15 Years of Grass Roots Music, Good Food & Good Company: Red Ants Pants Celebrates 15 Years
- Jordy Jones
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
From 2011 to now, the Red Ants Pants Festival
Written By Jordy Jones, Contributing Editor, Montana Edit
For nearly fifteen years, Montanans have been gathering in White Sulphur Springs to staycation in honor of grass roots music. Some take off work, or some just call it part of their annual summer plans, all roads lead to the Red Ants Pants Music Festival. Over 30 bands will be making their way to the festival stage July 23rd - July 26th, 2026 to bring music goers four fun days of live music and camping on a cattle ranch.
The festival first began during the especially hot summer of 2011, however, the mission of Red Ants Pants had been alive for years before. In 2004, a woman by the name of Sarah Calhoun founded something more than Red Ants Pants, she found a way to help women show up in the world.
“Sarah Calhoun decided to do something about it and became the founder and owner of the Red Ants Pants apparel company that specializes in durable and flattering workwear for women. Originally created to serve a need that didn’t exist in the market: there simply weren’t work pants for women who worked hard outside,” Kathy Weber, PR Coordinator for the festival shared.
Years later, Red Ants Pants also has a Foundation that uplifts women's leadership, supporting working women and their families in rural Montana.
With a powerful purpose behind it, and a plan for the upcoming 15th year milestone this summer, the Red Ants Pants Music Festival is a wonderful way to disconnect from a busy schedule, and reconnect with the bliss and beauty that only outside being under the Montana sky with good music can bring.
The festival is excited to pay homage to its roots.
“This year we are highlighting the work of the Foundation in a special way through pre-festival Work Skills workshops, film screenings, and a grantee panel discussion. We are excited to add value for our attendees that reflects our mission, while maintaining fan-favorites like the Beard and Moustache and crosscut competitions. It’s a big milestone for us and we dreamt up a host of special experiences to thank everyone for being an important part of our mission to bring good folks together to celebrate rural Montana,” officials of the festival said to the Montana Edit.
“It sounded crazy, but exciting,” a local Montanan, Kari Jo Kiff shared. Kari Jo, a local to White Sulphur Springs, has worked to help the festival since its inception.
“It was hard to conceptualize, at first. We had to think about what this would look like and the impact on the community,” she said. “We all really just jumped into a planning mode with all of the community agencies and partners to work together to bring it to life.”
Bring it to life they did, the festival isn’t necessarily trying to get bigger, just continue to give festival goers an authentic Montana experience.
“Held in a sweet clover cow pasture on the Jackson Ranch, and surrounded by the Big Belt, Little Belt, and Castle Mountain ranges, the festival will bring in more than two dozen different artists performing on separate stages. The weekend-long, grassroots, Americana music festival brings in millions of dollars to the rural economy,” the festival said.
With names like Molly Tuttle, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Brandy Clark and many more, the weekend marks a stamp of time, wrapping all of your favorite, or soon to be favorite blue grass and roots music artists into an unforgettable four day music extravaganza.
“From award-winning legends on the Main Stage, to some amazing new musicians on the Side Stage, we truly believe there is something for everyone. You might find your new favorite band just before singing along with musicians you’ve known and loved for years. A few Side Stage artists you won’t want to miss include the indigenous storytelling and lyrics of Ken Pomeroy, and the cumbia beats of one of the world’s greatest accordion players, Yeison Landero,” the festival exclusively told the Montana Edit.
The festival grounds open Wednesday, July 22nd at 4:00 p.m. with the Montana Opera performing “A River Runs Through It,” at 7:00 p.m. From there, the festival activities begin and don’t stop until the festival ends late Sunday night. The festival’s schedule can be viewed on their website here. With activities and music from sun up to sun down, the festival has planned and prepared some of the best vendors in the state to come and pamper your festival experience.
From cajun to Cowboy Catering, the list of festival vendors boasts a beautiful variety of different ways to eat and drink over your staycation. A twice James Beard nominated kitchen, a Chippewa Cree fry bread tradition 40 years in the making, handcrafted paella pans, Montana BBQ, Mediterranean gyros, Golden Wok stir fry, island soba noodles, and more than a dozen other vendors span every craving from savory to sweet.
Great drinks by great companies too. When you need something to wash it all down, the beverage lineup runs deep with Montana craft beers, hard ciders, canned wines, and huckleberry seltzers, with proceeds going straight to the Red Ants Pants Foundation.
Tickets and camping passes are on sale now for the 15th Annual Red Ants Pants Festival, and group texts are making their plans for making the most of the four days in White Sulphur Springs. Wednesday and Thursday, festival goers can set up camp and enjoy the many festival experiences before the music starts. From workshops to the annual street dance, there is an event for everyone! The first act, Cowboy Larry, the festival's side stage ambassador, will kick off music at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
For tickets to the festival, head to their official website here.