Fans followed the legendary Jerry Douglas Band from stage to stage in Uptown Butte to savor the American dobro master and the gifted musicians with him. A few blocks away, the boisterous lead singer for the 79rs Gang out of New Orleans wrung a lusty cheer from the Dance Pavilion crowd when he coaxed a middle-aged white guy to give funky a try. Reverie Road stirred Butte’s Irish soul.
For the first time, the main stage at the Original headframe hosted the crowd-pleasing Indigenous designers fashion show. And on it went, with a memorably diverse lineup of musicians and genres and sound mixed by people with good ears. The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research surveyed 567 attendees during the July 12-14 Montana Folk Festival in 2024.
Kudos reigned. People praised the event’s well-oiled organization, the diversity of talented musicians, the quality of sound and much more about the famously free festival. One key finding: 90.
5% of respondents described plans to return to the festival in 2025. George Everett is executive director of Mainstreet Uptown Butte, the nonprofit that plays a key role organizing the Montana Folk Festival each year. He said the survey by The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research costs just $700 and yields invaluable information.
“While we welcome feedback from a variety of sources, the real time feedback from the on-site survey is golden,” Everett said. “It provides a statistically relevant sample of attendees that allows ITTR and t.
