missoula on main 2026- Save the DATE!
Celebrate the end of 2026 and welcome 2027 with Missoula on Main, Arts Missoula’s annual New Year’s celebration bringing music, dance, culture and community to the heART of Missoula!
This family-friendly celebration showcases the incredible talent and creativity of our community with live performances, the Dance Showcase, Spotlight Teen Singing Competition, Cultures in Concert, Candlelight Symphony and family activities at the Missoula Public Library, and more throughout downtown.
Then, as midnight approaches, gather at the ZACC for the Ed Norton Big Band Ball and count down together as Missoula welcomes the New Year!
Missoula on Main is about more than New Year’s Eve, it’s a celebration of the artists, performers, cultures and people who make Missoula such a vibrant place to live.
Tickets on sale November 2nd, 2026
DO YOU KNOW A MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT THAT WOULD LOVE A CHANCE TO PERFORM??
- DATE: Sunday, November 8th
- TIME: 10AM – 4PM
- COMPEITION DATE: December 30th at the Dennison Theater
- Please prepare 2 songs – be ready to sing them in their entirety, knowing that the judges can stop you if they’ve heard what they need to!
Missoula on Main, our NYE Arts and Culture Festival is full of joy for our audience and performers. We want to ring in the New Year with levity and fun. Ideally, songs selections should be something that the students can relate to and also keep the spirit of the event and new year in mind. Please encourage your students to find selections that follow these guidelines.
Audition sign-ups close at Midnight on October 30th so please encourage any interested students (grades 6-12) to compete the Google form at the link below. Only those who register online will be eligible.
Events – December 30th, 31st & january 1st
Cultures in Concert
dec 30th
Tickets
spotlight
dec 30th
drum brothers
dec 31st
Missoula mixtape
dec 31st
Event Info
Experience the world in a single event. A dynamic showcase of global music that celebrates cultural music from dedicated musicians and lovers of these beautiful forms. This year’s lineup brings an exhilarating blend of traditions and rhythms to the stage. Featuring Gender Wayan, the Balinese Gamelan ensemble, Celtic Dragon Pipe Band and Missoula Highland Dancers, the vibrant pulse of Samba Missoula.
Event Info
This event shines a light on Missoula’s young vocal talent, giving teens a chance to step onto a professional stage and share their voices with the community. Participants received free coaching and an acting for the singer workshop and a performance experience that helps them grow as emerging artists. At the heart of Spotlight is the celebration of courage, creativity, and youthful expression.
Event Info
High energy performances celebrate a diverse mix of world instruments and sounds: West African djembe and dunun drums, Middle Eastern frame drums, Australian didgeridoo, close harmony vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and original arrangements and compositions. They’ve been a featured act at the Seattle World Percussion Festival, and have shared the stage with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Also, featured on the award winning PBS series, 11th and Grant with Eric Funk.
Event Info
Missoula Mixtape is a 70’s and 80’s cover band. We would like to invite you to “80’s Prom,” our theme for the night at Missoula on Main! Wear your best 80’s garb and get ready for a radical night!
DANCE SHOWCASE
dec 31ST
Tickets
MIDNIGHT
BALL
dec 31ST
CITY IN HARMONY
dec 31st
FAMILY EVENTS
dec 31st
Event Info
A unique celebration of movement, bringing together performers who rarely share the same stage. An exciting opportunity to discover the depth and diversity of Missoula’s dance community, all in one performance experience. For the dancers, it is a powerful reminder that they are part of something larger: a vibrant, interconnected community of artists who inspire, support, and learn from one another.
Event Info
Ring in the New Year in style with the Ed Norton Big Band at our Midnight Ball! Enjoy the timeless swing of classic big band music and a dance floor made for moving. Come dressed to impress as we celebrate the night in true New Year’s fashion, with bar available. Ages 18+ are welcome and IDs will be required at the door.
Event Info
Experience the magic of a live performance by the Missoula Symphony Brass Quintet and Missoula Chamber Music Collective.
Event Info
All events at the Library are free and family friendly!
First Night, A History
The New Year’s Eve festival of the arts known as First Night began in 1975 in Boston, Massachusetts, as a project of local citizens who had originally met to plan a celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial the following year. Their desire was to re-energize the downtown area, and what emerged was an annual event based on four guiding principles: Community, Celebration, New Year’s Eve, and Art.