03/11/2026
⚔️ From a small gathering at ZooMontana… to more than 25,000 expected this summer.
Here is the story of how the Montana Renaissance Festival came to be.
📜 A Bit of Festival History
The Montana Renaissance Festival first opened its gates in 2012 at ZooMontana in Billings, where a small but spirited gathering of knights, pirates, musicians, artisans, and revelers—led by Kenneth the Humble—began building what would grow into one of Montana’s most anticipated annual celebrations.
For ten wonderful years the festival flourished at the zoo, growing steadily until crowds reached more than 8,000 attendees. As the event expanded, it became clear we had simply outgrown the grounds, and parking and traffic became increasingly difficult as more travelers journeyed to the festival each year.
In 2022 the festival moved to Red Lodge, where the realm continued to expand and welcome even more adventurers. While we love Red Lodge and the wonderful community that hosted us, attendance soon grew to over 21,000 guests, and that rapid growth once again brought challenges with traffic, parking, and access for the thousands arriving each day.
As the festival has grown, it became clear we needed a location capable of welcoming the next chapter of the event — which is why we are thrilled to bring the festival back to Billings at the MetraPark Festival Grounds, a venue with the space and infrastructure needed to comfortably host the tens of thousands who come to celebrate each year.
From time to time we see comments referencing Renaissance events in other parts of Montana that have similar names. While you may recognize some vendors and performers who travel between festivals across the region, those events are organized by different groups.
Our organization has chosen to focus our events in Billings, where the festival first began. Our long-term vision is to one day purchase land and build a permanent Renaissance village, where the festival and other themed events can live and grow for generations to come.
Our events include:
⚔️ Montana Renaissance Festival
🎃 All Hallows Medieval Fantasy Faire
❄️ Yule-Aissance
Over the years the Montana Renaissance Festival has grown into the largest Renaissance festival in the region, and this year we expect more than 25,000 guests to pass through the gates for a grand weekend of jousting, falconry, music, pirates, royalty, and a marketplace filled with remarkable artisans.
We hope thou wilt join us and help write the next chapter of the realm.
⚔️ 2026 Montana Renaissance Festival
June 6–7 • MetraPark Festival Grounds • Billings
🎟 Tickets are on sale now.
