Dino Shindig
July 25 & 26, 2026 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 14th Annual Shindig is July 25-26, 2026!
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 25 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 the talks at 4:30 p.m.
Extend your stay and join us on Thursday, July 23 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).
A full schedule of events will be posted on July 1, 2026!
Click here for last year's schedule.
Friday, JUly 24, 2026
Blind Contour Collage
Art Workshop with Jenn Hall
10 a.m. - Noon
Join us at the Central Schoolhouse Gallery at the Carter County Museum for an art workshop with artist Jenn Hall, who will guide participants through a blind contour collage project.
Cost is $15 per person and pre-registration at the museum is required. Includes all materials and two hours instruction. Contact us to reserve your spot.
Friday, JUly 24, 2026
Sister Museum SCIFriday
Program and activity with Museum of the Rockies
1 - 3 p.m.
Join us for our annual Sister Museum SCIFriday with Museum of the Rockies! Part of the 14th Annual Dino Shindig festivities, this event will include a paleontology lecture by Ashley Hall, Outreach Program Manager at MOR, followed by an activity led by the MOR team and the CCM Museum Educator.
Free admission, all ages welcome.
SATURDAY, JUly 25, 2026
Prehistoric Fight Night
2026 Contenders: TBA
7 - 8 p.m. 411 East Cleveland Street, Ekalaka MT 59324
T. rex had a bit that could crush steel. Spinosaurs 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 grownups) 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 during the 14th Annual Dino Shindig! We’re pulling fighters from all of prehistory, represented by an expert panel of leading paleontologists: (TBA)
Hosted by Rextooth Studios. Free admission.
Other events on Saturday, July 25: TBA
SUNDAY, JUly 26, 2026 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. Nature Hike
- 11 a.m. Speaker TBA
- 12 p.m. Speaker TBA
- 1 p.m. Microsite fossil activity
SUNDAY, JUly 26, 2026 AT 8:30 A.M. TO 5 P.M.
Fossil Field Expedition
Carter County Museum
Tickets for the 2026 Fossil Field Expedition will go on sale in January.
Registered participants should meet at the museum at 8:30 a.m. to sign waivers and receive their field assignment. Please bring your own lunch, a hat, hiking shoes, a water bottle, and plenty of bug spray and sun screen. The museum will provide digging tools and snacks for participants. 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 several sites and can find dinosaur, mammal, 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 and public 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.
