Montana Renaissance Festival

The Montana Renaissance Festival is a two-day, all-ages Renaissance faire that in 2026 came home to the MetraPark Fairgrounds in Billings after prior years at the Red Lodge Rodeo Grounds and, earlier, ZooMontana. Billing itself as Montana's largest and longest-running Renaissance festival and the largest across six states, it reported over 20,000 attendees in 2025. The weekend packs hundreds of performances across nine stages and more than fourteen performance areas, including full-contact jousting from The Order of Epona, aerial and birds-of-prey shows, a Royal Coronation and court, a Pirate Oath induction, a Fairy Induction Ceremony, a costume contest, more than 180 marketplace vendors, and a large food court known for turkey legs. A sister All Hallows Medieval Fantasy Faire and an indoor Yule-Aissance run at other points in the year.

Attendees generally describe the festival as a fun, growing event with strong entertainment: multiple stages always active, well-regarded equestrian and combat shows, and a good local vibe. The most common friction points are heat and lack of shade on hot days and long entry lines, though visitors note the lines move quickly and that buying online lets you skip the longest queue.

Community accounts of a recent edition describe long but fast-moving entry lines and advice to buy online to walk right in, alongside a note that the festival opened more space and continues to grow, with over 20,000 attendees reported in 2025.