BUTTE — They’ve packed up all the instruments and they’re starting to tear down all the tents, but the Montana Folk Festival in Butte turned out to be a great event that drew a large crowd.
“Turns out and it seems to be better than 2019, which was a record year for the festival,” said festival organizer George Everett.
Though it’s too early to get an official account, the six stages appeared packed throughout the three-day music festival.
“As many people, I think, we could squeeze into the Uptown were here and they came from all over,” said Everett.
Many people said they missed the festival after it had been canceled over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Oh man, this is one of the signature events in Montana, it’s fantastic to have it back. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Brian Johnson of Missoula.
VIDEO EXTRA: Highlights from the 2022 Montana Folk Festival
A storm that blew through Butte Saturday evening didn’t harm the event and organizers said there was a big crowd on Sunday.
“A lot of people left the site during the storm and they went down and just spent their money in local businesses,” said Everett.
The only major hiccup during the event was the mystery of the exploding portable toilet, which happened Sunday evening at Broadway and Wyoming Street. Fortunately, no one was injured.
“It sounded like a bomb went off on the street. People who witnessed it don’t know, they didn’t see anyone running from it as if it were an intentional act of vandalism,” said Everett.
The 2019 festival reported an attendance of about 165,000.
