Montana Fair 2020: No Concerts, Rodeo or Motocross

Thanks to COVID-19, most fairs and festivals have been canceled for 2020. KRTV reported that the Montana State Fair in Great Falls was canceled last month. The Gallatin County Fair in Bozeman has been canceled as well as the North Dakota State Fair. Other surrounding states have canceled their fairs as well.

In Billings, MetraPark officials confirmed in a press release this week that MontanaFair is still on schedule to happen August 7th - 15th (press release at KULR8.com). The fair will be condensed this year and sounds like it will be quite a bit different than past years, due to two factors: COVID-19 and the demolition of the MetraPark Grandstands. Their original plan was to move the rodeo and supercross into First Interstate Arena. The arena can't be used for those events now because it will be occupied by 4-H and FFA livestock exhibits, thanks to COVID-19. The press release states,

When the removal decision was made, MontanaFair planned to move all grandstand based entertainment - rodeos and supercross - into First Interstate Arena. The pandemic put those plans on hold as 4-H and FFA livestock needed additional physically distanced space for their program. Putting animals in the arena removed any opportunity for these popular shows.

Many are wondering how the Metra will be able to maintain social-distancing at the carnival. The rumor I heard is that the carnival will be limited to 25 rides and attractions. I'm not sure how they are planning to handle the food court, bingo hall, and beer garden. Honestly, it sounds like a bit of a logistic nightmare. If you've been to the fair, you know how crowded the carnival area becomes.

We're glad to see that MontanaFair is trying to make things work this year. Many families look forward to fair fun (and the food!) every year. Hopefully, their plans to move forward with the fair don't get squashed with a spike in coronavirus cases. Will you be attending the stripped-down version of MontanaFair this year? Let us know in the Comment or hit us up on the Mobile App.