The Black Hills Bluegrass & BBQ Festival returns June 26–28 at Elk Creek Resort near Piedmont, bringing together national touring acts, regional performers, local musicians, workshops, campground jams, and a tradition that stretches back to 1980.

While the lineup includes award-winning performers and nationally recognized names, the festival has always been about more than the evening concerts. The weekend is built around participation. Campers arrive with instruments in hand. Workshops fill Saturday morning. Musicians who have never met before are placed together in the annual Band Scramble. Long after the scheduled performances end, picking circles often continue around campsites.

That hands-on approach is part of what has allowed the festival to endure through multiple venue changes and generations of musicians. The festival began in 1980 with the goal of bringing bluegrass musicians and fans together for a weekend in the Black Hills.

The festival’s touring acts are joined by a mix of family bands and regional performers including Murphy Ridge, Cynthia Ridge, Pearlgrace & Co., and Tequa Bluegrass Band.

Saturday afternoon the spotlight shines closer to home during the festival’s Local Showcase.

Mary Temple & Friends, Rhubarb Jam, and Humbletown will each take the stage, highlighting musicians from the region alongside the national touring artists.

Workshops covering fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, and beginner-level instruction give players an opportunity to learn directly from experienced musicians. A dedicated kids workshop helps introduce younger players to the music, while the Band Scramble pairs participants into temporary groups that rehearse together before performing later that afternoon.

The result is a festival where the audience and performers often overlap. One campsite may hold a touring musician. The next might contain someone attending their first workshop. By Sunday morning, both could be sharing songs during the festival’s gospel show.

The Black Hills Bluegrass & BBQ Festival runs June 26–28 at Elk Creek Resort near Piedmont. Admission is free, though donations are appreciated. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and shade, and camping is available on-site.

Theatre 605 Brings 1776 to the Black Hills Playhouse

The Black Hills Playhouse heads into Fourth of July season with a production that explores the debates that shaped the nation’s founding.

Theatre 605 opens 1776 on June 28, bringing the Tony Award-winning musical to the Black Hills Playhouse stage in Custer State Park for a two-week run that continues through July 12. The production features 15 performances, including a special Fourth of July matinee.

Set during the summer of 1776, the musical follows John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the members of the Second Continental Congress as they wrestle with the decision to declare independence from Great Britain. Rather than presenting the founders as untouchable historical figures, 1776 focuses on the arguments, compromises, rivalries, and political maneuvering behind the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Originally premiering on Broadway in 1969, 1776 ran for more than 1,200 performances and won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Songs such as “Sit Down, John,” “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,” and “He Plays the Violin” have remained staples of the show’s score for decades.

Director Dan Workman leads this Black Hills Playhouse production, joined by Music Director Vonnie Houchin and Choreographer Katie Gutmann. The cast includes Bryan Curtis as John Adams, Erik K. Larsen as Thomas Jefferson, Dave DeChristopher as Benjamin Franklin, and Romell Johnson III as Edward Rutledge.

Like several recent productions of 1776, the Black Hills Playhouse cast does not attempt to replicate the appearance of the historical delegates. Instead, performers of different genders and backgrounds step into the roles, following a casting approach that has become increasingly common in modern revivals of the musical.

Audience members attending the 2 p.m. opening matinee on June 28 are invited to stay for a post-show reception with refreshments and an opportunity to meet members of the cast and crew.

A pay-what-you-can preview performance takes place June 27 at 7:30 p.m. Seating is first-come, first-served.

1776 runs June 28 through July 12 at the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park. Park entrance passes are required. The production is recommended for ages 9 and older and contains some suggestive humor.

Black Hills Renaissance Festival Heads to Sturgis

Knights, fairies, mermaids, musicians, artisans, and costumed guests will gather in Sturgis this weekend as the Black Hills Renaissance Festival returns to Kickstands Campground for two days of entertainment, demonstrations, shopping, and family-friendly activities.

The festival takes place Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kickstands Campground just outside Sturgis.

Visitors can expect a full weekend of Renaissance-inspired attractions, including jousting exhibitions, sword-fighting demonstrations, live entertainment, artisan vendors, themed contests, food, drink, and interactive experiences throughout the festival grounds. Many attendees arrive in costume, though festival organizers emphasize that costumes are encouraged, not required.

The Black Hills Renaissance Festival began in 2021 and has continued to grow each year, drawing visitors from across the region. What started as a small local event has expanded into one of the Black Hills’ largest themed festivals, bringing together performers, craftspeople, merchants, historical enthusiasts, fantasy fans, and families for a weekend unlike any other on the local calendar.

In addition to live entertainment, guests can browse vendor booths, meet costumed characters, enjoy festival food and drinks, and explore attractions inspired by both history and fantasy. Organizers promise a weekend filled with knights, fairies, music, merchants, mermaids, mead, and turkey legs.

Camping is available on-site through Kickstands Campground for visitors looking to spend the entire weekend at the festival.

Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for youth ages 6–12 for a single-day pass. Weekend passes are available for $35 for adults and $25 for youth. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free.

The Black Hills Renaissance Festival takes place June 27–28 at Kickstands Campground near Sturgis. Tickets are available online and at the gate.

Black Hills Renaissance Festival

Sat, Jun 27 • 10:00 am

@ Kickstands in Sturgis

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Featured Attractions

• Jousting Arena
• Sword Fighting Demonstrations
• Mermaid Encounters
• Live Music
• Costume Contest
• Children’s Activities
• Artisan Marketplace
• Food & Mead

Know Before You Go

• June 27: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
• June 28: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Costumes encouraged but not required
• Free parking
• Rain or shine
• Tickets available online and at the gate
• Camping available through Kickstands
• No pets (service animals only)

One Last Show for Aby’s Farewell Night

The Aby’s Farewell Show features Fueled By Spite, Goodfire, Wicked Six, and The Fatal Few. The all-ages event begins at 7 p.m. with advance tickets available for $15.

Over the past five years, Aby’s became a regular stop for local and touring musicians while also hosting drag performances, EDM events, burlesque shows, community gatherings, and other events that didn’t always fit neatly into traditional venue categories. The former feed and seed building evolved into a space where a wide range of artists, performers, and audiences crossed paths under the same roof.

For many local musicians, Aby’s provided one of the few midsized stages in Rapid City where emerging bands could share bills with touring acts and build an audience close to home. Its calendar often reflected the variety of the local scene, with heavy music, alternative acts, DJs, drag performers, and community events appearing side by side.

The farewell show brings together four bands with roots in the local music community for one final night in the venue. While the event marks the end of Aby’s run as a live music space, the focus on June 26 will be the bands, the audience, and the room that hosted thousands of performances, conversations, and late nights over the past several years.

The Aby’s Farewell Show takes place Friday, June 26, at Aby’s Feed & Seed in Rapid City. Doors open at 7 p.m. The show is open to all ages and features Fueled By Spite, Goodfire, Wicked Six, and The Fatal Few.

StardustFest returns with live music, vendors, and wellness offerings

Founded by Black Hills musician and event organizer Bobbie Jo Kuhl, StardustFest returns to Hill City on Saturday, June 28, bringing live music, more than 50 vendors, wellness services, local artisans, and metaphysical businesses together for a one-day festival at Eras Event Center and Cohort Craft Brewery. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and welcomes all ages, with free admission for children 15 and under.

This year’s lineup includes Johnny Hastings, Chris Graves, Devon Sants, Abbey Leach, Zac Conger, Sundown Messiah, the Wambli Ska Drummers, Sultry Shimmy, and Bobbie Jo Kuhl.

Visitors can browse handmade artwork, jewelry, candles, herbal products, honey, baked goods, canned goods, crystals, and other locally made items while exploring a variety of wellness and spiritual offerings throughout the day. Attendees will also find massage services, tarot and psychic readings, energy work practitioners, and a wide range of local businesses and makers.

According to Kuhl, the name StardustFest was inspired by the idea that many of the elements found in the human body were formed in stars long before Earth existed. The festival uses that concept as a starting point for a day centered around creativity, personal expression, and sharing talents with others.

Advance tickets are available online for $12. Admission at the door is $25. Food and drinks will be available for purchase throughout the event.

StardustFest takes place Saturday, June 28, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Eras Event Center and Cohort Craft Brewery in Hill City.

Stand-Up Is Taking Over Rapid City

More than 25 comedians will take over stages across Rapid City this week, with nine shows scheduled at West River Comedy Club, the Hotel Alex Johnson, Uplifted Winery, and Robbinsdale Lounge.

What began as a local comedy festival has settled into a rhythm. Touring comics fly or drive into western South Dakota, local comedians join the lineup, and for one long weekend the Black Hills gets a concentrated dose of stand-up without anyone needing to leave town.

This year’s festival runs June 24-27 and features performers from across the country alongside several familiar faces from the regional comedy scene.

Opening night begins Wednesday at West River Comedy Club with local comedians and The Unrehearsables. Thursday’s show moves to the Hotel Alex Johnson, where comedian Zac Maas headlines an evening with festival guests. But by Friday, the schedule spreads across the city.

An early show at West River Comedy Club features Matt Cobos, Brett Hiker, Sam Miller, Hannah Popkin, AJ Grill, George Delgado, Gabby Gutierrez-Reed, and Trevor Ryan. Across town at Uplifted Winery, Christie Buchele, BK Sharad, Kelsey Rosen, Tyler Corbine, Tyler Mathieson, and Zac Maas take the stage before the evening shifts to the Alex Johnson for the festival’s main showcase.

Friday wraps up the same way many comedy festivals do: everybody ends up back at the club. The 10:30 p.m. late show at West River Comedy Club brings the entire festival roster together for one lineup.

Saturday follows a similar path with shows running simultaneously across venues before another late-night all-comics performance closes the evening.

Festival headliner Sam Miller makes his Black Hills Comedy Festival appearance during Saturday’s main show at the Hotel Alex Johnson. Miller, a Washington-based comedian known for his appearances on national podcasts and comedy festivals around the country, joins a lineup that includes Matt Cobos, Kelsey Rosen, BK Sharad, Hannah Popkin, Gabby Gutierrez-Reed, and Tyler Corbine.

One of the things that makes the festival work is that no two shows are the same. A crowd at Uplifted Winery will see a completely different lineup than the audience gathered inside the Alex Johnson Ballroom. Someone attending only Friday night will have a different experience than someone who bounces between venues all weekend.