Montana Folk Festival returns next month, organizers need volunteer help

BUTTE, Mont. -- In just under a month's time, the streets of Uptown Butte will be packed with music, vendors, and attendees for the world-famous Montana Folk Festival. It's one of the Mining City's greatest summer treasures, but it also takes a massive effort behind the scenes to pull off.

As has been the case with every past Folk Festival, it'll be free for attendees to enjoy for all three days, from Friday, July 10, through Sunday, July 12. This is thanks to relentless fundraising efforts from organizers, who have tallied over $300,000 in grant money and donations from the Dennis & Phyllis Washington foundation, as well as over 30 local businesses, to make the 2026 Montana Folk Festival possible.

However, actually putting on the festival is its own challenge. From setup, to teardown, to everything in between, organizers need much of Butte to step up and lend a hand.

"The nitty gritty kicks in, and we start sweating the details between now and July," said festival director George Everett. "The volunteers, we need them in all kinds of areas. We're looking for 850 to 900 people to help us with a variety of shifts, which are four hours long. You get a free T-shirt and our eternal gratitude, but it does take a whole lot of people to do this."

The last month of preparation leads up to Folk Festival weekend in mid-July, where 22 different performers will take to the stage across a wide variety of genres.

"We'll have Cajun, blues, bluegrass, Tunisian desert blues from Nour Harkati, Dale Watson's honky-tonk, and more," Everett said.

"There'll be four stages this year going up on Friday night," Everett added. "It's a little different than the three stages we've gone with in the past. But people who've been here before will know what to expect. And hopefully, they'll be amazed at what they find."

This year's Montana Folk Festival will also have additional tents set up at major stages to provide shade for visitors.

The schedule of performers, as well as volunteer applications, are found online at the Montana Folk Festival website. Donations are also accepted online and in-person during the festival.