Weekend PICKS: Thursday, December 14th thru Sunday, December 17th
Tami Hubbard
Posted On December 14, 2023
Is there anything else going on beside the Griz FCS Semifinal Game vs NDSU Saturday? A lot! The MUG has compiled the most comprehensive list of events from Thursday thru Sunday in Missoula and around Western Montana, all right here for you to make your own Weekend PICKS!
All the buzz is about Saturday when #2-ranked University of Montana Griz Football (10-1) meets the #7-ranked NDSU Bison (8-3) for the FCS Playoff game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, with kickoff at 2:30 pm. Game tickets went on sale & sold out in about five minutes, but pretty much every bar TV screen will be locked on to watch Saturday afternoon…Go Griz!
And, hey! The annual tradition with the Western Montana Santa FlyOver is happening starting at 6:30 pm Friday night. Get the young’uns outside to watch the big fella fly over the Missoula valley.
If you’re running behind on your gift shopping, there are still some holiday craft shows and markets around Western Montana, including at Imagine Nation Brewing (Friday); December Jingle Bash Craft Fair at the Missoula Senior Center (Saturday); Holiday Pop-Up at Cranky Sam (Sunday); Winter Market (in Ronan (Sunday); and others in the surrounding area. Help keep your money circulating in Montana, do your gift shopping with local vendors and businesses.
Similarly, more holiday live performances are in happening, including MCT’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” all weekend at the Missoula Performing Arts Center; “Jingle Bell Rock Bottom” all weekend at The ZACC; Garden City Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” at the UM Montana Theatre; “The Grinch Returns” Friday & Saturday at Cutler Brothers Theatre in Deer Lodge; “Holiday Swing Set” with the UM Jazz Band II at The Wilma; “Nutts Crackl’n Burlesque” Friday & Saturday in Kalispell; – and that’s just scratching the surface!
More of our Montana ski areas are open this weekend, with Discovery, Lookout Pass, Whitefish running their lifts. Lost Trail opens Thursday! Snowbowl is cleared by the USFS, and quietly planning a soft opening on the bottom runs Sunday.
Draught Works’ Christmas Steamer with fresh steamed mussels, flash carmelized Graupelbock Doppelbock, ice carving, the Tuba Santas, and all sorts of merry shenanigans is happening Friday from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. There are Christmas Sweater parties at Old Bull Brewing (Friday/Frenchtown) and Cranky Sam (Downtown Missoula) and general merriment everywhere you’ll go.
There are over 90 local music shows of one kind or another in the area throughout the weekend… we have options!
No matter what direction you wanna get outta town, you can’t go wrong. Lots of holiday activities and events are happening not only around Missoula, but all the way up the Flathead and the Bitterroot valleys, east to Phillipsburg and Anaconda, and out west past Alberton. If you’re headed up to Whitefish and Glacier, there are some outstanding pit stops to make along the way.
Get out and enjoy our locally-owned bars & restaurants with Montana grown / made food and beverages – they need your business! Try a new local brew! Support our local artists and vendors at the winter holiday craft markets. Take the family for a brisk hike. Catch a classic movie screening or a stand-up comedy night. Stretch that big brain at one of the local trivia nights. Sing your favorite karaoke song, or catch a live music show. Enjoy safely and responsibly.
Please confirm event details at the source before you go. Last minute changes are common, especially due to weather. With each event listing, we try to include a web page or event link with more information you can check for changes.
“What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.”
— Phyllis Diller
Do you have a Western Montana event coming up that you would like to have included on The MUG? Click HERE to submit your event!
THURSDAY, December 14
Events for December 14, 2023
Friday, December 15
Events for December 15, 2023
SATURDAY, December 16
Events for December 16, 2023
SUNDAY, December 17
Events for December 17, 2023
Please confirm event details at the source before you go. Last minute changes are common, especially due to weather. With each event listing, we try to include a web page or event link with more information you can check for changes.
Do you have a Western Montana event you would like to have included on The MUG? Click HERE to submit your event!
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