The annual Fort Pierre Horse Races at the Stanley County Fairgrounds are held one weekend in early October. Races feature quarter horses and thoroughbreds and start at 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5 (free for ages 16 and under).
Head to Fort Pierre the second weekend of August for the annual Fort Pierre Trader Days & Turkey Races plus Backyard BBQ Competition. Enjoy a carnival, music, children's activities, BBQ competition (Friday & Saturday), an arts and crafts show, turkey races, and more. Most events are at Fischers Lilly Park and downtown Fort Pierre. Activities start Friday afternoon and run through midnight on Saturday..
The Annual Hugh Glass Rendezvous celebrates the history of frontiersman and fur trader Hugh Glass, who is known far and wide for surviving a grizzly attack at the forks of the Grand River in 1823. Step back in history nearly two centuries and walk upon the site where history was made, where the man became a legend on the banks of the Grand River and Shadehill Reservoir, at Hugh Glass Park. Events include the Rendezvous, a Plein Air Paintout, guided hikes, vendors of period goods and more. Admission: The Hugh Glass Rendezvous committee asks for a free will donation from those attending. In 2023, we celebrate the bicentennial of the attack at the 6th annual festival.
Kick off your summer with a weekend of family fun this June in Lake Andes. Fish Days hosts the DC Lynch Carnival all three days, as well as lawn mower races, dart tournament, parade, kids games, fish fry, street dance, motorcycle blessing and more. Check out our Facebook page for future updates (Lake Andes Fish Days). 2025 marked the 90th Fish Days celebration.
Leading Ladies & Dakota Spirit offer the fastest marathon course in South Dakota. There is no better place to log miles than in the scenic beauty of Spearfish Canyon. The course departs from the Lead Country Club and follows a gentle, downhill, 26.2-mile journey to Spearfish through Spearfish Canyon. Distance options include full marathon, half-marathon, 10K and marathon relay. Runners are required to register. (Spectators are free.)
Enjoy the 39th Annual Menno Pioneer Power Show featuring steam threshing, plowing, baling, corn shelling, historic jail, sod house, 1884 schoolhouse, railway depot with sidecar, blacksmith shop, farm emporium, bread baked in a stone Russian oven and more. Activities for all ages: parade, children's pedal pull, rides and petting zoo, crafts, flea market, bale throwing, tractor pull and mini-rod pull. The 2025 feature is Massey Harris and Massey Ferguson along with Mopar Cars and Trucks. See our website for schedule and admission information.
This juried Indigenous art show and cultural celebration is a free annual event in the heart of downtown Rapid City at Main Street Square each July. Native POP features original artwork for sale by established and emerging Great Plains Native artists, a fashion show and a full day of cultural performances. The event furthers intercultural dialogue through this annual Native art market and celebration. 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the event.
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.
Join us in Wessington Springs for the annual Rockin' Ribfest BBQ Competition at Wessington Springs City Park. Ribs will be served until gone. There will also be live music. Event hours are 4-10 p.m.
Come see performers like the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at the 2026 Power on the Prairie Sioux Falls Air and Space Expo on July 18-19. The Sioux Falls Airshow is a free event with entertainment for the whole family. Show hours are 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Gates are open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Shuttle buses from parking locations are available.
