Crow Fair 2026

In an effort to get acquainted with our new home state, Joerg and I went to the 107th annual Crow Festival in Crow Agency, Montana.  It is a week-long festival attended by indigenous people from across the country.  It is hosted by the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation.

Apsáalooke is the Crow word for "Crow" and from which we get the name of our town - Absarokee - where the Crow once lived.  Our subdivision continues this theme by being called Crow Chief Meadows and having several Crow-related road names.

Anyway, the festival is closed to the public except for the weekend during which they open it up for non-natives to observe.  This is also a good time for their food trucks to sell lots of goodies and their vendors to enjoy a little tourist ba'laa (Crow for money).  Like any good festival, there are competitions and pageants, and of course, a parade.  They have indian-style horse races (bareback) and a native-style rodeo.  There are dance competitions, drumming demonstrations, and several other things we missed.

We arrived for the tail end of the parade and then wandered around the grounds checking out the food and the "swag" until it was time for the Grand Line where all the tribes parade into the arena dressed in their local style.