9, Planet 106.7, and KSky Country 95.1