Scenic view of trees and mountains during autumn in Montana.(Photo: Getty)
Winter powder in the mountain town of Big Sky, Montana, usually gets all the credit. But its autumn festivities are making us rethink our upcoming travel plans. Shoulder season sets the aspens ablaze, their honey-gold leaves fluttering like pennants against a wall of dark evergreens. Perhaps that’s what author James Lee Burke was getting at when he wrote his novel Light of the World,“The allure of Montana is like a commitment to a narcotic; you can never use it up or get enough of it.” As if the town of Big Sky needed another reason to prove his point, this fall brings a new temptation: theBig Sky Food & Wine Festival(September 24-26), a celebration that pairs the region’s spectacular autumnal scenery with a lineup worth planning a trip around.
“I’m so excited to host,” Ming Tsai, TV personality, acclaimed chef of Big Sky’s BāBā restaurant, and host of the festival, tellsOutside. His preview of the weekend is enticingly simple: “Some super talented chefs, incredible vineyards, a nice smattering of local talent, and nice curated dinners.”
What that looks like is more than 40 culinary heavy hitters—Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chefs, master sommeliers, winemakers, and spirits experts—descending on Big Sky for the occasion. Among them:Nancy Silverton,the pioneering chef behind Los Angeles institutions Osteria Mozza andLa Brea Bakery. “She is a living legend,” Tsai says.
But a guest list like this could draw a crowd anywhere. What makes this festival worth traveling for is where attendees are gathering. Imagine your wildest Montana fantasies—cowboy culture, mountain adventure, and over-the-top indulgence—rolled into one decadent weekend.
Adding to the appeal is a wave of new hotels that have made Big Sky—an easy hour-long drive from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)—more accessible than ever with a range of options from secluded retreats to buzzy, see-and-be-seen stays. The 2025 arrival ofOne&Only Moonlight Basinbrought a new level of luxury to Big Sky last year, complete with chauffeured ATV rides to guest rooms, three restaurants, and a new futuristic (and accessible for all)observation deck. Among the new restaurants isAkira Back, the namesake restaurant from the Michelin-starred chef, who will join Tsai for a festival dinner on September 25. “It’s going to be eight courses. Some Dom Pérignon and Krug will be poured. Gonna be really fun,” Tsai says.
But the marquee dinners are only part of the draw. During the day, the festival takes over theGrand Tasting Tent, where guests can graze their way through dishes from some of the weekend’s biggest culinary names while sampling wines from world-renowned wineries Château d’Esclans, Peter Michael, Joseph Phelps and more, alongside Montana-made beer and spirits. Over on the Culinary Stage, Tsai will emcee cooking demonstrations with Marc Forgione, anIron Chefwinner and owner of the eponymous Tribeca restaurant New York, along with Silverton, and Montana-based chef Eduardo Garcia, owner ofMontanaMex, a food brand based in Bozeman. If you missed him atOutside Daysin Denver last May, this is your chance to see him in action.
“Eduardo Garcia is a story in himself,” Tsai says. “He’s a Mexican Jewish Montanan who fifteen years ago,electrocutedhis left arm, so he has a prosthetic. But most of the chefs are jealous when he’s grilling because he can just grab the meat and slice it without tongs. Total badass and the nicest chef there is and cares about the world and the agriculture of Montana.”
Plenty is happening beyond the plate, too. Country music queen Brittney Spencer and folkternative artist HAFFWAY provide the live soundtrack, while the Montana Mixology Tent puts local craft spirits front and center alongside zero-proof creations. VIP passholders can slip into The Reserve, an exclusive tasting tent, and The Hideaway, a speakeasy-style experience featuring acclaimed bartenders.
Adventures Around Big Sky, Montana
And when it’s time to work up an appetite for the next course, there are plenty of ways to earn it. Just 20 miles south of Big Sky lies Yellowstone National Park—a requisite for visiting this stretch of the country,and a pretty spectacular place to walk off lunch. Closer to town, outfitters can put a fly rod in your hand (there’s also awomen’s fly-fishing schoolin town) and point you toward trout-filled rivers, while horseback rides trade the dining tent for wide-open country, with that famously enormous Montana sky as the backdrop.
By Saturday night, the weekend shifts into one final gear with the opportunity to attend a next-level pizza party hosted by Silverton and Forgione atTips Up, or an omakase dinner hosted by Wei Chen at Backcast atMontage Big Sky, followed by closing ceremonies and the Chef’s After Party at Buck’s Roadhouse—all while benefiting theBig Sky Community Food Bank.
“If you’re in Big Sky, I recommend above all to simply find a creek, river, hillside or meandering trail. Turn off your ringer and turn on your ears, eyes, nose and take it all in,” Garcia says. “Repeat until your heart syncs with your soul and the spirit of the space we call Montana. Everything else is a bonus!”
The Big Sky FoodandWine Festival VIP Pass is $2,000 for the weekend package and $1,200 for a single day. A General Admission Pass is $1,000 for the weekend package and $600 for a single day. Dinner tickets are available à la carte. Find tickets atwww.bigskyfw.com.