The Black Hills Plein Air Paint-Out gathers artists in western South Dakota to paint the beautiful Black Hills in late September. The area offers rolling green hills, thick green forests, prairie, lakes, creeks, and wildlife. Hill City and Custer State Park both have a myriad of awe inspiring painting options, and a quick drive will take you to two historic monuments: Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial. This event includes daily plein air painting, homework displayed for sale in a gallery, Artists meet and greet, wet sale, Sponsors and Artists reception, and a Quick Draw Competition and Auction. See the Hill City Arts Council website for complete details.
The Black Hills Renaissance Festival, held at Kickstands Campground near Sturgis, is a weekend filled with magic, merriment, and medieval mayhem. Enjoy music, Renaissance-themed entertainment, and games. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. See our website for information about single-day and weekend passes and a link to purchase tickets. The location offers tent and RV camping as well as plenty of parking on-site.
First held in 1971, Lemmon's Boss Cowman Rodeo & Celebration is an annual, community-wide event. Highlights include rodeo performances Friday and Saturday nights, a parade Saturday morning, and a car show Saturday afternoon, along with kids games, inflatables, a farmers market, water balloon fight, art show, cornhole tournament, softball tournament and more. The full schedule can be found online. Rodeo admission is $12 for adults and $10 for kids, or weekend passes are $20 for adults and $15 for kids.
Given the great success of Aberdeen's downtown Wine Walk (held in May), we added a version craft beer lovers won’t want to miss. Sample local and regional brews, handcrafted and unique. Beer drinkers, this is your opportunity to pair two of the best things in life – shopping and drinking. The Brew Walk consists exploring ten downtown business stops on Main Street and includes craft beer samples from both regional and South Dakota-local breweries. Hours are 5-8 p.m. The start of the walk is at Malchow Plaza, 506 S Main Street.
The annual Burning Beetle festival in Custer was started in response to the 20-year pine bark beetle infestation in the Black Hills from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s. Community members wanted to make something positive in response to something destructive. Burning Beetle has continued and is still celebrated in mid-January each year and features the Burning Beetle Variety Show, Torchlight March, and the downtown "Bug Crawl", all culminating with the Beetle Burn and fireworks on Pageant Hill. See our Facebook page for the latest updates.
The Canton Open Air Market features homemade crafts, jewelry and baked goods, as well as produce and locally-roasted coffee. Different food trucks and musicians are featured each week. Held in Jack Fox Park 5-8 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month, May through August.
Castlewood Days brings the community together to celebrate small town life. Held annually the second weekend in August in Castlewood in northeastern South Dakota, this festival offers fun and entertainment for all ages. Events throughout the weekend and around town include a kiddie bike parade, bean bag tournament, 5K color walk/run, car show, tractor show, parade, inflatables, food vendors, a street dance and more. For the latest up-to-date information, check the Castlewood Days Facebook page. 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the event.
Celebrate Sisseton is an annual three-day event featuring stage entertainment, food and craft vendors, displays, a street dance, a pancake breakfast and a parade on Sunday. These are just a few of the events included in this fun-filled family weekend for all ages. This is also the alumni weekend in Sisseton featuring class gatherings and an all-school banquet. Come and join us in northeastern South Dakota.
Saturday, June 21, 2025, marks Farm Life Creamery's second annual Cheese Fest! Join us to celebrate CHEESE, our customers and June Dairy Month. At the heart of our event is our first Big Cheese Cook-off competition, where cheese must be the star of the entry. Come try all the entries and vote. There will be big prizes for Big Cheese Cook-off winners. Other activities include local vendors, kids' inflatables, live music, a petting farm, games, mini-golf, ice cream and more.
The annual Christmas at the Capitol display in Pierre includes nearly 100 trees that are decorated by volunteers from communities, schools, churches, nonprofit organizations and state government offices. This year's Grand Lighting Ceremony takes place in the rotunda on Tuesday, November 25, at 7 p.m. The 2025 display is then open to the public daily, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Wednesday, November 26, through Friday, December 26, including Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve Day, and Christmas Day. Other areas of the Capitol are also decorated for the holiday season, including the Capitol grounds. Admission is free.
