HarvestFest 2018
Saturday, October 13th, 2018 is Downtown Billings’ 15th Annual Harvestfest under Skypoint from 9am to 4pm. Hosted by the Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA), this fall festival features arts and crafts tents, farmers market stands, a large variety of food trucks, pumpkin pie baking contest, free children’s crafts and activities, a gift- basket raffle, and live entertainment under Skypoint at Broadway and 2nd Ave. Chalk on the Walk will take place on 3rd Ave. N. along side of Harvestfest.
The Montana Brewing Company is the Title Sponsor of Harvestfest and will host an ‘Oktoberfest’ style beer garden starting at 10am, outside at 113 N. Broadway. The beer garden will feature Montana Brewing Co.’s own Octoberfest ale and Pumpkin ale, 6 seasonal pumpkin ales from Elysian Brewing, and 10 imported German Octoberfest beers. There will be street games, including the crowd favorite stein holding contest.
The pumpkin pie baking contest will take place under Skypoint starting at 11am with a special panel of Judges from the Chefs and Cooks of Montana. The contest results will be announced under Skypoint at 1pm. The pumpkin pie baking contest is open to the public and applications are available on www.downtownbillings.com. Registration is open until 12pm on Friday, October 12th. Contestants will bring their pumpkin pies to the judging table under Skypoint by 10:45am during Harvestfest.
The Kid’s Area, hosted this year by the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch will be located on 2nd Ave. N. just east of Skypoint beginning at 9am. Activities to include free pumpkin painting, a pin wheel craft station, and corn-hole bean bag toss. Montana Premier Entertainment, New to Harvestfest this year, will have a four-person bungee trampoline up and ready for anyone from 30lb to 220lbs to enjoy five fun minutes of gravity defying jumps for $5. A pumpkin seed spitting contest will take place under Skypoint at 12:30pm.
The Fall Gift-Basket Raffle will feature specialty items and packages donated by downtown businesses and all proceeds will go to beautification projects in downtown Billings such as hanging flower baskets and public art projects. The raffle will take place at 3:30pm under Skypoint and raffle tickets can be purchased during the event at the DBA Information Booth under Skypoint.
The DBA is working with the Adult Resource Alliance of Yellowstone County to pair our community volunteer opportunities with the members of their Alliance Volunteer Program (AVP). AVP volunteers will staff the DBA information booth at Harvestfest and Chalk on the walk from 9am to 3pm.
Chalk on the Walk will take place on October 13th along side of Harvestfest to celebrate the Fall season and showcase the 3rd Ave. corridor in downtown Billings. Members of the public are invited to enjoy this free community art activity and to create chalk murals on the sidewalks of 3rd Ave. N. From 9am-3pm, the Billings Arts Association and the Public Art Committee will sponsor free artist chalk at the corner of 3rd Ave. N. and N. 28th near This House of Books. Participants may draw anytime from sunrise to sunset and are encouraged to bring whatever supplies they will utilize, including water, knee pads, brushes, etc.
Harvestfest will feature live entertainment under Skypoint from 9am-3:30pm including various forms of dance and live music. Please see the schedule below for a full view of the Skypoint entertainment line-up:
9am- Various ballroom dance performances followed by dance lessons presented by Dancing with Patricia
10am- Acoustic Trio band, The Mandella Effect
11am- Billings Youth Orchestra student fiddler, Kassidy Casterline
12pm- Belly dancing performed by Tesseract Bellydancers
12:30pm - Pumpkin seed spitting contest
1pm- Native American drum circle performed by Goes Well
2pm – Barbershop quartet performed by Big Sky Chorus
2:30pm – Alternative folk-pop band, Arterial Drive
3:30pm- Fall Gift-Basket Raffle
For more information, contact Lindsay Richardson lrichardson@downtownbillings.com or visit the DBA website www.downtownbillings.com.
