21st Billings HarvestFest

Presented by Downtown Billings & Montana Brewing Company,  HarvestFest celebrates the changing seasons with a rich diversity of arts and crafts, mums, pumpkins, jams, face painting, balloon twisting, pies, and the final offerings of locally grown produce.  HarvestFest is a grand community fall festival that takes place in the center of downtown Billings, on streets below Skypoint. Occurring annually the second weekend of October, after the Yellowstone Valley Farmers’ Market concludes for the season. This fall street festival draws people from all over the Northwest region into the streets and businesses of downtown.
The event has something for all ages; experience the aromas of food-truck fare like roasted nuts, steak sandwiches, and kettle corn, live entertainment performing under Skypoint, Montana Brewing Company’s annual Oktoberfest Beer Garden and Stein hoisting contest, an interactive children’s area coordinated by Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum includes free crafts and activities. Additional & new activities still to be announced!

the day’s happenings

Festival map and vendor list! coming October 2025

lineup coming October 2025

Interested in performing at Skypoint for the 2025 HarvestFest? Click here to apply!

Hosted by Montana Brewing Company and Watkins Distributing. The annual Stein Hoisting Contest is at noon. Contestants must be over 21 years old and meet the contest hosts on N. Broadway in the Beer Garden before the 12pm contest begins. This contest is mostly about endurance. The winner is the one who can hold their water filled stein glass up at shoulder level the longest. Not participating? It’s ok, this is an entertaining contest to watch too.

Downtown Businesses: Is your downtown business going to be open and hosting any special HarvestFest happening? If so, Please email LRichardson@downtownbillings.com so you can be added to the list of promotions for the day.

Event resources

2025 Vendor applications coming August 2025

Check back for open applications

Food Truck/Trailer Vendor

Food Tent/Canopy Vendor

Arts & Craft Vendor

Commercial/Retail Vendor

Nonprofit Vendor (non food)

Activity/Family Friendly Vendor

Do you want to perform under Skypoint during the 2025 Strawberry Festival ? Click here to apply!

Our events wouldn’t be possible without the help of awesome volunteers like you. We appreciate all the extra help we can get, whether it’s assistance during the 5:30am vendor arrival/check-in or helping at the Skypoint info booth. All volunteers are provided with food and beverage voucher, bottled water, and any items needed to perform position.

Email lexiem@downtownbillings.com if you are interested in helping.  

If you are interested in sponsoring a downtown Billings event, please email our Communications Director, Lindsay at LRichardson@downtownbillings.com and she can share current sponsorship opportunities.  

Our sponsors are amazing and we like to talk about them often. Their sponsorships allow us to cover the costs of our large free community events and allow us to make these events a success and memorable for the whole community.

  • check back

Event Sponsors

The 2024 HarvestFest was coordinated by Downtown Billings’ Business Improvement District (BID) and presented by Montana Brewing Company.  Supported Event sponsors Visit Billings, TDS Fiber, Valley Credit Union, MariMint, My Classic Hits 105.9, Planet 106.7, 98.1 KBEAR, 94.1 KSKY, ESPN 910, The Zone 96.3, and Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum. 

 

  • Posted on: December 3, 2024

We’ll See you at Downtown Billings’ 20th Annual HarvestFest, Oct 12.

Our 20th Annual HarvestFest takes place Saturday, October 12, 2024 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This free Autumn festival brings life to the downtown streets below Skypoint. With one hundred vendors, this festival is rich in diversity of arts and crafts, face painting, balloon creations, activities, fall mums, an Oktoberfest Beer Garden, lots of baked goodies, and the season’s final offerings of fresh produce.

Something for everyone to enjoy

This festival offers you a chance to support our local downtown businesses and various local nonprofits. The Billings Heights Lions Club are kicking the day off with their annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser at the 29th Street Art Alley. All festival goers are invited to stop by the  Yellowstone Valley Boys & Girls Ranch booth (#125) to see what creative scarecrows they created for the 4th annual Upcycled Scarecrow Competition. Cast your vote to help select the winners. MariMint is this year’s sponsor of the Hi-Strikers located near the purple information tent at Skypoint, proceeds help the Business Improvement District (BID) raise funds for downtown’s annual Flower Basket Program.

We invite all families with young kiddos to come visit the Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum Kids Zone. This year’s Kids Zone is more awesome than ever and includes a Halloween jump house, climbing wall, and free kid-friendly activity or craft (while supplies last).

Live entertainment at Skypoint

Live entertainment is scheduled at Skypoint at N. Broadway and 2nd Avenue N. for the festival attendees to enjoy. 

SKYPOINT ENTERTAINMENT  

the beer garden

Our presenting sponsor, Montana Brewing Company, brings an Oktoberfest Beer Garden to life on North Broadway in front of their restaurant offering over 10 seasonal and pumpkin beers on tap. The Beer Garden includes tables, chairs, and cornhole for all to enjoy.

Don’t miss the annual Stein Hoisting Contest at noon. It is open to adults over twenty-one years of age and takes place right in the center of the Beer Garden on N. Broadway.  

Our Sponsors & Supporters

We are so thankful for the support of all our event sponsors: Montana Brewing Company, TDS Fiber, MariMint, Valley Credit Union, Visit Billings, My Classic Hits 105.9, Planet 106.7, 98.1 KBEAR, 94.1 KSKY, ESPN 910, and The Zone 96.3. With support from Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum, Montana Premier Entertainment, and Billings Best Balloons.

Please consider supporting the businesses and organizations who support our efforts.

20th Billings HarvestFest

Presented by Downtown Billings & Montana Brewing Company,  HarvestFest celebrates the changing seasons with a rich diversity of arts and crafts, mums, pumpkins, jams, face painting, balloon twisting, pies, and the final offerings of locally grown produce.  HarvestFest is a grand community fall festival that takes place in the center of downtown Billings, on streets below Skypoint. Occurring annually the second weekend of October, after the Yellowstone Valley Farmers’ Market concludes for the season. This fall street festival draws people from all over the Northwest region into the streets and businesses of downtown.
The event has something for all ages; experience the aromas of food-truck fare like roasted nuts, steak sandwiches, and kettle corn, live entertainment performing under Skypoint, Montana Brewing Company’s annual Oktoberfest Beer Garden and Stein hoisting contest, an interactive children’s area coordinated by Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum includes free crafts and activities. Additional & new activities still to be announced!

the day’s happenings

Click for Festival map and vendor list!

Put your artistic and creative abilities to the test with the Harvest Fest Painted Pumpkin contest sponsored by TDS Fiber! Use the pumpkins, paint, stickers & other craft materials provided at the TDS Fiber booth during Harvest Fest to design your pumpkin to be as silly or scary as you like and TDS Fiber will decide who’s created the most genius gourd! Pumpkins must be completed at the TDS Fiber booth during Harvest Fest by 2pm. View more contest details and rules.

Contest age categories:

  •  PreK-3rd Grade
  • 4th Grade-8th Grade
  • HS-Adult

The winner in each category will win a $30 Downtown Billings Gift Card.

10am – Big Sky Chorus
11am – Greater Heights School of Dance
12pm – Magic City Witch Dancers
3pm – TDS Fiber Painted Pumpkin Contest Winners!

Interested in performing at Skypoint for the 2025 Strawberry festival? Click here to apply!

Hosted by Montana Brewing Company and Watkins Distributing. The annual Stein Hoisting Contest is at noon. Contestants must be over 21 years old and meet the contest hosts on N. Broadway in the Beer Garden before the 12pm contest begins. This contest is mostly about endurance. The winner is the one who can hold their water filled stein glass up at shoulder level the longest. Not participating? It’s ok, this is an entertaining contest to watch too.

Various teams at Yellowstone Boys & Girls Ranch have created upcycled scarecrows for the 4th annual Upcycled Scarecrow Competition. We need your help select the winner. This annual competition has proven enjoyable for the community and the teams who participate. Head over to vendor booth #125 and vote for your favorite. The winning team get a $200 Downtown billings Gift Card.

 

Downtown Businesses: Is your downtown business going to be open and hosting any special HarvestFest happening? If so, Please email LRichardson@downtownbillings.com and let her know.

Event resources

Do you want to perform under Skypoint during the 2025 Strawberry Festival ? Click here to apply!

Our events wouldn’t be possible without the help of awesome volunteers like you. We appreciate all the extra help we can get, whether it’s assistance during the 5:30am vendor arrival/check-in or helping at the Skypoint info booth. All volunteers are provided with food and beverage voucher, bottled water, and any items needed to perform position.

Click to sign up to volunteer or email lexiem@downtownbillings.com if you are interested in helping.  

If you are interested in sponsoring a downtown Billings event, please email our Communications Director, Lindsay at LRichardson@downtownbillings.com and she can share current sponsorship opportunities.  

Our sponsors are amazing and we like to talk about them often. Their sponsorships allow us to cover the costs of our large free community events and allow us to make these events a success and memorable for the whole community.

  • check back

Event Sponsors

This event is coordinated by Downtown Billings’ Business Improvement District (BID) and presented by Montana Brewing Company.  Supported Event sponsors Visit Billings, TDS Fiber, Valley Credit Union, MariMint, My Classic Hits 105.9, Planet 106.7, 98.1 KBEAR, 94.1 KSKY, ESPN 910, The Zone 96.3, and Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum. 

 

  • Posted on: August 6, 2024

Downtown prepares for the 19th Annual HarvestFest

Our 19th Annual HarvestFest fall vendor street festival takes place Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This free community festival fills our downtown streets below Skypoint with more than one hundred vendors rich in diversity; arts and crafts, face painting, balloon creations, activities, fall mums, Montana Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest Beer Garden, lots of baked goodies, and the season’s final offerings of fresh produce from both the Golden Valley Colony & Mountain View Colony Produce.

so many ways to enjoy the day

support local nonprofits

You have numerous opportunities to support local nonprofits in the festival while enjoying your day. The Billings Heights Lions Club will be serving Walking Tacos in the 29th Street Alley for their fundraiser and the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools are raffling off a Chevy SUV for their annual fundraiser. Valley Credit Union sponsored the two Hi-Strikers we’ll have near the purple information tent at Skypoint, test your strength, to help our Business Improvement District (BID) raise funds for public art & downtown beautification projects. And once again all festival goers are invited to stop by the Yellowstone Valley Boys & Girls Ranch booth to see what creative scarecrows they created for the 3rd annual Yellowstone Valley Boys & Girls Ranch Upcycled Scarecrow Contest. Cast your vote to help select the winners. And don’t forget, all families with young kiddos in tow are invited to visit the Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum Kids Zone to participate in their free kid-friendly activity or craft (while supplies last). 

Live entertainment at Skypoint

Live entertainment, lead by Emcee Justin Hutchinson, is scheduled at Skypoint at N. Broadway and 2nd Avenue N. for the festival attendees to enjoy.

SKYPOINT ENTERTAINMENT  

the Oktoberfest beer garden

Our festival co-host, Montana Brewing Company, bring an Oktoberfest Beer Garden to life each year on North Broadway in front of their restaurant. They serve over 10 seasonal and pumpkin beers on tap. The Beer Garden includes tables, chairs, and cornhole for all to enjoy. College football fans will delight at the TDS Fiber van as they stream college football in the Beer Garden all day.

Don’t miss the Montana Brewing Co. annual Stein Hoisting contest at noon. It is open to adults over twenty-one years of age and takes place right in the center of the Beer Garden on N. Broadway.  

Our Sponsors & Supporters

We are so thankful for the support of all our event sponsors: Montana Brewing Company, TDS Fiber, Valley Credit Union, Visit Billings, My Classic Hits 105.9, Planet 106.7, 98.1 KBEAR, 94.1 KSKY, ESPN 910, The Zone 96.3, and Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum. Please consider supporting the businesses and organizations who support our efforts.

Photography by GetRel Photography