These 7 Wyoming Towns Have The Most Unique Festivals

Landlocked and sprawling with hilly terrain and acres of forest, Wyoming is a nature enthusiast's dream. Opportunities abound for hiking, camping, and off-roading, but there is more to this state than just its rugged wilderness. Small-town Wyoming is rife with its own allure, inviting all travelers to experience unique historic districts, fine dining, and a multitude of festivals. This article explores the most unique and interesting of the bunch; some go back decades, others are relatively new, and all of them are incomparable. Enjoy this deep dive into Wyoming's seven most unique festivals.

Gillette

Gillette's Donkey Creek Festival has a little bit of everything in June. Although it is primarily a music festival, artists and chefs also have the opportunity to showcase their creations to attendees in an artisans' village specially created for the occasion. Peruse the booths and admire the wares, for the local craftsmanship of Wyoming's best artists is on full display. Also featuring a lineup of over a dozen different musical artists each year, this annual event in historic downtown Gillette is located in the heart of impressive architecture and myriad restaurants and shops, ensuring that both within and around the festival grounds, visitors will have days' worth of activities to pursue. And best of all ... the festival is free for everybody!

Riverton

Calling all aviation enthusiasts: the town of Riverton hosts a festival unlike any other, centered around taking to the skies. The annual Riverton Rendezvous Balloon Rally, held every July, oversees the launch of a large gathering of hot air balloons. Celebrating its 45th annual Rendezvous Rally in 2025, the event adds exciting twists to its skyfaring ways: on Saturday night, during the “balloon glow,” food vendors serve a variety of offerings to the crowd, while local artists perform live music. All of this is followed by a fireworks display, so be sure to attend a unique celebration that takes to the air while also entertaining at ground level!

Laramie

A growing and thriving college town (home to the University of Wyoming), Laramie is a mix of youthful energy and relaxing days. Surrounded by nature, Laramie offers plenty of excursions into the Medicine Bow National Forest. Its annual Jubilee Days Festival was first held in 1940 to commemorate the anniversary of Wyoming's Statehood. Honoring its Wild West past, the Jubilee Days Festival hosts a multitude of rodeo events, a carnival, and live music. There is even a Jalapeno Eating Contest for those who are brave enough.

The festival, which is set to take place in July 2026, also aims many of its events at younger audiences. The Kids' Horse Show, for one, and the Amateur Bull Riders event, which allows kids to test their mettle in the Junior and Miniature Bull Riding competitions.

Jackson Hole

This festival is great for anyone who appreciates American history and one of the nation's most turbulent time periods: the Wild West. The Old West Days Festival, held in Jackson Hole, celebrates Western heritage and cowboy tradition through stagecoach rides, rodeos, a parade, and a lively schedule of heritage demonstrations that bring the frontier era to life. The town itself sits at the doorstep of Grand Teton National Park, and its rustic wooden sidewalks, antler-arched town square, and historic storefronts create a setting that feels like a living museum of classic Western architecture.

Taking place in May, the Old West Days Festival also features a chili cook-off, a brewfest, and the Mountain Man Rendezvous, which brings history to life. Rows of tents are erected, and skilled artisans teach axe-throwing, leatherworking, and blacksmithing to an audience of all ages.

Thermopolis

One of the go-to tourist destinations in all of Wyoming, Thermopolis is known for its natural hot springs and beautiful nature. Hot Springs State Park is interlaced with walking trails, and the hot springs themselves are said to have healing properties. If you visit during the third week of June, however, you can experience Thermopolis's festival, Cowboy Rendezvous Rodeo. Similar to Jackson Hole's and Laramie's explorations of the Wild West, this festival leans heavily into American Frontier roots, but also centers around the rodeo, which is the event's crown jewel. The rodeo features bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and more, making it a great crowd-pleasing spectacle for all ages.

The festival also offers food vendors, a parade, and the Queen Contest. The contest encourages young women to display their horsemanship through the sport of rodeo, promote their community, and display their poise in the ring.

Powell

Incorporated in 1909, Powell was once a cattle-ranching community and remains agriculturally thriving over a century later. So much so that its festival, Homesteader Days, is a celebration of the town's agricultural heritage and local history in September. The town website advertises that during the event, “the streets surrounding the Homesteader Museum will come alive with bustling steam tractors, music from The Rewinders, early pioneer demonstrations, artisan vendors, food trucks, kids' games and activities, and much more.”

The Homesteader Museum itself is an excellent companion to the festivities, with exhibits that showcase the early settlement of the Bighorn Basin and the stories of the families who first cultivated the region. Visitors often pair their trip with a stroll through the surrounding historic district, where the preserved small-town character provides a charming backdrop for the weekend.

Sundance

A name like Sundance might suggest a summery type of festival, but in fact it is the Winter Festival in February that Sundance is known for. Featuring a skijoring event, in which harnessed horses pull racing skiers through the snow, this festival, held every winter, turns downtown into a friendly and fiercely competitive snowy landscape. The whole town gets in on the action, with special drinks made for the festival and several vendors scattered throughout. Grab your warmest pair of mitts and choose your vantage point, because you do not want to miss seeing a galloping horse pull men and women on skis, through an obstacle course, and over snow-packed jumps right along Main Street.

Explore Wyoming's Festivals

From Riverton's Rendezvous Balloon Rally to Thermopolis's Cowboy Rendezvous Rodeo to Sundance's Winter Festival, Wyoming and its towns fully embody the state's vast wilderness and rich history. Offering festivals from border to border and season to season, there is something for every family in Wyoming, and at any time of the year. Enjoy this rugged state's unmatched beauty, and appreciate all that it has to offer in its unique festivals.