Big Sky Country State Fair

Bozeman fair boasts new name and more offerings

New & Notable
Big Sky Country Fair: Maddie and Tae
Maddie and Tae perform at 7 p.m. July 21

The newly named Big Sky Country State Fair blows open the Montana fair season July 18-24 at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds with “the best entertainment you can buy for $8.” This year’s event (formerly the Gallatin County Fair) features hot country night shows, national touring entertainers and expanded agricultural offerings all for the price of fair admission.

Evening concerts include entertainment by Maddie and Tae, 7 p.m. July 21; Old Dominion, 7 p.m. July 22; and the Broseph E. Lee Band, 8 p.m. July 23. Traditional favorites also return, with the Mud Bog on Saturday, the Truck Pull on Sunday and the Bozeman Roundup Ranch Rodeo on Sunday afternoon. Also on tap: the Barnyard Brawl, Dockdogs, and the West Coast Lumberjack Show.

The fair nearly doubled its competitive exhibits program; departments include industrial arts, textiles, culinary arts, quilting, fine arts, canine, technical arts, junior livestock, photography, creative arts and horticulture.

The new Crop of the Year program celebrates wheat, Montana’s largest cash crop, and includes a grilled-cheese contest and agricultural education.

Admission is $5-$8 and free for kids five and under; carnival all-day wristbands are $30.

“We want everyone to be able to afford the best entertainment we can offer, no matter what their zip code,” said General Manager Lori Cox. She added that no additional ticket fees are charged for entertainment from night shows to grounds acts to rodeo.

Go to 406StateFair.com for entertainment options, ticket purchases and information, or call 406-582-3270.