Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
at Bozeman's Sweet Pea Festival, but catching them anywhere in Montana or Wyoming is
worth doing.
Music
Thanks to the university, Bozeman also has a lively and impressive music scene.
In-
termountain Opera Bozeman
(104 E. Main St., Ste. 101, 406/587-2889,
www.intermountainopera.org
)
has been producing two professional shows annually since
1978. The shows feature world-class performers and conductors with a local chorus and
orchestra and are staged at the Willson Auditorium (404 W. Main St., 406/522-6042), in
the spring and fall. The
Bozeman Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Choir
(406/
585-9774,
www.bozemansymphony.org
) presents a number of performances each season,
starting in September, that range from late Renaissance pieces through the 20th century.
They perform annually with the Montana Ballet Company in
The Nutcracker.
Vootie Pro-
ductions
(406/586-1922,
www.vootie.com
) brings outstanding performers to town regu-
larly.
Festivals and Events
Held annually the first full weekend in August,
Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts
(406/
586-4003,
www.sweetpeafestival.org
) is Bozeman's answer to Mardi Gras. No one is parad-
ing around half-naked—this is Montana, after all—but there is plenty of food (don't miss
the tater pigs, a Sweet Pea classic), live music, theater, dance, an arts and crafts fair, both
juried and open art shows, and a flower show. The weekend events are held at
Lindley
Park
(east end of Main St.). Events leading up to the festival include the
Sweet Pea Ball
(Sat. before Sweet Pea weekend),
Chalk on the Walk
(Tues. before Sweet Pea),
Bite of
Bozeman
(Wed. before Sweet Pea), and the
Children's Run and Sweet Pea Parade
(Sat.
morning of Sweet Pea). Packed into three days, the nearly 40-year-old festival is organized
by more than 1,500 volunteers and draws more than 16,000 visitors annually. Wristbands
($15 in advance, $20 at the gate) are required for entry to Lindley Park, and one wristband
enables you to access all the events in Lindley Park over the course of the weekend. Chil-
dren six and under are free. Adult day passes are $10 ($5 children 7-12) and only available
at the gate.
Although Bozeman residents joke about the “nine months of winter and three months of
houseguests,” people take summertime recreation very seriously and have created numer-
ous ways to be outside as much as possible. Residents and visitors gather on the lawn at
the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture for
Lunch on the Lawn
(11:30am-1:30pm
Wed. July-Aug., free), a concert series that attracts 100-200 people and an interesting mix
