3 Best Performing Arts Venues in Kalispell, Missoula, and Northwest Montana, Montana

Missoula is home to several film festivals each year, but the biggest and best of them is the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, the premier venue for nonfiction film in the American West. Over the course of a week in late February, 20,000 people watch more than 140 of the most compelling films from all over the world, dozens of them making their premieres. Most of the films are shown in the Wilma Theatre, a state-of-the-art venue with the character of a 1920s theater. For the locals, it is an annual ritual, and visitors, too, come from all over to spend a week watching films and hobnobbing with directors. This makes the cold month of February a perfect time to visit Missoula.

The Hard Grass Bluegrass Festival draws musicians from around the West for three days in July. Ten bands from as far away as Kentucky will rip it up July 23--25. Youngsters under 18 can bring their acoustic-stringed instrument for the Kids Music Program. The outdoor event also includes arts-and-crafts vendors, pickers' workshops, and food stands.

At the Missoula Children's Theatre, year-round productions vary from Broadway musicals to community theater for and by children from 5 to 18 years old. From October to June you can see local talent and guest artists (usually professionals) perform family favorites, and in summer there's a theater camp where kids are the stars of the productions.