Celebrating the Blackfoot:
The Story of Montana's Iconic River
October 2 - 4, 2026
The Wilma and other locations, Missoula, MT
Image: Jerry O’Connell
The sixth biennial festival, “Celebrating the Blackfoot: The Story of Montana’s Iconic River” will honor the far-reaching role that the Blackfoot River watershed has played in western culture and history: home to Indigenous Peoples, ‘Road to the Buffalo’, Meriwether Lewis, mining, logging and the ongoing restoration of the river.
Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It has captivated international attention for 50 years, drawing nature lovers from across the globe, contributing to Missoula and Montana’s tourism and fly fishing industry.
Past participants include: Timothy Egan, Terry Tempest Williams, Tom Skerritt, Robert Redford, Doug Peacock, Rick Bass, Kevin Red Star, Bill McKibben, Shane Doyle, Debra Magpie Earling, Annick Smith, Tracy Stone-Manning, Governor Steve Bullock and Senator John Tester, among others.
The 2026 Norman Maclean Literary Festival will be a celebration of rivers, placing our beloved Blackfoot River in the spotlight.
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”