Back in Butte after a week! I had heard very positive things about the Montana Folk Festival, a three-day annual weekend event in Butte so targeted as a high priority for summer activities. Butte’s only about 80 miles from Bozeman, but the festival nonetheless coincided with the end of my timeshare week at nearby Fairmont Hot Springs, so was very convenient.  I originally planned to stay through Saturday, but my cousin Deb and her husband John decided to attend on Friday night rather than Saturday, so I joined them for opening night and honestly only got a taste of the event.

The folk festival has only been going on for about twelve years. Somehow Butte got picked to be the host city for an International Folk Festival for a spell, one that shifts to a new location every three years. It’s popularity over those three years was such that state and civic leaders were able to continue it annually since as the Montana Folk Festival. During the festival, much of historic Uptown Butte is closed to traffic and five large stages and several other venues are set up. There is no admission charge, but they do request everyone make a donation of a suggested amount. And a great thing about Butte is that there’s no open container law like most places in America. You can buy adult beverages at festival stands, but no one is going to bother you if you bring your own beer or wine.

This year’s lineup consisted of about 15 groups of various origins – Native American, Irish, Bluegrass, Gospel, Blues, Garifuna, Cajun, Western Swing, Hawaiian, Cuban, Southern Italian, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Himalayan/Nepalese, and Crimean Tatar among them. Many of the groups didn’t play until Saturday, so I only saw and heard a few on Friday night, but it’s definitely something I’d go back to in future years.

Opening ceremonies were held at what’s called the Original Stage, the largest stage set underneath one of the old mining hoist towers called “gallows” on a grassy hillside with impressive views over the city of Butte and surrounding mountains. While it stayed mostly sunny, dramatic cloud formations of thunderstorms in surrounding areas created a stunning backdrop for a couple short speeches by politicos like the lieutenant governor and Butte’s mayor followed by an Indian Drumming Circle, a Bluegrass band from Alabama named David Davis and the Warrior River Boys and then a traditional Irish-American fiddle band with some local dancers. We split Original Stage to walk about six blocks to the Dance Pavillion where a group named Gerardo Contino y Los Habaneros were playing….and a rather large crowd was dancing. 

I felt torn between car camping for the night and returning on Saturday or heading back to Bozeman for the night. Having been away from home for eight days, I chose the latter but vow to return to Butte again for future Montana Folk Festivals.