Parent and Family Weekend

∗Starred events are included with registration∗

10:30am – 3:30pm

∗Check-In.Pick up your Parent & Family Weekend lanyard/pass for events at the Museum of the Rockies, located at 600 W Kagy Blvd, Bozeman, MT 59717. Staffing is provided by the Bobcat Parent & Family Program.

10:00am – 4:00pm

Take a Hike. Visit the Outdoor Recreation Center adjacent to the Roskie Hall parking lot and Intramural Fields. Those interested in area hikes should stop by to receive maps and directions.

Outdoor Recreation Center, 1401 West Lincoln Street, Bozeman, MT 59715

Enjoy a Gallery. There are three campus galleries to enjoy:

Helen E. Copeland Gallery located in Haynes Hall;

School of Architecture gallery located just inside the East entrance of Cheever Hall;

The Exit Gallery located in the Strand Union Building

∗Visit a Museum. Check out the world-famous Siebel Dinosaur Complex and more, at the Museum of the Rockies. Those registered for the Parent & Family Weekend will receive free admissions throughout the Museum of the Rockies. 

Do you prefer something with fewer feathers and more recent historical advancements? We recommend the American Computer & Robotics Museum  located at 2023 Stadium Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715

Take a Tour. Self guided walking tour or Bozeman driving tour.

1:30pm - 3:00pm

∗Photos with Spirit. Alumni Plaza. 

2:00pm - 3:00pm

∗Welcome to Bozeman: Montana's Ski Capital! Please come and meet Adam St. Pierre, the head coach of our Nordic Skiing Team here at MSU and learn more about how to access all the great skiing opportunities (mainly Nordic, but also alpine and backcountry). In addition, Adam will share more about the MSU ski program and why Bozeman is such an ideal place to live, learn and train. Located in the SUB Ballrooms.

∗MSU Lecture Series: Jeffrey Arnett, SUB Ballrooms

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, the foremost authority on the age period from 18 to 29, who coined the term "emerging adulthood", is the author of the books Getting to 30: A Parents’ Guide to the Twentysomething Years and  Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties. He founded the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood and served as its first Executive Director. Dr. Arnett is a Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has appeared on national television and frequently in print media, including a cover story in the New York Times Sunday magazine. 

4:30pm – 6:00pm

∗Welcome Reception (Please check back for updates)

6:00pm - 9:00pm

The Bozeman Straw Bale Maze. Explore the straw bale maze, enjoy a hay ride, and more! 1340 E. Valley Central Road

7:00pm - 10:00pm

Swing Dancing. Sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement. Come by the Exhibit Building 4 at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds for swing dancing lessons and free dance from 8 to 10. $5 a person, or $10 for the whole family!  

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Jazz at Red Tractor. Enjoy weekly jazz at Red Tractor Pizza.

7:00pm - 11:00pm

Take in a show at the Elm. Montana favorites Satsang create a unique blend of folk, rock and hip-hop at The Elm, one of Bozeman's favorite venues!

7:30pm - 9:00pm

The Rastrelli Cello Quartet. Opened in 1919, the Ellen is one of Bozeman's oldest theaters, and they are excited to host the Rastrelli Cello Quartet, all the way from St. Petersburg. More about the event here.

∗Starred events are included with registration∗

7:00am-10:00am

∗Breakfast

Enjoy many breakfast options with your student within the comfortable atmosphere of Rendezvous Dining  Hall.

Please plan to visit during the following hours of 7am-10am and show your name tag to enter.

8:00am

Alpha Omicron Pi 26th Annual 5k & 1 mile race for the Arthritis Foundation. Check-in for participants will begin at 8:00am on Saturday, October 14th at Montana Hall on the MSU Bozeman Campus. The 5k and one mile races will begin at 8:30am and end at the Alpha Omicron Pi house where a light breakfast for participants will be provided. All donations raised will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation to support Juvenile Arthritis research and provide resources to families who have children that have Juvenile Arthritis. Register ahead of time. 

Location:  Montana Hall(Please park in Bobcat Lot 11 located off of S. 7th Avenue near the MSU parking garage and North Dome Fitness Center.)  

8:00am – 5:00pm

Take a Hike. Visit the Outdoor Recreation Center located on West Lincoln Street adjacent to the Roskie Hall parking lot and Intramural Fields. Those interested in area hikes should stop by to receive maps and directions.

∗Annual Solar Eclipse Viewing. This annular eclipse is the second of three notable solar eclipses viewable from the USA. It follows the ’Great American‘ total eclipse of August 2017, and comes six months before the Mexico-US-Canada total eclipse of April 2024.  Annularity, where the Sun forms a ‘ring of fire’ around the Moon, is visible along a narrow path that crosses the USA from Oregon to Texas, and luckily, in Bozeman, we’ll see around 72% coverage of the sun.  View from anywhere around town or campus, head to an open field, or consider Hiking the M for optimal viewing at 10:28am.

Montana State University is proud to be part of theMontana Space Grant Consortiumand NASA space research.

Eclipse Viewing pinhole postcard and viewing glasses distributed at Parent Family Weekend registration are provided by: MSU Academic, Technology and Outreach.

Outdoor Recreation Center, 1401 West Lincoln Street, Bozeman, MT 59715

9:00am - 12:00pm

Bozeman Winter Farmers' Market. Located at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds, the farmers' market boasts a variety of local growers, producers and artisans. 

12:00pm

Montana State Volleyball. Bobcats vs University of Idaho Vandals. Help MSU fill Shroyer in support of our Women's Volleyball Team. Use this link to reserve your tickets to the volleyball game.

3:00pm

∗Parent & Family Tailgate. Join us for a tailgate to mix and mingle with other parents and families before cheering on the Bobcats! There will be yard games and food provided, as well as drinks available for purchase.

Location: Bobcat Stadium, 1 Bobcat Circle, Bozeman, MT 59718

4:00pm - 8:00pm

Montana Fresh Hop Festival. Come and enjoy a variety of fresh-hopped craft beers, made by over 30 brewers from all over the state. Hosted at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds.

6:00pm

Bobcat Football. Montana State vs Cal Poly. Cheer on the Bobcats. Show your MSU spirit and make sure to wear blue and gold or your Parent & Family Weekend t-shirt! 2023 Bobcat Football tickets  will go on sale on August 7 at 10:00 am.

Clear bag policy for all attendees.  Bring the bags handed out at orientation over summer or purchase one at the check in table. 

Location: Bobcat Stadium, 1 Bobcat Circle, Bozeman, MT 59718

7:00pm

Kevin James Thornton Standup. come see Bozeman's comedy club, Last Best Comedy, which hosts travelling standup comedians, comedy tours, and a weekly open mic night.

 7:30pm - 9:00pm

Billy the Kid & Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. Join the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra in a performance of these exciting orchestral movements at the Willson Auditorium!

8:00pm - 12:30am

Western Roots Country Dancing. Enjoy some good ol' fashioned line dancing, courtesy of local BBQ joint Bourbon.