It is the best party north of the Bayou! Celebrate Mardi Gras in the Wild West with a weekend full of free parades, costume contests, parties and live music. Make your plans now - you don't want to miss this cabin-fever-busting event in Historic Deadwood. The fun starts at 8 p.m. on Friday and lasts until 10 p.m. on Saturday.
The Mickelson Trail Summer Trek is a three-day bike ride of the entire 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail. Pre-registration is required (early registration closes March 31). The registration fee includes: three meals, six snacks, refreshments, merchandise, and shuttle service. Participants will enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills and travel through scenic valleys, old railroad tunnels, and historic mining towns. Check-in is at Custer and the ride starts in Custer on Tuesday and Wednesday and in Deadwood on Thursday. Lodging is the riders' responsibility.
The Evening Lighting Ceremony at Mount Rushmore National Memorial is held beginning the Friday before Memorial Day through September 30 each year. From May through early August, the ceremony starts nightly at 9 p.m., and from early August through September 30, it starts nightly at 8 p.m. From October through May, there is no ceremony, but the sculpture is illuminated nightly at sunset. See the website for specific details.
Join us for our ranch rodeo with events such as trailer loading, mini bronc riding, stray gathering, hide race, and the range ride. For the kids, we have a boot and candy scramble. It's a fun time for spectators and contestants alike. This annual event, occurring the third weekend in July, is held at the Murdo Rodeo Arena on the north side of Murdo. The Gumbo Ridge Bronc Ride is on Friday and the Ranch Rodeo is on Saturday.
Join us for a rockin’ good time at Deadwood's Outlaw Square on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. Free live music starts at 6:30 p.m. each week and features local and regional acts of all styles and genres. Bring your chairs or blankets and grab a good seat for this family-friendly night of music. The 2025 series runs May 28 through August 27 (except for August 6). Find the complete schedule of performers on our website (lineup and dates subject to change).
Cruise over to Mitchell for an evening jam-packed with excitement for the whole family. The free Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party will take place on Mitchell’s Main Street from 5-10 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the start of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Community members and motorcyclists from across the nation are invited to a night of fun with food vendors, stunt shows and live music. Vendors and a beverage garden will be available from 5-10 p.m.
Opening day of the pheasant hunting season in South Dakota is the third Saturday of October. The season then lasts through January 31 of the following year. Shooting hours are 10 a.m. (Central Time) to sunset for the entire season. (Central Time is used for opening shooting hours statewide.) Hunting licenses are required for both resident and non-resident hunters, including youth.
The Pine Island Gravel Odyssey (formerly Gold Rush Gravel Grinder) will be held on a Saturday in June in and around Spearfish. There are options for 45-mile e-bike, 65-mile, 100-mile and 210-mile gravel road bicycle races/rides/tours through the Black Hills. We look forward to another great season of grinding gravel.
Enjoy a beautiful scenic hike on rolling-hill scenery among more than 60 pieces of displayed art/sculptures and listen to live music performances at the best kept secret in South Dakota, the Porter Sculpture Park. Taking place about 25 miles west of Sioux Falls along Interstate 90, the Porterchela Music & Art Walk Festival's hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Festival admission is free and you're encouraged to bring your own lawn chair. Come and enjoy some summer family fun for all ages.
The greatest show on snow returns to Deadwood as the ISOC Amsoil Championship Snocross Series hits the Black Hills for the annual Deadwood Pro Snocross Races. More than 200 of the top professional Snocross racers will descend on the historic town's Days of '76 Rodeo Grounds for a weekend of high-flying, high-speed, high-octane snowmobile racing. Races start at 12:50 p.m. on Friday and at 8:25 a.m. on Saturday.
