Festival History

It was May of 1978 when the idea of a Bigfork Festival of the Arts was first proposed. As so often happens in Bigfork, it started with a conversation on Electric Ave. between members of the community. The first festival was held on the first weekend in August of 1978. It was a resounding success despite the committee’s inexperience. The feedback from the community was very positive and the group agreed that it should become an annual event. Elna Darrow served as festival chair for several years. In 2005, a committee of the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce took over leadership of the event with proceeds being earmarked for advertising/marketing Bigfork.

Over the years, the festival has grown steadily to its current size. In 2021, there were more than 150 booths representing a wide variety of arts and crafts by nationally and internationally recognized artists and craftsmen. Festival attendance is estimated to be more than 6,000.