Dino Shindig
July 26 & 27, 2025 at 9am to 5pm
Annual Dino Shindig
Cost: $10 Adults, $7 Kids (ages 16 and younger)
At Carter County Museum 306 N Main Street Ekalaka, MT 59324
The 13th Annual Shindig is July 26-27, 2025!
Named Montana’s Event of the Year by the Office of Tourism and Business Development, the Annual Dino Shindig takes place at the end of July. Visitors travel from all over the world to hear lectures from leading paleontologists, partake in kids activities, and dance the night away. Talks and kid’s activities on July 26 are $10 for adults and $7 for kids (under 13). They will go on sale in-person at the Carter County Museum on July 26.
The Annual Dino Shindig Auction includes a silent auction that runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the St. Elizabeth Lutheran Church (where the talks are located). The Live Auction will begin after lunch at 1:30 p.m.
Extend your stay and join us on Thursday, July 24 at Medicine Rocks State Park for Sunset Yoga at 8 p.m. a Bat Walk at 9 p.m. and Dinosaurs & Dark Skies at 10 p.m. (Free admission).
Click here for the 12th Annual Dino Shindig Schedule (July 27-28, 2024).
SATURDAY, JUly 26, 2025 AT 4:15 P.M.
Prehistoric Fight Night
2025 Contenders TBA
T. rex had a bite that could crush steel. Spinosaurus had claws as long as your torso. They lived at different times, on different continents, but everyone wants to know…
Who would win in a fight?
It’s the question on the mind of every kid (and a lot of grown-ups) when they visit a museum or watch a dinosaur movie. We all have our ideas, but find out who the scientists would put their money on.
And the madness doesn’t stop there! We’re pulling fighters from all of prehistory! Tyrannosaurus rex, Palaeoloxodon, Quetzalcoatlus, and Mosasaurus! Find out - from the experts - which monster from deep time will come out on top!
SUNDAY, JUly 27, 2025 AT 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M.
Science & Cultural History Gathering
Free Admission
The Science & Cultural History Gathering takes place at Medicine Rocks State Park Group Use Area.
- 10 a.m. Speaker TBA
- 11 a.m. Speaker TBA, Burke Museum
- 12 p.m. Microsite fossil activity
- 1 p.m. Nature Hike (Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks)
SUNDAY, JUly 27, 2025 AT 8:30 A.M. TO 5 P.M.
Fossil Field Expedition
Carter County Museum
Tickets for the 2025 Fossil Field Expedition will go on sale in early January.
Registered participants should meet at the museum at 8:30 a.m. to sign waivers and receive their field assignment. Please bring hiking shoes, a water bottle, and plenty of bug spray and sun screen. The museum will provide digging tools and a sack lunch for participants. If you have a food allergy, please plan on packing your own lunch. A limited number of vegetarian options will be provided.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Where will you be digging?
This fossil field expedition includes exposure from the latest Cretaceous period (66-100 million years ago). Participants will be assigned to one of six sites and can find dinosaur and marine material, as well as fossil plants.
What happens to the fossils we collect?
All the fossils will be deposited at the Carter County Museum per agreements with our private landowners and the Bureau of Land Management. There, they will be sorted, prepped, cataloged, and made available to researchers. All finds will include participant names as collectors and will be identified as such if put on display at the CCM.
Please Note:
We are excavating fossils on BLM and private lands. As such, dogs and other animals are not allowed. Participants may not remove any material for personal or commercial purposes. The privilege to dig on private land is granted only for the duration of this single experience and participants may not return to the property without receiving permission from the owner. Violations of this will be considered trespassing and/or theft and will be subject to penalty under the law.
