🤠 What's going on in Bozeman for New Year's & a Studio Wheelhouse giveaway

Howdy, Bozeman!

Congrats to our Jan’s Farm sourdough bread giveaway winner - Sydney Nelson! 🎉 Just sent you an email with the details.

Today’s edition is heavily focused on New Year’s events, as there are a LOT!

Wherever you spend NYE, I hope you have a marvelous time, and thank you for a wonderful 2025! 🥂

In today’s newsletter:

— Sam Buenrostro

P.S. For free entry into this week’s giveaway, reply to this email with the word “ARTSY”.

And for a BONUS entry, reply with a shoutout to someone who made your week better 🤩 Include their name and what you appreciate about them, and we’ll share some of the top answers in next Monday’s newsletter (your answers will be anonymous!)

Here are some of last week’s replies:

Looking for a fun place to make art and connect with other creatives? Meet Studio Wheelhouse.

Studio Wheelhouse was created with a simple mission: to give Bozeman artists and makers a welcoming, accessible, community-driven place to create and gather.

They offer open studio access where you can drop in and work on your own projects using their shared supplies and equipment, and also host workshops and classes led by local artists!

Whether you’re a painter, maker, photographer, or just looking for a place to get out of the house and make something with your hands, this is a special creative hub worth knowing about.

They’re currently on their holiday break, but will be open again next Monday, January 5th to kick off the new year.

You can check out their schedule, get studio passes, and learn more at studiowheelhouse.com, and follow them on Instagram @studio.wheelhouse to stay up on new classes and events!

Want to promote your event, business, or project to thousands of locals who read Howdy Bozeman every week?

🏈 Visit the Rocking R Bar at 4:00pm today for a classic Bobcat tradition - the Goal Post Signing. Everyone is invited to help sign a goal post from the Cat/Griz Superbrawl, where Bobcat football players will also stop by to eat, meet fans, and add to the bar’s iconic ceiling-hung memorabilia. Bring a Sharpie! Details.

🍺 Level up your backcountry skills at Pint Night at MAP Brewing Co. with Friends of the GNFAC (Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center) from 4:00pm-8:00pm. The evening kicks off with a quick refresher on avalanche rescue gear, followed by a friendly Beacon Search Challenge on the lawn, where you’ll race to find hidden beacons for prizes (bring your own beacon if you have one!). Details.

🎆 Bridger Bowl is hosting their Torchlight Parade with fireworks! Enjoy a spaghetti dinner starting at 4:00pm in the Jim Bridger and Saddle Peak Lodges, with live music from Road Runner and Brendan Nolan. Then, watch Bridger Bowl Snowsports instructors wind down the mountain with glowing torches, capped off by a fireworks show in the base area at nightfall. Details.

🃏 It’s Cribbage Night at SHINE Beer Sanctuary from 5:00pm-9:00pm. Grab a board, order a drink, and settle in for a laid-back night of cards. Details.

🎉 Families are invited to attend Noon Year’s Eve at the Emerson Ballroom to celebrate the New Year early with 90 minutes of kid-friendly fun from 10:30am-12:00pm. There will be global New Year traditions, crafts, games, music, dancing, snacks, and a festive ball drop at noon, all for $5 per person (everyone over age 1 needs a ticket). Get your tickets and learn more here.

✨ Sparkle Spectacular: New Year’s Eve lights up The Rialto from 6:30pm-8:00pm with a cocktail party and glittering burlesque performance by Raison D’être Dance Project. This 21+ fundraising show features DJ Missy Miscellaneous, a cash bar, and performances by RDE and Vera Visceral. Details.

🎉 Ponderosa Social is hosting a Hollywood Glamour Night New Year’s Eve party! First, they have a ticketed dinner experience from 7:00pm-9:00pm (limited to 50 seats) featuring a five-course curated dinner with wine or cocktail pairings. Then, the full party starts at 9:30pm, with no cover charge. There will be a live DJ, midnight ball drop, a free champagne toast, photo booth, drink and shot specials, and more fun surprises. Details on the evening (and tickets to the dinner party) can be found here.

🎿 Sky Shed is hosting a ticketed New Year’s Eve Après Ski party, ’80s-style, from 9:00pm-1:00am. They’ll transform their space into a retro alpine escape with cozy winter vibes, après-ski-inspired cocktails, light bites, a live DJ, and a complimentary bubbly toast at midnight. Tickets and more info here.

🍾 Plonk is ringing in the New Year with a special prix-fixe four-course dinner, featuring optional wine pairings from La Spinetta (Piedmont, Italy), live music by John Roberts y Pan Blanco, and a balloon drop with champagne toast at midnight. (Available by reservation only.) Details.

✨ Stop by the Gallatin County Fairgrounds from 8:00pm-1:00am for New Queers Eve: RIOT to ring in the New Year with DJs, burlesque, drag, and nonstop dancing. Ticketed event with pay-what-you-can options available. Tickets and details here.

💃 Ring in 2026 with the Bozeman Folklore Society at the Bozeman Senior Center Community Ballroom (807 N Tracy) for their New Year’s Contra Dance. Enjoy live music from Hypergolic, a light potluck from 6:30pm-7:30pm, refresher workshop at 7:30pm, and dancing from 8pm on. Details.

🥊 New Year’s Eve Fight Night returns at the Kimpton Armory, presented by Calafiore Global and Top Tier Boxing, for a high-energy event featuring Montana’s premier combat sports matchups. Doors open at 6:00pm, fights run from 6:00pm-10:00pm, followed by a rooftop after party from 10:30pm-1:00am with cocktails, entertainment, and a midnight celebration. Details.

🎶 Ring in the New Year with SoDown as he brings his Montana NYE Run 2025 to The ELM for a one-of-a-kind 360° Boiler Room-style live show, with the stage surrounded by the crowd for an immersive concert experience. Doors open at 8:00pm, the show starts at 9:00pm, and it’s all ages. Tickets and details here.

🎸 Local band The Hooligans will be playing a New Year’s Eve show at the Tune Up Basement Bar starting at 9:30pm. They’ll be playing their signature blend of roots rock, Americana, blues, and jam-driven improvisation. Details.

🍾 Enjoy New Year’s Eve at Devil’s Toboggan from 10:00pm-1:00am, with tickets for private tables including a glass of sparkling wine for each guest, one shrimp cocktail per two guests, and complimentary party favors to celebrate midnight in style. Tickets and details here.

😂 Last Best Comedy hosts their Last Best Night of the Year with two shows to ring in 2026. Catch Sammy Anzer for his stand-up show at 7:00pm, then stick around for the Comedy Countdown, a late-night mix of stand-up and improv with Sammy Anzer and friends (starting at 9:00pm), plus a midnight champagne toast and piano bar sing-along. Details.

🎆 New Year’s Eve at the Big Sky Resort offers a full day of celebration, starting with après-ski DJs and live music from 12:00pm-9:00pm. There are special New Year’s Eve dinners at Everett’s 8800 (5:00pm-8:00pm) and M by The Alinea Group (4:30pm-8:30pm), and the night ends with a firework show at 9:00pm and NYE Party in Montana Jack. Details.

🍾 Ring in New Year’s Eve at the Sacajawea Hotel with a festive four-course dinner at Pompey’s Grill, followed by live music from Rocky Mountain Pearls in the Sacajawea Bar from 9:00pm-12:30am. Details.

🎉 Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Sage Lodge with a festive evening for all ages. From 7:00pm-10:00pm, it’s the Kids Rockin’ New Year’s Eve, featuring games, crafts, movies, light bites, and a sparkling cider toast for the kids. Then, stick around at 10:00pm for the iconic Trout “Ball” Drop & Toast for a Montana-style countdown inspired by Paradise Valley’s fly-fishing roots. Details.

⛷ Crosscut Mountain Sports Center hosts their Cosmic Night Ski: New Year’s Edition from 4:00pm-8:00pm! Hit the 1-mile lighted loop glowing with cosmic party lights, grab glow sticks and glitter at the Nordic and Trail Center, and ski, walk, or dress up and with friends and family. Discounted night-ski tickets and rentals start at 4:00pm, lights turn on around 4:30pm, and true night skiing begins at dusk (~5:26pm). Walk-up passes and rentals available! Details.

🎶 Brian Kassay brings a solo set to Bozeman Hot Springs on January 1 from 7:00–10:00pm. A longtime Bozeman musician and former member of Laney Lou & the Bird Dogs, Kassay layers multiple instruments live to create a warm, folk-forward sound—perfect for a relaxing New Year’s night soak. Details.

Today, we’re highlighting Luna, a sweet, curious 1-year-old girl with a big heart looking for her forever home 🐶

Visit Heart Of The Valley Animal Shelter to meet Luna any time Tuesday through Sunday, from 12pm-5:30pm.

This week, we’re doing a giveaway for a 5 punch pass at Studio Wheelhouse! (On Instagram @studio.wheelhouse)

The punch pass gives you 5 day passes to use their fully-equipped art studio space, where you can access their wide range of art supplies, connect with fellow artists and makers, and enjoy complimentary wifi, tea, and coffee.

The giveaway runs from today until next Sunday, 1/4, at 11:59pm, and we’ll announce the winner in next Monday’s newsletter.

All you have to do to be entered into this week’s giveaway is be subscribed to this newsletter, and reply to this email with the word “ARTSY”!

Thanks for reading! See you on Thursday for our next pre-weekend briefing, and have a Happy New Year!

(Follow along on Instagram and TikTok @howdybozeman for regular updates on what’s going on in town.)

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