To provide an enjoyable, safe, year-round, and multi-use public facility, emphasizing opportunities in entertainment, education, agriculture, and recreation that enhances partnerships in building a stronger community.
The Fairgrounds is a true center for activities and events that enhances partnerships and brings the community together. Our multi-use public facility operates year-round, providing a safe and enjoyable space to host events of all kinds. From sports, educational, and agricultural events to wedding receptions, class reunions, and commercial functions, our facility can be adapted to meet all your event needs and create a memorable experience.
Gallatin County Fairgrounds Hosting Community Visioning Open
House
As a central,
multi-purpose space that our community has used to gather for over 100 years,
the Gallatin
County Fairgrounds is an important cultural destination and asset for our
region. In order to continue holding that honored space in the lives of our
community, we're embarking on a community visioning and master planning process
to understand how to best update and utilize this space in perpetuity.
Join us for the
Gallatin County Fairgrounds community visioning open house on Thursday, Feb.
29. The event will be from 5-7 PM at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds (901 N.
Black Ave. in Bozeman) in Exhibit Building 4. Light refreshments will be
served!
This is a first
step in the planning process and will focus on understanding the public's
diverse perspectives related to existing strengths, challenges and experiences
at the fairgrounds, as well as needs and ideas for the future.
Gallatin County Fairgrounds (GCF) has been serving the community since 1902 and the first Fair was held on the grounds in 1903. The property was purchased by a group of Bozeman pioneers in 1898 from the University of Syracuse with the express purpose of creating a regional Fairgrounds.
The property is currently comprised of 26 buildings on 78 acres surrounded by the City of Bozeman. Downtown lies a few blocks to the south, Walmart and the major shopping corridor along North 7th is immediately west, major hotels are within the immediate vicinity, and direct access onto I90 is right around the corner.
Historically, the Fairgrounds has served as a gathering place for the agricultural community and as host to the summer and winter fairs. Those roots still play a prominent role at the Fairgrounds today as the Gallatin Valley has grown and urbanized, and other uses and groups of people have become equally as prominent.
Increasingly, sports such as ice hockey, baseball, and the shooting range draw as much interest as 4-H and rodeo. The local 4-H continue to have their year-end shows to finish their projects.
Our recent history shows that the name of our Fair has changed over the years from GallaCo to Gallatin County Fair and in 2016 to Big Sky County State Fair.
The story of the Fairgrounds mirrors the story of Gallatin County: new and vibrant uses have begun encroaching on the more traditional agricultural uses and some of those agricultural uses have begun to move.
