It was a hot weekend in Whitefish, MT, for Outriders Production’s annual Under the Big Sky festival. With a crowd of more than 20,000 festival goers attending per day, the production teams were working double time to keep things on time and running smoothly, and I must say, it worked like a well-oiled machine. Ticketing, security, food and drink vendors, cleanup crews, shuttle buses, media outlets, stagehands, and artist relations were just a handful of teams needed to accomplish such a large weekend operation.

This year’s 3-day long festival was held in July over Friday (12th), Saturday (13th), and Sunday (14th), and like past years, there were three main headliners, each one concluding that day’s music. This year’s headliners were Turnpike Troubadours, Miranda Lambert, & Billy Strings. The lineup also included several larger, well-known artists from across the country, as well as local [Montana] artists: Abby Webster, Badger Hound, Dead & Down, Denim Gold, The Lil Smokies, Madeline Hawthorne, and Tobacco River Ramblers.

Music each day would start around noon and conclude at 11 pm sharp, giving festival goers a large selection of music and genres, including bluegrass, rock, country, americana, and folk. The festival itself had two individual stages, located at opposite ends of the festival property, as well as rodeo grounds (which were active on several occasions during the festival), a tattoo studio, over 20 locations to grab your favorite food and beverage, free water stations, and a small creek which people were allowed to wade in while watching music. There was no re-entry, so if you plan on attending next year, make sure you have everything you need before entering!
 
Where do you camp? You might ask. Well, Under the Big Sky Festival is unique because there is no on-site camping, although campgrounds were set up close to the festival grounds. Still, I would recommend something other than walking to the venue from either site. Shuttles were picking up and dropping off from each location throughout the day, and enough buses in the evening to clear out the festival. In addition, there were two large [free] parking lots at the festival grounds on a first come basis, and VIP and ADA prioritized parking closest to the entrances.
 
It’s difficult to sum up such a long and wild weekend, but I would definitely recommend this festival to anyone, including families with young children (just make sure to remember your sunscreen). There are plenty of food and drink choices, many vendors selling everything from cowboy hats to handmade jewelry, a petting zoo with goats and sheep, live rodeo and barrel racing, and great live music all weekend.

Standout bands of the festival [to me] were Hogslop String Band, Brothers Osborne, Paul Cauthen, The Revivalists (admittedly one of my favorite bands), Dead & Down, Tanner Usrey, and Billy Strings.
 
See ya next year, Under the Big Sky!