Forget Me Knot Fest '23 - Benefit Music-Art Fest

Forget Me Knot Fest - a nonprofit community Music and Arts fundraising festival happening August 18th and 19th, 2023 in Cooke City/Silvergate Montana.

Severe flooding in the upper Yellowstone drainage in June of 2022 caused extensive damage to roads and infrastructure across the region. Yellowstone National Park was particularly hard hit with several roads damaged and in many areas, completely washed away. As a result, the north and northeast entrances to the park were closed from early June until the end of October.

As the singular, dominant economic driver for the region, the closure of Park access had devastating impacts on the communities of Gardiner, Cooke City, Silvergate, and Colter Pass. These “gateway” communities experienced a reduction in revenues of as much as 90% in lost tourism dollars. The regional economic impact was in the millions of dollars.

Forget Me Knot Fest - a benefit music and arts festival - was born of these circumstances as a means to 1) bring additional economic stimulus to the region 2) diversify the economic base by establishing the community as a destination rather than simply a “gateway” and 3) provide much-needed relief from the flood and other divisive topics to area residents in the form of a family-friendly opportunity to work together on a fun and positive local entertainment project.

Our mission is:

“To showcase the best in regional art and music talent against the breathtaking backdrop surrounding the mountain towns of Cooke City and Silver Gate Montana. And to foster our sense of community, fun, and adventure in support of economic flood recovery for this lively and aesthetic region.”

Forget Me Knot is a nonprofit project organized by hundreds of community volunteer hours. Your donation goes to: