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Buffalo Roundup Weekend Brings Art, Music and 1,300 Bison to Custer State Park

The bison get top billing, but the Buffalo Roundup has become a gathering in more ways than one, drawing artists, musicians and visitors from across the region.

By The Beat Desk September 24, 2026

Before the buffalo start moving Friday morning, Custer State Park will already be well into the first day of Roundup weekend.

The Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival opens Thursday, Sept. 24, beginning three days of regional art, food, activities and live music at the State Game Lodge grounds. On Friday morning, attention shifts down the Wildlife Loop Road, where thousands of people will gather to watch riders move Custer State Park’s bison herd toward the corrals.

The 61st Annual Buffalo Roundup begins at approximately 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks estimates the current herd at about 1,300 bison. The Roundup is part of the park’s annual herd-management work, allowing staff to count, examine and sort animals according to what the park’s grasslands can support.

About 60 horseback riders, including park staff, selected volunteers and invited riders, take part in moving most of the herd toward the corrals. Once the animals are safely contained, visitors can watch park crews work a portion of the herd, including branding, ear tagging, vaccinations and health checks.

And while Friday morning’s herd gets most of the attention, there is quite a bit happening around it.

Three Days of Music at the Big Top

The Arts Festival begins Thursday with music running throughout the day under the Big Top Tent.

Thursday, Sept. 24

10–11:30 a.m. — Stringbean and Sally
Noon–1:30 p.m. — Jalan Crossland
2–3:30 p.m. — Johnny Hastings & Stillhouse Down
4–5:30 p.m. — The Wilt Brothers

Thursday’s lineup ranges from longtime Black Hills performers Stringbean and Sally to Wyoming singer-songwriter Jalan Crossland and the blues of Johnny Hastings & Stillhouse Down.

The music continues Friday as the activity at the corrals and Arts Festival grounds overlap.

Friday, Sept. 25

10–11 a.m. — Badger Sett Band
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Ryan LittleEagle
1–2:30 p.m. — Lonely Rangers
3–4:30 p.m. — Tyler Bills
5–7 p.m. — The Josh Cleveland Band

Badger Sett Band opens the day with music built around the poetry of Badger Clark. Ryan LittleEagle follows with his blend of country, Americana and First Nations musical roots, with Black Hills performers filling out the afternoon before The Josh Cleveland Band closes Friday’s live music.

Weather permitting, hot-air balloons will also gather on the Arts Festival grounds for a night glow at 7 p.m. Friday.

Saturday begins with a pancake feed from 8 to 10 a.m. before the final day of Big Top performances.

Saturday, Sept. 26

9–10 a.m. — Doug Figgs
10:30–11:30 a.m. — Allen and Jill Kirkham
Noon–1:30 p.m. — Ramblin’ Rangers
2:30–4 p.m. — Starr Chief Eagle’s Hoop Dance

Starr Chief Eagle, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Tribe, will also be at the Custer State Park tent Friday and Saturday for a hands-on beaded necklace activity and cultural storytelling before closing the festival Saturday with hoop dancing.

The Arts Festival

The 33rd Annual Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival runs all three days with regional artists and makers showing jewelry, painting, photography, pottery, woodworking and other work across the State Game Lodge grounds.

Festival hours are 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Friday with vendors closing at 6 p.m., and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday. Family activities are scheduled throughout the weekend, and small golden bison will be hidden among festival booths each day for visitors to find and exchange for a Custer State Park prize.

Need to Know

Know Before You Go

Know Before You Go: Buffalo Roundup

If Friday morning is your main destination, this is one event where arriving early really does mean early.

Parking areas open at 6:15 a.m., and GFP advises visitors to arrive well before the approximate 9:30 a.m. start. More than 20,000 people typically attend, and traffic and parking delays should be expected. Visitors must remain in their viewing area until the herd is safely inside the corrals, usually around noon.

There are separate north and south viewing areas, and visitors need to decide which one they are using before getting into line. You cannot move between the two once traffic is routed into the viewing areas. Reservations are not required.

Bring a folding chair, because seating is not provided. GFP also recommends layered clothing, rain gear, binoculars, a camera, water, snacks and sunscreen. Parking and walking take place on prairie terrain, so expect uneven ground.

A pancake breakfast is available for purchase in both viewing areas beginning at 6:15 a.m., and lunch will be available near the corrals after the herd has been brought in. Admission to the Buffalo Roundup itself is free, and a Custer State Park entrance license is not required on Roundup Day.

The Roundup may be Friday morning, but there is enough happening around it to make Custer State Park a three-day stop this year: the first musicians take the Big Top stage Thursday morning, the herd moves Friday, and Starr Chief Eagle closes the Arts Festival Saturday afternoon.