Extreme weather has affected summer festivals in Butte, starting with a heatwave during the Montana Folk Fest and continuing with thunderstorms during the 20th annual An Ri Ra festival this past weekend.
Despite the rainy weather, organizers of the An Ri Ra festival consider the event a success and look forward to next year.
Meagan Thompson
“Friday night we had lightning delays that halted the show multiple times, and on Saturday we battled weather all day until the event was eventually washed out,” says Brendan McDonough, a member of the An Ri Ra executive committee and a festival organizer.
Although the storm disrupted the outdoor show, dancers managed to put on a final performance in the old church across the street. Despite having a small sound system, their tapping and jumping drowned out the thunder.
McDonough mentioned that despite the weather, the show attracted a happy audience. “A lot of people stayed around and were very polite. We were able to enjoy a good amount of music, considering the weather conditions.”
The 2024 An Ri Ra festival marks 20 years in the Mining City, and Brendan confirms that the show will return next year. “I think everyone’s pretty tired after the weekend, so we’ll probably take about a month off and then start planning for next year.”
