Under the Big Sky, one of the leading US festivals for Americana and country music, held its 2026 edition in Whitefish, Montana, with headliners Chris Stapleton, Cody Jinks and Zach Top drawing crowds alongside a strong roster of supporting artists. Now in its eighth year since launching in 2019, the festival has become known for its Western-themed atmosphere, complete with cowboy hats, large belt buckles and live rodeo events between musical sets, set against a backdrop of the northern Rockies.

Rolling Stone highlighted several standout performances from the July event, including Ryan Bingham's set featuring a surprise guest appearance from guitarist Duane Betts, who played his late father Dickey Betts' Gibson Les Paul during a cover of the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post". Other notable moments came from rising star Stephen Wilson Jr., Oklahoma singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts, who is breaking through nationally with her new single "Never Really Mine", and Kentucky musician Cole Chaney, who played a late-night set blending alt-country with Nineties hard rock at a downtown Whitefish venue.