Glacier Art Museum’s 56th annual Arts in the Park

The Glacier Art Museum, formerly Hockaday Museum of Art, presents the 56th annual Arts in the Park, the longest-running arts and music festivals in Northwest Montana, July 10-12. 

A favorite community event held in historic downtown Depot Park, Kalispell’s premier arts festival features 80 juried local and visiting artist booths, live music performances, food trucks, a beer and wine garden, children’s activities and live plein air painters painting on site.  

The event also features community booths including Girls on the Run, Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming, Mountain Brook Homestead, and Montana Open AIR Residency Program.  

Plein Air Painters of the Flathead, a Glacier Art Museum members group, artists will be painting live and onsite throughout the 3-day festival. Additional kids' activities will be at the Glacier Art Museum Booth, plus face painting by Kathleen Francis of Fancy Face Designs. 

Live music begins at 11 a.m. each day with over 15 musicians and bands from around the valley including Glacier Symphony Brass Quintet, Way Down North, Kenny James Miller Band, An Daire Dance Academy, Hemlock and Honey, and Flathead Sings.  

A premium wine and beer garden opens at 11 a.m. daily with hand-poured selected local craft brews by Patriotic American Brewery and select wines provided by Watkins Distributing. 

Ten Food trucks will be onsite, including Carl’s Corn Dogs, Glacier Shave Ice, Los Pinguinos, Kj Chicken Chariot and Island Noodles. 

Festival hours are 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Sunday.  

Admission to the three-day festival is $10 for an unlimited pass button or $5 for daily admission. Children age 12 and under receive free admission. 

Unlimited Pass Buttons can be purchased in advance at the museum beginning Tuesday, June 30. Unlimited and day passes are purchased at the gate. All ticket holders also receive free admission to the museum during the festival and the following week. Dogs on leashes are also welcome. 

Volunteers are vital to the success of this fundraising event. All volunteers get unlimited passes to the event and are entered into a drawing. Sign up at glacierartmuseum.org/park or email [email protected] or call 406-755-5258 to volunteer on any of the three days Friday-Sunday. 

Arts in the Park’s presenting sponsor is the Daily Inter Lake. Supporting partners include Kalispell Parks and Recreation, Glacier Bank, and Highline Design. Arts in the Park is a benefit for the Glacier Art Museum , a non-profit 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. All event admissions support the Museum and its educational mission and programs. 

Glacier Art Museum’s current art exhibitions on view during Arts in the Park are “The Backbone of the World: Art of Glacier National Park and the Rocky Mountains,” “Our Sometimes Home: April Werle,” “Where Currents Carry the Soul: Recent Work by True Archdale,” and “Windows and Doors: Meghan Spielman.” 

Full details, including a full list of performers and artists is available at glacierartmuseum.org/park. For additional information, please call 406-755-5268 or email [email protected].