Spring Sparkle Festival brings people together in Missoula

MISSOULA, Mont. — Unitopia held its Spring Sparkle Festival on Sunday, giving families in Missoula a day filled with activities for both children and adults while focusing on community connection.

The event included attractions such as a petting zoo, a DJ booth and face painting. Organizers said the gathering was meant to give people a place to spend time together and support a local nonprofit.

Mike Rushing attended with his daughter and pointed to several parts of the festival that stood out.

"My daughter really loves the animals. You got the petting zoo, the DJ booth is pretty cool. I know my daughter's gonna do the face painting here pretty soon. It's a really cool event. I like it," Rushing said.

Unitopia President Raffael Housler said the organization created events like this to help build stronger support systems in the community.

"Mental health issues are so much, fewer, you know, like, even like addiction and all those things when you have this community that really supports you. And that was really the impetus to creating this, you know, we love our crew of people that we love to create incredible experiences that are just unforgettable," Housler said.

Housler said one moment from the festival brought back memories from his own childhood.

"My favorite part was seeing the first Easter egg hunt and the chaos of all the kids just going absolutely berserk. It reminds me of when I was a little kid and that fun playfulness," Housler said.

People who want more information about future Unitopia events can visit the organization's website and sign up for its newsletter.