Chris Stapleton Set to Bring His Soul and Smoke to Montana — Headlining the 2026 Under the Big Sky Festival.LC
Country music star Chris Stapleton will be headlining the Under the Big Sky music festival next summer along with Zach Top and Cody Jinks.
The 2026 rendition of the popular festival will host more than 40 artists straddling outlaw country, indie rock, bluegrass, folk and Montana’s musical scene, organizers said. The three-day event will take place on July 17, 18 and 19.
The music festival, which usually brings about 20,000 to the area, runs Friday through Sunday with sets starting at noon and wrapping up at 11 p.m. The three-day event takes place on Big Mountain Ranch east of Whitefish.
Stapleton, an 11-time Grammy Award winner, will headline alongside two of Under the Big Sky’s longtime favorites, Zach Top, whose throwback twang and sharp songwriting have set him at the center of modern country’s traditionalist revival, and Cody Jinks, the Texan outlaw powerhouse beloved for his gritty, truth-first storytelling.
The festival lineup also includes Ryan Bingham and Texas Gentlemen, whose roots-driven sound channels the rugged soul of the American West; southern rock and blues star Marcus King Band; the contemplative Virginian Charles Wesley Godwin; genre spanning guitarist and song-writer Stephen Wilson Jr.; the theatrical cosmic cowgirl Kaitlin Butts; and the return of only band to play every edition of the festival, Hogslop String Band.
This year’s event will feature the festival debut of the folk rock giants Of Monsters and Men; boundary pushing stars Greensky Bluegrass; the high energy sounds of Americana string veterans Old Crow Medicine Show; panhandle rockers Rattlesnake Milk; Canadian indie-folk duo Ocie Elliott; and the rootsy Appalachia artist Cole Chaney. Sandpoint, Idaho’s retro-styled Gabriella Rose and Pacific Northwest folk newcomers The Brudi Brothers are also slated to perform.
As in previous years, the festival will also feature Flathead-based acts like Archertown, Hannah King, Michelle Rivers, Radio Ranch and Tomara. The Flathead Valley musicians will be complemented by Missoula’s bluegrass favorite Blue Point and emerging force Kyle Hunter Band as well as Bozeman’s beloved Madeline Hawthorne.
Under The Big Sky is open to fans of all ages with 3-Day general admission or VIP passes (21+) available, along with complimentary general admission passes with RSVP for children 36″ and under.
Fans are encouraged to sign up for access to the SMS presale on Friday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. Mountain Time by texting ‘OUTRIDERS’ to 406-341-2944. The general sale begins Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. Mountain Time.
