BILLINGS – Dancing, drumming and intricate beadwork will be on display in abundance at the Crow Agency this August, but not without a lot of planning and effort from many people.

A choir of hammers resounds across the campsite as around 1,500 tipis are erected for the 2024 Crow Fair.

Thousands of members of the Crow tribe set up camp for a week in a traditional tepee shelter, the poles of which come from the national forest.

Some accommodations feature individual doors and details that represent the identifying mark of the respective Apsaalooke family.

“We’re rebuilding. Out with the old and in with the new. We’re building a new camp. The old ones are over there and over the years they’ve just leaned because of the weather,” says John Caplett, a Crow tribal member.

Caplett has been attending Crow Fair since he was a child. The event is part of his identity, and so are many of the more than 20,000 visitors who camp here each year.

“Every year, we get relatives and friends coming out of the blue. People from all over the country come to this one event. It’s fun. Every year, it’s basically the brand new year, a new year for everyone, just like December 31st and December 1st are a new year for us. That’s it,” Caplett explains.

Most people know Crow Fair as the tepee capital of the world, but there is more to see here than meets the eye.

Daily parades showcase Crow culture through the family’s artistic beadwork.

In addition, traditional dances in full costume are performed daily, with Native American participants from all over North America taking part.

“We have dance categories, we have veterans, we have the very young, we pay out to everyone. We reached our goal: $140,000,” says Brinna Melendrez, general manager of Crow Fair.

They compete for big prize packages, both cash and memorabilia such as trophy jackets designed by Crow fashion brands such as Brocade and Choke Cherry Creek.

From designers to dancers of all ages, Crow Fair offers an opportunity to return to one’s roots and visit and share a meal with relatives and friends under handcrafted poplar shade canopies.

“It’s a tradition that everyone has,” Caplett says. “At night, man, it’s great.”

A perfect setting for authentic Native American tacos, stories from the past and teepees as far as the eye can see. And all this every year in the 3rd week of August.

For more information about the Crow Fair, please follow this link.