Well It’s time once again for me to return to the wonderful state of Montana for the Red Ants Pants Festival and I found out about this HUGE festival last year. One of my Montana readers turned me onto it. This festival was founded in 2011, and is a non profit festival dedicated to promoting women’s leadership.
MUCH LIKE ninety percent of the festivals I promote in my HUGE series that now spans over 175 editions, this festival is completely home grown. ALL of the festival profit is used to fund the grant cycle and also for women’s leadership programming by the Red Ants Pants Foundation.
This festival is so immense and has so much to do instead of JUST putting put the main and side stage I opted to record and create the ENTIRE stage lineups from their page. This project took some time to complete but HEY it’s a worthwhile festival, and it looks promising for an appearance by Gary Hayes Country.Com in the future.
This festival takes place THIS WEEKEND July 27-30th and YOU can buy tickets HERE.
Thursday, July 27th
11:00 AM Festival Campground open to the public
12 PM-2:30 AM SHUTTLE: Operation begins, will be running between town and the festival grounds
3 PM – 9 PM DOWNTOWN: Will call & ticket booth open at Red Ants Pants shop
8:00 PM DOWNTOWN: FREE Street Dance, Main Street White Sulphur: The Beet Tops with Square Dance Caller Chelle Karcher!
9:00 PM DOWNTOWN: FREE Street Dance, Main Street White Sulphur: The Two Tracks
2:30 AM SHUTTLE: Service ends
Friday, July 28th
8 AM – 2:30 AM SHUTTLE: Operation begins, will be running between town and the festival grounds
9 AM – 1 PM CRAFT FAIR: Meagher County Historical Association (Train Depot, 6th Ave SW & Main)
9 AM – 1 PM BOOK SALE: Used book sale at the Meagher County-City Library (15 1st Ave SE)
2:00 PM MAIN GATE: Will Call & Ticket Booth opens at the Main Entrance to the Festival Grounds
3:00 PM FESTIVAL GROUNDS OPEN: All arts/crafts and food/beer/wine vendors open
3:00 PM KIDS TENT: White Sulphur Springs FFA – Petting Zoo!
3:30 PM SIDE STAGE: Thom Chacon
4:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Pollo Loco
5:00 PMish SIDE STAGE: Curtis/Sutton & The Scavengers
5:00 PMish DEMO AREA: Trailer Backing 101
5:00 PM KIDS TENT: Montana Discovery Foundation – Exploring Fire Science
5:30 PM MAIN STAGE: Darlingside
6:30 PMish SIDE STAGE: Zoë Nutt & The Union
6:30 PMish DEMO AREA: Ranch Roping 101
7:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Lydia Loveless
8:00 PMish SIDE STAGE: Sarah Burton
8:30 PM MAIN STAGE: Shooter Jennings & Waymore’s Outlaws
9:30 PMish SIDE STAGE: The Riverside
10:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Turnpike Troubadours
2:30 AM SHUTTLE: Service ends
Saturday, July 29th
7 AM-10:30 AM CAMPGROUND: Meagher County Cattle Women’s Breakfast by the orange flag
8 AM – 2:30 AM SHUTTLE: Operation begins, will be running between town and the festival grounds
8:00 AM MAIN GATE: 3rd Annual Ants In Your Pants Fun Run! Meet at the Main Festival Entrance Gate (West)
9 AM – 1 PM BOOK SALE: Used book sale at the Meagher County-City Library (15 1st Ave SE)
9:00 AM CAMPGROUND: Yoga! North side of the campground near the gate. Bring your own mat and water!
10:00 AM MAIN GATE: Will Call & Ticket Booth opens at the Main Entrance to the Festival Grounds
11:00 AM FESTIVAL GROUNDS OPEN: All arts/crafts and food/beer/wine vendors open
11:00 AM HAY WAGON: Rides begin, service throughout the day until the horses get tired
11:00 AM SIDE STAGE: Beard and Moustache Competition
11:00 AM KIDS TENT: Leather stamping class with Shooting Star Saddlery
11:00 AM DEMO AREA: Crosscut Competition Practice – come try it out!
11:55 AM MAIN STAGE: Local Welcome from Meagher County Commissioner Rod Brewer
12:00 PM MAIN STAGE: National Anthem by Anna Berg, Sarah Schlepp, & Josie Berg
12:05 PM MAIN STAGE: Monica Rizzio
1:00 PMish SIDE STAGE: Izaak Opatz
1:00 PM DEMO AREA: Biodiesel in Montana
1:30 PM MAIN STAGE: Jeffrey Foucault
2:30 PMish SIDE STAGE: Christy Hays
2:30 PMish DEMO AREA: Historic Window Preservation
3:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Sarah Potenza
3:00 PM KIDS TENT: Women’s Foundation of Montana – Towers, Winches, and Catapults – Oh My!
4:00 PMish SIDE STAGE: Doublewide Dreams
4:00 PMish DEMO AREA: Axe Throwing 101
4:30 PM MAIN STAGE: I Draw Slow
4:30 PM KIDS TENT: Montana Discovery Foundation – Going on a Bear Hunt
5:30 PM MAIN STAGE: Red Ants Pants Fashion Show
6:00 PMish SIDE STAGE: The Lucky Valentines
6:00 PMish DEMO AREA: Mule Packing 101
6:30 PM MAIN STAGE: Parker Millsap
7:30 PMish SIDE STAGE: Maiah Wynne
8:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Asleep At The Wheel
9:30 PMish SIDE STAGE: Ferdinand the Bull
10:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Lucinda Williams
2:30 AM SHUTTLE: Service ends
Sunday, July 30th
7 AM-10:30 AM CAMPGROUND: Meagher County Cattle Women’s Breakfast by the orange flag
8 AM – 8 PM SHUTTLE: Operation begins, will be running between town and the festival grounds
9:00 AM CAMPGROUND: Yoga! North side of the campground near the gate. Bring your own mat and water!
10:00 AM MAIN GATE: Will Call & Ticket Booth opens at the Main Entrance to the Festival Grounds
11:00 AM FESTIVAL GROUNDS OPEN: All arts/crafts and food/beer/wine vendors open
11:00 AM HAY WAGON: Rides begin, service throughout the day until the horses get tired
11:00 AM DEMO AREA: Crosscut Contest Preliminaries – women’s, men’s, and co-ed divisions!
12:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Hot Club of Cowtown
1:00 PMish SIDE STAGE: Rodney Rice
1:00 PMish DEMO AREA: Timber Skills! Cross Cuts, Chain Saws, and Carpentry
1:30 PM MAIN STAGE: James McMurtry
2:30 PM KIDS TENT: Montana Discovery Foundation – Edible Anthills
2:30 PMish SIDE STAGE: Lazy Bones
2:30 PMish DEMO AREA: Crosscut Competition Finals
3:00 PM MAIN STAGE: Mandolin Orange
3:00 PM FOUNDATION BOOTH: Silent auction bids due!
4:00 PM SIDE STAGE: Old Sap
4:30 PM MAIN STAGE: The Bellamy Brothers
8:00 PM SHUTTLE: Service ends
Monday, July 31st
12:00 PM CAMPGROUND CLOSED – Happy trails!!!
We offer an enormous campground adjacent to the festival grounds.
• $25 per person covers you from Thursday at 11am – Monday at 12pm.
• Kids 12 and under are free, if accompanied by an adult.
• Camping bracelets available for purchase at campground entrances and main ticketing tent
• NEW for 2017: General Admission camping passes can be purchased online. You MUST present your printed proof of camping pass purchase at the campground entry for your purchase to be honored; there is NO will call for camping passes.
• The campground is divided into “Regular” and “Quiet” sections.
• Any camper, RV, tent, sheep wagon, teepee, or vehicle is welcome.
• Showers available on site for free.
• Potable water, porta-potties, hand washing stations, and trash receptacles are provided.
• Breakfast and ice available for purchase.
• There are no RV hook ups or power hook ups.
Sites are first come, first serve, but there is plenty of room for everyone. This is Montana-style camping, folks. Please only take the space you need and be nice to your neighbors!!
We ask that you leave no trace of your campsite upon departure, including trash. The Jacksons have been very generous in allowing us to use their ranch, so please show your thanks by leaving it in good shape. Thank you!
Festival Camping Rules
*NO PETS Seriously folks, leave them at home. We love listening to loud music, camping and carrying on in the hot sun, they don’t.
*NO OPEN FIRES (small camping stoves are allowed, but please use good judgment! This is Montana fire season and we don’t need to demonstrate how quickly a grass fire burns:) Thanks!
*NO WEAPONS, FIREARMS, OR FIREWORKS. Security will be checking weapons at the gate. You will be able to retrieve them at the end of the event. To save the headache just leave them at home. Thank you!
*PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHER CAMPERS. Everyone is here to have a good time. PLEASE JUST BE NICE!!
*NO ONE UNDER 16 OPERATING ANY VEHICLES. INCLUDING 4 WHEELERS, MOTORCYCLES, AND DIRTBIKES. We really don’t want to see anyone hurt at this event. 5 MPH CAMPGROUND SPEED LIMIT.
*NO GENERATORS AFTER 10PM.
*QUIET TIME AFTER 2AM.
*NO RUNNING ON THE DOCK. Just kidding, we don’t have any docks. LOL I saw that guys!
I usually include a nice Google map for every festival however I couldn’t find an address for this event so HERE is the local area motels:
Local Hotels:
The All Seasons Inn and Suites: 406.547.8888
The Spa Hot Springs Motel: 406.547.3366
Tenderfoot Motel and Cabins: 406.547.3303
Gordon’s Highland Hotel: 406.547.3880 (Includes camping and tent sites with RV hookups.)
Lodging a little further afield:
Bob’s Bar Restaurant and Motel, Neihart: 406.236.5955
Checkerboard Cabins: 406.572.3373
Crazy Mountain Inn, Martinsdale: 406.572.3307
Cub’s Den, Monarch: 406.236.5922
Grassy Mountain Cabins and Lodge: 406.547.3357
Heriem House: White Sulphur Springs, nhereim [at] yahoo [dot] com, sleeps 6
Martin’s North Forty, Wilsall: 406.220.3225
Montana Sunrise Lodge, White Sulphur Springs: 1.888.379.5468
Roots To Rise Garden B&B, Wilsall: 734-657-3056
