Time your stay to something great.
No confirmed dates match those filters yet. We only list an event once its organizer has published the exact date — see “Annual events to watch” below for what recurs each year.
Annual events to watch
These happen most years in the Flathead Valley, but their next dates have not been published by the organizer yet. We deliberately don’t guess: no date, no calendar export, no listing in the dated calendar above until the official source confirms it.
- Arts · July (typical)
Arts in the Park
Three days of artists, food and live music hosted by the Hockaday Museum.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Annual late-July weekend.
Check the organizer’s official page - Arts · September (typical)
Bigfork Festival of the Arts (season close)
Juried artists line Electric Avenue in one of Montana's best-loved village art walks.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Annual event; confirm the weekend with the Bigfork Chamber.
Check the organizer’s official page - Arts · May (typical)
Bigfork Summer Playhouse season opens
Broadway-style musicals nightly in a village theater on Flathead Lake.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Seasonal: late May through early September. Tickets sell out on weekends.
Check the organizer’s official page - Outdoors · May (typical)
Bigfork Whitewater Festival
Kayakers run the Wild Mile of the Swan River during peak spring runoff.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Memorial Day weekend, water levels permitting.
Check the organizer’s official page - Skiing · December (typical)
Blacktail Mountain Ski Area opening
The valley's family hill, about 40 minutes up the road from Lakeside.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Conditions permitting; Blacktail typically runs Wednesday through Sunday.
Check the organizer’s official page - Festivals · July (typical)
Flathead Cherry Festival
Peak cherry season celebrated on the Polson waterfront.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Timed to the cherry harvest; dates shift slightly each year.
Check the organizer’s official page - Lake · June (typical)
Flathead Lake summer sailing series
Weekend regattas out of Somers and Dayton on the largest freshwater lake in the West.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Seasonal series; check the club calendar for individual race days.
Check the organizer’s official page - Community · October (typical)
Flathead Valley harvest weekends
Corn mazes, orchards and pumpkin patches open across Kalispell and Creston through October.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Seasonal: weekends in October, weather permitting.
Check the organizer’s official page - Races · June (typical)
Glacier Half Marathon
A summer half marathon along Lake Five and the Flathead River near West Glacier.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Registration required; the course fills early.
Check the organizer’s official page - Parks · June (typical)
Glacier National Park vehicle reservation window opens
Timed-entry reservations for Going-to-the-Sun Road go live on Recreation.gov.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Reservation required in addition to a park entrance pass during peak summer hours. Book early on Recreation.gov.
Check the organizer’s official page - Parks · January (typical)
Glacier winter ranger programs and snowshoe walks
Ranger-led snowshoe walks and winter talks near Apgar when snowpack allows.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Reservation required for ranger-led snowshoe walks; snowpack dependent.
Check the organizer’s official page - Parks · September (typical)
Going-to-the-Sun Road autumn driving season
The full alpine traverse over Logan Pass stays open until the first sustained snow, usually mid-October.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Park entrance pass required. Vehicle reservations are not required in fall, but check the park site before you drive.
Check the organizer’s official page - Parks · April (typical)
Going-to-the-Sun Road hiker and biker season
Before the road opens to cars, the plowed sections are open to cyclists and walkers.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Access changes daily with plowing progress; park entrance pass required.
Check the organizer’s official page - Community · September (typical)
Great Fish Community Challenge finale
Valley-wide charity challenge closing with a downtown Whitefish celebration.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Dates set annually by the Whitefish Community Foundation.
Check the organizer’s official page - Festivals · August (typical)
Huckleberry Days Art Festival
Montana's huckleberry weekend, with 100+ artist booths in Depot Park.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Annual first full weekend of August.
Check the organizer’s official page - Festivals · December (typical)
Kalispell Christmas Prelude and parade
Main Street tree lighting, night parade and downtown open houses kick off the holidays.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Annual first-Friday-of-December tradition; confirm with Discover Kalispell.
Check the organizer’s official page - Markets · May (typical)
Kalispell Farmers Market opening day
Saturday-morning market with Flathead produce, meats and makers.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Seasonal: Saturdays, May through October.
Check the organizer’s official page - Markets · September (typical)
Lakeside Farmers Market
Small-town lakeside market a few minutes from the house, with produce, baked goods and crafts.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Seasonal: Thursday afternoons in summer and early fall.
Check the organizer’s official page - Outdoors · October (typical)
Larch season in Glacier Country
Western larch — our namesake tamarack — turn gold across the Swan and Flathead ranges.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Peak color shifts a week either way with the weather.
Check the organizer’s official page - Rodeo · August (typical)
Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo
Week-long county fair with PRCA rodeo nights and grandstand concerts.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Rodeo and concert tickets are sold separately by the fair.
Check the organizer’s official page - Races · September (typical)
Two Bear Marathon
Point-to-point marathon, half and relay along the Whitefish Trail and lakeshore.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Registration required in advance; the race caps entries.
Check the organizer’s official page - Markets · September (typical)
Whitefish Farmers Market
Weekly evening market with Flathead Valley growers, makers and live music in Depot Park.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Seasonal: Tuesdays, June through late September.
Check the organizer’s official page - Skiing · December (typical)
Whitefish Mountain Resort opening day
Lifts spin on 3,000 acres of terrain 50 minutes from the house.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Conditions permitting; the resort confirms the date in late November.
Check the organizer’s official page - Skiing · April (typical)
Whitefish Mountain Resort pond skim and closing weekend
Costumes, slush and the last chairlift rides of the season.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Closing weekend date depends on spring snow.
Check the organizer’s official page - Festivals · February (typical)
Whitefish Winter Carnival
Grand parade, penguin plunge and yeti sightings across a full downtown weekend.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. Annual first weekend of February.
Check the organizer’s official page - Lake · January (typical)
Winter fishing season on Flathead Lake
Lake trout fishing continues through winter with local guides running out of Lakeside and Somers.
Dates TBA — not yet confirmed for the next 12 months. A Montana fishing license is required; buy online through Montana FWP.
Check the organizer’s official page
Event dates, venues and ticket availability can change, and some park programming requires reservations or permits. Always confirm with the organizer. Links marked “Tickets” go to the official external ticket page. Plan your stay — on Airbnb