Summer truly is our favorite time of year in West Yellowstone and although we are a small town, the family-friendly fun you can have celebrating the 4th of July may amaze you. We do the holiday right in Montana and because the 4th falls on a Friday this year, making it the ideal time to make your way out here and explore all that makes America’s birthday unique and special. We at Sweet Home Montana have done the research for you, finding all the West Yellowstone 4th of July activities you can enjoy on this wonderful holiday and listing them here to make it easy and don’t forget that all roads lead home to our comfortable holiday hideaways!
Browse Our Yellowstone Vacation Homes Here!
This Day has it ALL!
West Yellowstone is known as being the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, but we think it should be known for having the best Independence Day celebration in the nation, and yes, that includes the one celebrated at the National Mall in Washington DC. Below is a list of activities you can expect during your stay in our hometown.
Stock Your Kitchen with Goodies from the Farmers Market
The day starts with the opening of the Farmers Market, held on the lawn of the Museum of the Yellowstone, starting at 1 PM. Offering local produce, flowers, homemade baked goods, and a selection of vendors selling their hand created items, this Farmers Market celebrates the joy of small town life as it celebrates our country’s 249th birthday.
Pie on the Porch
Historically, families have taken their sweet treats to the wide front porches of their homes, especially in the days before air conditioning and our own Pie on the Porch activity pays homage to those days. Held at the Union Pacific Dining Lodge, each slice costs $5, baked by some of the areas most talented bakers, and although it is called Pie on the Porch, there is also inside seating should you want a roof over your head. Starting at 1 PM, this is a fundraiser with the money going to the Library Foundation, the sponsor of the event, but be sure to be there early, because once the pie is gone, its gone.
Buffalo Chip Chuck, 3-5 PM, Pioneer Park Baseball Diamond
A somewhat unusual event, the Buffalo Chip Chuck is exactly what it sounds like. Participants toss dried patties of buffalo waste, with prizes going to the one who can toss their chip the furthest. There’s no need to feel grossed out though, the chips are collected in the winter, are thoroughly dried out and cured, before being covered in a thick coat of varnish. This is also a fundraiser for the library in town, and if nothing else is good for a laugh and probably some dramatic gagging by the youngest in your traveling group. (But we bet that their dramatization is all for show and they may want to try some buffalo chip chucking themselves!)
4th of July Parade, Everyone can Enter
Aren’t small town parades just the best? This one invites everyone to take place, but if you don’t want to march, its ok. Every parade deserves an audience and we can assure you your cheers, waves, and applause will be most appreciated. If you do decide to participate, dress up in red, white, and blue, wave your flag, and watch your step; the horses that are in the procession do not wear diapers and their “chips” will fall where they may. The parade starts at 6 PM and you will be judged; there are 3 prizes given to the best costume or float!
Free Music in the Park Concert
Starting at 5PM and lasting until the Fireworks begin to light up the sky, the music will have you dancing in your seat and as the kiddos run mild around the grassy area, the music plays loudly, and the sun shines down brightly you may wonder why you waited this long to check out 4th of July in West Yellowstone. It really is the most fabulous of days.
Book Your Yellowstone Vacation Home Today!
Wild West Rodeo
Although the rodeo isn’t a specific holiday activity and it is held a little further away from the main parts of the celebration at the West Yellowstone Rodeo Grounds, this is an all-American adventure we know your entire family will adore. The rodeo starts at 7PM, so you may miss out on the music of the free concert, but we definitely think it’s worth it!
FIREWORKS!
The fireworks begin at 10:15 and by the time the sky lights up with the colorful explosions, we know you will be more than ready. Pioneer Park offers the best views of the show, but guess what? You can basically see the show from anywhere in town and that may include your own back porch in your Sweet Home Montana holiday hideaway. Reserve your favorite Yellowstone vacation rental today and be prepared to celebrate like you never have before!
The magic of the holidays comes from more than the gifts you give and get. It’s the feeling you get when you see the sparkle in your children’s eyes, it’s the way the snowy landscape seems to bring peace to your soul, and it comes from that child hidden deep inside you, the one that still believes in Santa Claus. West Yellowstone is a small town, and the families that live here year round celebrate the holidays in much the same ways they are celebrated all around the world and when your journey brings you to our doorstep for Christmas, you will discover a magic that speaks louder than gifts. This guide to our holiday events in West Yellowstone and your stay in our Sweet Home Montana holiday hideaways will show you how this Christmas will shine bright with all the magic it brings to those who believe.
Decorated for the Holidays
The shops and boutiques of West Yellowstone are special during normal times. But at Christmas? All decked out for the holidays, their colorful lights shimmering against the snow covered landscape and the sales they offer will make it easy to cross all the names off your Christmas shopping list. Buy your sister the homemaker something for the home from Sweet Pea Living, fill all your stockings with treats purchased from the Sweet Palace (they call themselves the World’s Greatest Candy Store and we wholeheartedly agree) and bring everyone home a souvenir tee shirt from Yellowstone T-shirt Company, all of which are open year round. Dancing Moose Gifts offers a great selection of toys, supplementing those that Santa leaves for your children.
West Yellowstone Christmas Stroll
The West Yellowstone Christmas Stroll is an event we can’t help but love, looking forward to it 364 days out of the year. (On the 365th day we are too busy enjoying all the fun we are having at this wonderful event.) Offering all the magic of Christmas, visitors can expect to find holiday backdrops in front of which the most festive of family selfies will be taken, arts and crafts booths that will allow your children to discover the joy of creating gifts for their parents, and maybe even meet Sparky, the Fire Dog. Rumor has it Santa is scheduled to take a break from his very busy Christmas preparations, and the games and activity booths will bring their own joy to the celebration. Also offering firemen reading Christmas stories and holiday food that includes S’mores stations set up throughout the area, the West Yellowstone Christmas Stroll is a magical event that offers moments that glimmer for everyone who attends.
Your Christmas with Sweet Home Montana
For many visitors, the choice to travel at Christmas lies in the realization that Christmas at home has lost its sparkle. Stores that start hawking Christmas before summer has even ended, the days spent trying to outdo the neighbor’s holiday displays (when did holiday decorating become a competition instead of a natural display of our love for Christmas?) and the cleaning, the cooking, the shopping, and fighting the crowds. The magic may have faded long ago, but in West Yellowstone you will find it once again. Our town is a small one, serving as the gateway to one of the most famous parks in the world, and at Christmas, the crowds will be gone, leaving behind happy families celebrating in all the best ways, and you and yours will be celebrating right alongside them, discovering beauty in simplicity and adding new traditions to your holiday adventures.
The Differences Are Clear
Even as many of your holiday traditions will stay the same, reading Christmas stories before bed, staying up late to put together complicated toys, and the sound of excited whispers when your kids awaken before the sun and discuss amongst themselves when it will be ok to wake you and start opening presents, the differences will be clear and wonderful. Your Sweet Home Montana escape will be in pristine condition, eliminating the need to deep clean for grumpy extended family members who never appreciate your efforts in the first place. You will have the choice of preparing your Christmas feast or skipping the tradition altogether and heading to local restaurants that will be open. (Hank’s Chop Shop is one of our favorites and is usually open on Thanksgiving and Christmas.) And for our guests who are not fortunate to live in an area where snow falls, waking to a landscape blanketed in snow will add an extra layer of festive to your Christmas celebrations.
Reserve Your Favorite Sweet Home Montana Holiday Hideaway Today
Magic and memories await you in our cozy escapes, starting a tradition that will be cherished for years to come.