The 31st annual Strawberry Festival is right on our tails! The festival starts July 9 at the Skypoint in downtown Billings. The event is free to attend and will have live entertainment, food trucks, arts and crafts, along with delicious Montana harvested berries. The Strawberry Festival is organized by TDS Fiber and the Downtown Billings Alliance. It is also supported by the Wise Wonders Science & Discovery museum. 

Poster for the 31st Strawberry Festival.

The Strawberry Festival is a notorious event that many Billings locals and others in the northwest region of the state look forward to each year. Becky Stahl and her husband Tim own Becky’s Berries, a vendor at the festival that has been attending for more than ten years. Becky says that turnouts are so big that sometimes they can hardly get out of their booth! 

Based out of Absorakee, Becky’s Berries makes lines of unique jams, jellies, and syrups from handpicked Montana berries. Becky also says that last year, their sales doubled from previous years and are expected to be the same this year. Many people attending the festival look forward to Becky’s delicious berry products. They even sell special jalapeno pepper jelly!

The food trucks at the event offer various foods like noodle bowls, crepes, and barbecue food. More than 90 merchants will be at the event with items patrons can purchase. Local businesses love the festival with the fantastic turnouts they have where people can buy their products and also helps gets the word out of their business. Vendor applications are still being taken for those interested in showcasing their business at the festival. The deadline to apply is June 2 at 4 p.m. 

This will also be the second year the Strawberry Festival occurs in July. The event was initially held in June, but due to the unpredictable weather the month brings, the festival was moved to July. The Downtown Billings Alliance is currently organizing the Alive After Five event starting Thursday, June 16, outside the Pub Station. The Farmers Market is another event that brings a great crowd and is a fantastic way to buy locally.

Don’t miss any of the fun events planned this summer, and explore everything in Downtown Billings!