Since its inception in 1989, the Arts Council of Big Sky has been Big Sky’s premier non-profit cultural organization, striving to create an art-centric community through artistic events, cultural outreach, public art, and educational initiatives. Learn more about how we impact our community from our latest impact report.
The Arts Council of Big Sky is proud to host the 2nd Annual Día de Muertos Celebration on Sunday, October 26, 2025, as part of the Haunted Peaks Fall Festival. This vibrant community event will take place at the Big Sky Center for the Arts (77 Lone Peak Drive) and is designed to honor and create space for the rich traditions and customs of our diverse community.
Rooted in centuries of tradition, Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. The celebration invites the Big Sky community to come together in reflection, creativity, and joy through music, art, and shared cultural expression.
Location: Big Sky Center for the Arts, 77 Lone Peak Drive
Schedule:
A large tiered community altar will be built in the Center for the Arts, where guests are encouraged to bring photos, favorite foods, and flowers of their loved ones to place as ofrendas (offerings). Traditional foods, children’s crafts, and cultural displays will be available throughout the day, offering opportunities to learn more about Día de Muertos customs and symbolism.
The celebration will feature live mariachi music, performances, and artistic presentations honoring this meaningful holiday through sound, color, and community spirit.
The Día de Muertos celebration continues into the week with artist-in-residence programs in local schools:
These programs will introduce students to the cultural and artistic traditions of Día de Muertos through storytelling, music, and hands-on art activities.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the Montana Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the Town Center Organization, Big Sky Community Center, and the Spanish Peaks Community Foundation.
Join us in celebrating life, memory, and community at Big Sky’s Día de Muertos.
Sunday, October 26 | Noon–7 PM | Big Sky Center for the Arts
Free and open to the public.
It's over a year since the Arts Council of Big Sky closed on the 7700 square foot building at 77 Lone Peak Drive, with the the vision of creating a new Big Sky Center for the Arts. Formerly operated as a sports bar, grill and casino, we have initiated the first phase of transformation by creating an interim office space, community event venue, and art class location, all through the generous support of Todd Rossier of Two Bear Construction, Gina Dee of Provincial Store Fixtures, and countless volunteer hours.
Since then, we've hosted more than 50 events in partnership with 40 different community partners! We've gathered for such a variety of reasons: High School Prom, property tax Q&A, youth art camps, cultural cooking demonstration, Dia de los Muertos, and more. There is no doubt that our thriving community needs a thriving center in which to connect. We are humbled by the response. But we're only beginning!
In order to maximize the capacity of this important community asset, we need to optimize our space through a transformational renovation.
The update will be dramatic. Our main floor will have a dedicated youth classroom, dedicated pottery workshop, gallery, stage, and public event space. With the addition of a second floor, we will add five more art class and community meeting space options, administrative offices, and a radio station broadcast booth. We will build out the basement to create music lesson rooms, a recording studio, and an intimate small performance venue. And last, but definitely not least, a rooftop deck will be a new spectacular and unrivaled event space.
See the future building plans and renderings, and learn how the Big Sky Center for the Arts will transform our community here!
Watch "Big Sky Arts Find Its Center", the latest episode of Explore Big Sky's Hoary Marmot podcast, here!
Space
Two months after closing on the building, the former casino "game room" had been completely transformed. Old carpet was removed and the concrete floor was polished. Blacked-out windows were scraped to reveal the bright southern exposure. National Coatings painted the walls a bright gallery white - for free! Our friend Gina Dee donated a beautiful entry seating area and Big Sky Thrift contributed colorful throw pillows. Five of the Arts Council's team members moved from their 350sf office to a new office space nearly three times the size!
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Shortly thereafter, the bar and stage area of the former building received a fresh coat of white paint to create a bright and inviting space where we will host numerous upcoming community events, including High School Prom! Another exciting development: in preparation for our upcoming Montana Chamber Music event, we finally moved our grand piano into our new home from the Wilson Hotel (where it has been on loan). The sound as it fills the space is extraordinary!
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The former restaurant dining area has gone through a minimal transformation, mainly to serve as temporary classroom space. It serves a very important purpose as home to our kids programming, including our full-time Youth Summer Arts Camp. By having this space available, we are also able to expand our regular class offerings without disrupting programming at our art studio at BASE. Not pictured is another much-appreciated donation: a sink with counter and cupboards to provide running water and storage for any art programs we run in this corner of the building.
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Still in the works... While the new class area sink will be convenient, we still have a fully functional prep kitchen area to stage event refreshments. Much of the prior kitchen equipment remains in the space, though we do not have cooking facilities set up yet. Another transition is in progress downstairs, where the basement walk-in coolers have been disassembled and removed, and it now serves as music practice and lesson space for local musicians of all ages.
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See the future plans for this building and learn how the Big Sky Center for the Arts will transform our community here!
To visit the building and get more information about our upcoming campaign to fully realize the vision for the Big Sky Center for the Arts, please reach out to
Katie Alvin
Development Director
katie@bigskyarts.org
406-995-2472
The Arts Council's Music in the Mountains program was recently awarded a $24,500 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce. The Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant, which is offered through the Department of Commerce, will help fund the popular free concert series, assisting with infrastructure needs, signage and advertising.
The purpose of the Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant is to assist Montana's communities with destination events and new events that will increase tourism to include regional, national and international visitors, promote Montana's unique attributes and generate additional community revenue, with a focus on rural communities.
"We are very grateful to the State of Montana for supporting Music in the Mountains again for 2025," says Brian Hurlbut, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Big Sky. "It recognizes how important this program is not only to our local community, but to our statewide audience as well. As our event expenses continue to go up, grants like this are critical to our sustainability."
In 2024 more than 45,000 people flocked to Big Sky for the free outdoor concert series. The 2025 concerts are slated to start on June 26 and go through September 4. Lineup announcement will be coming in April, stay tuned!
