Eat, drink, learn, and be merry at some of the West's greatest cultural gatherings.
What is your favorite way to celebrate the wonders of the West? Whether it’s a barbecue or an art show, a rodeo or a marathon of cowboy movies, don’t miss these unique and colorful ways to honor the history, culture, and creativity of our Western heritage.
The Arts of the West
Start in Jackson, Wyoming, where the beauty of the natural scenery will strive to draw your eye away from the amazing works on display at the annual Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. (September)
Over in Great Falls, Montana, Western Art Week features 15 shows and more than 800 artists. (March)
Rather take in a movie? The Lone Pine Film Festival in California delivers four days of westerns from the silent era through the newest releases. (October) museumofwesternfilmhistory.org
Now in its second year, Bozeman, Montana’s BZN International Film Festival presents more than 70 films over four days. (June)
For country music fans, CMA Fest in Nashville offers four days of live performances and a chance to meet the stars and get an autograph. (June)
Down in Texas, The Larry Joe Taylor Texas Music Festival brings thousands of fans together on the 300 acres that comprise Melody Mountain Ranch for six days of music, food (try the alligator tail), and auctions of one-of-a-kind memorabilia, with the proceeds going to Texas charities. (April)
Sometimes beautiful words don’t need music — just ask the Western poets who gather in Elko, Nevada, for the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. (January)
Other popular poetry events include those held in Utah’s Heber Valley and Lewistown, Montana. (October, August)
Cowboys and Cowgirls
Few settings can rival the Old West bona fides of Dodge City, Kansas, once home to Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson. Dodge City Days is an 11-day celebration of the town’s colorful history that draws 100,000 people to a community with just over 27,000 residents. (July)
For more than a quarter-century, the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival has honored the authentic Old West through music, poetry, cowboy gear, food, and storytelling. This year, the festival returns to William S. Hart Park in Old Town Newhall, California. (April)
The Best Little Cowboy Gathering in La Grange, Texas, is a three-day celebration of art, music, dancing, Texas barbecue, and Western hospitality. Schedule an extra day for some fishing at Lake Fayette. (March)
The Cowboy Way Jubilee bills itself as “Comic-Con for Cowboys.” There are screenings of western films and TV shows, music, food, and a tip of the hat to cowboy culture. It takes place in San Angelo, Texas, on the grounds of the historic Fort Concho. Attendees are encouraged to dress in Old West period costumes. (April)
Art of the Cowgirl is a new event in Phoenix, Arizona, that brings together artists, silversmiths, braiders, saddlemakers, and horsewomen, all sharing their wisdom. It features an art show, a horse sale, concerts, and an all-woman rodeo. (January)
Every autumn in Branson, Missouri, the National Harvest and Cowboy Festival provides a showcase for Old World craftsmanship, from fiddle-making to basket-weaving, which thankfully has not been lost in this era of automation and mass production. (September)
Native Culture
Hailed as the Mecca of Indian Country, the Gathering of Nations Powwow at the New Mexico State Fair Grounds features singing, dancing, the generational passing down of tribal traditions, as well as the Miss Indian World Pageant. (April)
At the Sioux Nation Challenge Indian Horse Relay, you’ll see riders engaging in the kind of thrilling race competition that would challenge champion rodeo riders. Five teams of bareback riders, 15 horses, and thrills and spills aplenty. (June)
Native American art showcases are also plentiful, such as the Santa Fe Indian Market, a tradition since 1922. One of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind, it attracts more than 100,000 visitors from around the world. (August)
The Colorado Indian Market, held at the Denver Mart, presents an authentic celebration of Native American artwork and heritage intermingled with colorful booths of juried artwork inspired by the Southwest and the Wild West. (January)
Oklahoma City’s annual Red Earth Festival promotes Native American culture through art and a dance competition. (June)
The Gallup Native Arts Market, launched in 2017, features an art show, a fashion show, presentations, lectures, and workshops held at venues throughout downtown Gallup, New Mexico. (August)
Rodeos
You haven’t done rodeo in America until you’ve cowboy-ed up at the nation’s oldest rodeo. But which is it? Prescott Frontier Days is an event that dates back to 1888, when cowboys first gathered in Arizona to test their skills against the best in the west. (June)
In Mandan, North Dakota, a Fourth of July event in 1879 featured a baseball game and pony races. Whether or not that lineup of activities at the inaugural event qualifies as a rodeo, they’re still getting together on Independence Day for Mandan Rodeo Days. (July)
Next to the National Finals Rodeo, perhaps the most prestigious event on the annual calendar is Cheyenne Frontier Days. And while you enjoy nine days of barrel racing, team roping, bull riding, and other signature events, put an hour or two aside for a visit to the Old West Museum, featuring one of the biggest collections of vintage carriages and rodeo artifacts. (July)
Utah’s Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo features an Olympic-style format, with event winners receiving gold, silver, and bronze medals. The rodeo is just one part of this huge Western heritage celebration, which also includes concerts, a parade, a marathon, and activities for kids. (July)
A ranch rodeo brings together real working cowboys to test their skills against other full-time ranch hands, with bragging rights on the line. Every year, Kissimmee, Florida, hosts the Ranch Rodeo & Cowboy Heritage Festival, where between events there is a chance to take in some country music and cowboy poetry. (September)
Stagecoach Days has been a tradition in Banning, California, since 1957. The rodeo is always a highlight, as is the crowning of the Rodeo Queen. Some of the winners from Banning have gone on to be crowned Miss Rodeo USA. (September)
One of a Kind
And then there are those events that don’t fit into one category or any category, such as Mule Days, which draws more than 30,000 people every May to the tiny town of Bishop, California. Where else can you see 700 mules compete in such competitions as team roping and chariot racing? (May)
Longmire Days is like a cowboy version of a Star Trek convention, except the attendees don’t dress like androids or aliens. Fans of the popular A&E and Netflix western gather in Buffalo, Wyoming, where the series was filmed, to meet the stars and debate the best episodes. (July)
Gaze upward in New Mexico and you’ll typically see nothing but pristine azure skies; but during the nine-day Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, those skies are filled with more than 500 brightly colored hot air balloons. (October)
Ever wonder what type of wine goes best with “My mouth is literally on fire?” You’ll find the answer at the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta. Here, 75 of Santa Fe’s best restaurants pair their cuisine with the harvest from more than 90 wineries. (September)
Photography: Courtesy Jaimie Stoltzfus, Bree Anderson Burtis, Liz King, Visit Jackson Hole, Kristin Haug, Miller Photo, David Knutson, Gabriella Marks
From our February/March 2020 issue.
