Under the Big Sky returns to the Flathead Valley this weekend
TAYLOR INMAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month AGO
A fan crowd surfs during the Caamp performance at the Under the Big Sky music festival in Whitefish on Friday, July 14, 2023. (Matt Baldwin/Daily Inter Lake)
REPORTER AND PODCAST HOST Taylor Inman covers Bigfork and the north shore of Flathead Lake for the Bigfork Eagle and the Daily Inter Lake. Her reporting focuses on local government, community issues and the people who shape life in Northwest Montana. Inman began her journalism career at Murray State University’s public radio newsroom and later reported for WKMS, where her work aired on National Public Radio. In addition to reporting, she hosts and contributes to Daily Inter Lake podcasts including News Now. Her work connects listeners and readers with the stories shaping communities across the Flathead Valley. IMPACT: Taylor’s work expands local journalism through both traditional reporting and digital storytelling. | July 17, 2026 12:00 AM
Crowds have already arrived in the Flathead Valley for Under the Big Sky, the annual summertime music festival that takes place July 17, 18 and 19.
The festival typically brings around 20,000 people to the region every mid-July. The 2026 rendition of the popular festival will host more than 40 artists straddling outlaw country, indie rock, bluegrass, folk and Montana’s musical scene.
Chris Stapleton, Cody Jinks and Zach Top are headlining the festival this year, with other notable acts such as the Marcus King Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Of Monsters and Men, Charles Wesley Godwin, Stephen Wilson Jr., Kaitlin Butts, and the return of the only band to play every iteration of the festival: Hogslop String Band.
Many Montana-based acts are also in the lineup, particularly from the Flathead Valley, like Archertown, Miller Campbell, Hannah King, Michelle Rivers, Radio Ranch and Tomara. Those musicians will be complemented by Missoula’s bluegrass favorite Blue Point and emerging force Kyle Hunter Band as well as Bozeman’s beloved Madeline Hawthorne.
Gates open at noon and musical acts start shortly thereafter, with the headlining show closing down the festival each night at around 11 p.m.
Parking is available at the ranch in two different lots accessible from Voerman Road and Edgewood Drive, but shuttle access has also been expanded this year. In addition to free shuttles located at Whitefish Mountain Resort, Depot Park in Whitefish and the Blue Moon in Columbia Falls, a $5 roundtrip shuttle will run from the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell.
Organizers recommend patrons reserve a shuttle trip in advance, which can be done at underthebigskyfest.com/shuttles/.
The festival’s ‘After Parties’ run Thursday through Sunday, too. Several acts performing at Under the Big Sky will make appearances at local bars and venues, like the Great Northern Bar and Grill, The Remington and the Majestic Valley Arena. Though many of the shows have already sold out, some tickets remain for others. Visit underthebigskyfest.com/after-parties/ for more information.
General admission tickets for Friday’s lineup of Under the Big Sky are still available as well.
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Huckleberry sellers feel the squeeze during poor harvest year
Tom Corl has “high hopes for high up hucks” as the season for the region’s most famous berry is playing out to be one of the worst in about a decade, according to the longtime huckleberry picker.
Huckleberry sellers feel the squeeze during poor harvest year
Tom Corl has “high hopes for high up hucks” as the season for the region’s most famous berry is playing out to be one of the worst in about a decade, according to the longtime huckleberry picker.