Don’t Miss the Montana History Fest in Helena

This summer, the Montana Historical Society is celebrating the long-awaited grand opening of the Montana Heritage Center with five days of events across Helena. While the Heritage Center first opened its doors to the public in December 2025, the Montana History Fest is the official grand-opening celebration, organized by the Montana Historical Society in partnership with the local Helena community.

The Montana History Fest runs June 24 – 28, 2026, and whether you’re a lifelong history buff or just looking for something fun to do in the capital city, there’s something on the schedule for you.

Exterior of the Montana Heritage Center in Helena, Montana, home of the Montana Historical Society. A massive bronze bison skull sculpture rests in native grasses in the foreground, its curved horns stretching toward the museum's modern limestone facade. The angular building features pale stone walls, warm stacked-rock accents, and large windows beneath an overcast Montana sky. The Montana Heritage Center hosts the Montana History Fest in Helena, June 24–28. Photo by Alyssa Starr, Tempest Technologies. — Exterior of the Montana Heritage Center | Photo by Alyssa Starr, Tempest Technologies

Events at the Montana Heritage Center

Free tours of the brand-new Montana Heritage Center run throughout the five-day festival, including individual gallery tours, and each one is worth the time to better understand the displays and artifacts.

Each gallery tells a different part of Montana’s story: the Homeland Gallery traces the state’s history from the Ice Age to modern times, while the Charlie M. Russell Gallery houses the largest public collection of Russell’s work anywhere in the world, and the Changing Gallery is currently featuring The Poindexter Collection of Modern Art.

Various workshops and events will be held at the Montana Heritage Center throughout the Montana History Fest.

A child explores an interactive exhibit in the Homeland gallery at the Montana Heritage Center in Helena, Montana, near a life-size bison mount surrounded by a prairie diorama and Indigenous artifacts in the "Bison: King of the Plains" display. Photo by Sarah Bolt, Tempest Technologies. — Inside the Homeland Gallery at the Montana Heritage Center | Photo by Sarah Bolt, Tempest Technologies

Montana History Fest Events Around Helena

Right across the street from the Montana Heritage Center, free guided tours of the state Capitol run multiple times a day throughout the History Fest. The Last Chance Tour Train will also be departing from the area Wednesday through Saturday, with most days offering departures at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. A couple of blocks from the Capitol Campus, there will be free guided tours of the Original Governor’s Mansion as well.

If you’d rather celebrate from a bike seat, the Bert & Ernie’s Pub Trolley will be running guided tours Wednesday through Saturday in collaboration with the Foundation for Montana History on its Pedaling Through the Past tour series.

Riders aboard the Last Chance Tour Train in Helena, Montana, photographed from a wooden bench seat as the open-air tram rounds a corner. The black engine, marked "Last Chance Tours" and flying an American flag, pulls passenger cars filled with visitors past brick buildings and tree-lined streets, with the hills above Helena in the background. The hour-long tour winds through Helena's historic districts, including Last Chance Gulch and Reeder's Alley. Photo by Sarah Bolt, Tempest Technologies. — Aboard the Last Chance Tour Train | Photo by Sarah Bolt, Tempest Technologies

Also winding through downtown throughout the fest is the Historic Julian Anderson Cocktail Trail. It’s a self-guided tour through Helena’s bars, restaurants, and craft distillery honoring Julian Anderson, who was the barman at the Montana Club. Anderson bartended in Helena for almost six decades, beginning in the 1890s, serving guests such as Mark Twain and Teddy Roosevelt. The trail has no passport and no set order, so you can follow along at your own pace. Participating stops include the Rathskeller at the Original Montana Club, Gulch Distillers, Silver Star Steak Company, and several others across downtown Helena.

What’s Happening Each Day for the Montana History Fest

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

The Montana History Fest kicks off with daytime tours and an evening Kolrosing wood carving workshop at the Holter Museum of Art. But save some energy for Alive at Five because this show is doing something it’s never done before. For the first time in the event’s history, Alive at Five is having a performance on the Capitol lawn, and the Montana Historical Society will be the featured nonprofit of the evening. It’s a free, family-friendly event, featuring a favorite local band, Ten Years Gone. There will be plenty of food vendors, fun music, and it’s an all-ages event with the Capitol as the backdrop!

The Montana State Capitol in Helena, Montana, viewed from across the green Capitol lawn, with the copper dome and the "Montana" statue rising against a dramatic cloudy sky. The granite building's columned facade and rows of state and tribal flags line the entrance. The Capitol lawn hosts the Alive at 5 concert during the Montana History Fest in Helena for the first time. Alive at Five is a free, public, outdoor concert series in Helena, Montana. Photo by Alyssa Starr, Tempest Technologies. — The Montana State Capitol building and lawn | Photo by Alyssa Starr, Tempest Technologies

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Thursday adds a Tour Guide’s Choice event at the Heritage Center, a bit of a wildcard in the best way! Come evening, head downtown to Last Chance Gulch for Live on the Gulch, a free outdoor concert series hosted in front of Ten Mile Creek Brewing on Helena’s historic walking mall.

Friday, June 26, 2026

Friday brings a free, family-friendly event at the Holter Museum of Art, with exhibits centered on modern art history in Montana and the chance to contribute to a collaborative public art piece. At the Heritage Center, the Montana Historical Society’s Tribal Stakeholders Group, representing each of Montana’s tribes, will offer a blessing of the building, a blanket-gifting ceremony, and a performance by the Magpie Singers. An Indigenous artisan market and a Traditional Feed, a communal meal hosted by the Tribal Stakeholders Group, round out the afternoon. The evening wraps with a Montana climbing history panel at Stonetree Climbing Center.

Saturday, June 27, 2026

This is the biggest day of the Montana History Fest. Start the morning at the Helena Farmers Market before heading to the Capitol campus and Heritage Center for a mix of community programming, cultural activities, and Indigenous food. In the afternoon, check out the Beading Lecture and Workshop, and Hands-on-History activities for families at the Heritage Center.

At 5 pm, head downtown to Last Chance Gulch for Live on the Gulch before the evening’s main events kick off.

The evening is headlined by the Kickoff to America’s 250th, with a free reception at the Montana Heritage Center from 5 – 7 pm with live music, food, and drinks. Reservations are required for the reception due to limited capacity. At 7 pm, the celebration moves to the Capitol Lawn for a free public concert from Jack Gladstone and the New Horizons Band, capped by a flyover. No tickets or reservations are required for the Capitol lawn celebration. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit in!

Sunday, June 28, 2026

A quieter close to the week. The Charlie M. Russell Gallery and Homeland Gallery both have guided tours in the afternoon. It’s a good way to slow down and take it all in before heading home.

A guest relaxes in a leather and Pendleton-style armchair inside the Charles M. Russell Gallery at the Montana Heritage Center in Helena, Montana. The gallery recreates the cozy feel of Russell's home, with a whitewashed brick fireplace, antique Windsor chairs, a Navajo-style rug, and historic black-and-white photographs of the artist's log cabin studio. Above the mantel, one of Russell's western paintings shows a cowboy on horseback overlooking a sweeping prairie. Photo by Alyssa Starr, Tempest Technologies. — Inside the Charlie M. Russell gallery at the Montana Heritage Center | Photo by Alyssa Starr, Tempest Technologies

A Full Schedule of Events for the Montana History Fest

This is by no means an exhaustive list of events being held for the Montana History Fest! It’ll be a very exciting couple of days in Helena with so much going on to celebrate the opening of the Montana Heritage Center.

For the full schedule of events and registration (for applicable events and workshops), please visit the Montana Historical Society’s website page dedicated to the festival.

Full Schedule of Events