Friday, Nov. 13, to Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026
The Monument in Rapid City packs Saturday with the ninth Mountain West Beer Fest, a free 200-vendor holiday market and a Jackrabbits basketball game, while Lead's Historic Homestake Opera House fills with decorated trees for A Dickens Christmas. Spearfish hosts the Dakota Challenge, a basketball doubleheader both nights with Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines, and Deadwood gives away its 150th anniversary motorcycle.
Rapid City and Box Elder
Friday
- Turtle Soup: Bruce Roseland, Journey Museum and Learning Center, 222 New York St., Rapid City, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. The state poet laureate talks about his anthology "Our South Dakota."
- Food for Thought, Vendor Emporium and Curiosities, 317 E. St. Patrick St., Rapid City, doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Local performers stage original short plays by local playwrights. Admission is by donation and benefits Feeding South Dakota.
- "The Four Horsemen", Black Hills Community Theatre, Studio Theater, Performing Arts Center of Rapid City, 601 Columbus St., 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. The closing weekend of L.D. Potter's world premiere comedy about War, Famine, Pestilence and Death and the annoyances of the job. Ages 14 and up; bring a nonperishable food item for Feeding South Dakota.
- Rapid City Rush vs. Tahoe Knight Monsters, Ice Arena, The Monument, Rapid City, 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets from $29.50. Saturday is Veterans Appreciation night.
Saturday
- Winter Marketplace Pop Up, Barnett Fieldhouse, The Monument, Rapid City, starting at 10 a.m. Free. More than 200 vendors bring handmade goods, holiday decor, treats and local finds.
- Black Hills Kid-Made Market, Walter Taylor 4-H Building, 601 E. Centre St., Rapid City, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free. Every vendor at the third annual market is 19 or younger, selling baked goods, crochet, fishing lures and more.
- Custer State Park Presents: Bighorn Sheep, Rapid City Public Library Downtown, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Park naturalists tell the story of the Black Hills herd.
- Mountain West Beer Fest, Rushmore Hall, The Monument, Rapid City, 1 to 5 p.m., VIP entry at noon. Tickets from $29.25. The ninth annual festival pours more than 200 beers, seltzers and nonalcoholic drinks from 80-plus breweries, with food trucks and games. Ages 21 and up.
- South Dakota State men's basketball vs. Northern Colorado, Summit Arena, The Monument, Rapid City, 2 p.m., doors at 1 p.m. Tickets from $18. The Jackrabbits play a nonconference game out west.
Sunday
- Paul Horsted: "South Dakota Yesterday and Today", Rapid City Public Library Downtown, 1 to 2 p.m. The photographer shares then-and-now images of 350 historic South Dakota sites.
- Black Hills Chili Bowl, Hotel Alex Johnson, 523 Sixth St., Rapid City, 1 to 3 p.m. $30, free for kids 12 and under, or $15 at the door with three cans of food for Feeding South Dakota. Fifteen local kitchens compete and tasters vote, the Rapid City Post reports.
Spearfish, Deadwood, Lead and Sturgis
Friday
- A Dickens Christmas: Festival of Trees preview night, Historic Homestake Opera House, 313 W. Main St., Lead, 4 p.m. Free. Stroll the trees and wreaths with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate and a silent auction. Donations for the Boys and Girls Club or Twin City Animal Shelter are welcome.
- Dakota Challenge, Donald E. Young Center, Black Hills State University, Spearfish. South Dakota Mines plays UMary at 5 p.m. Friday, and No. 6 Black Hills State hosts Minot State at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Mines meets Minot State at 4 p.m. and the Yellow Jackets face UMary at 6 p.m.
- Northern Hills Chamber Chorale, Meier Hall, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, 7 p.m. Free. The Dakota Chamber Orchestra follows Saturday at 7 p.m., and Bella Bjordahl gives her senior recital Sunday at 2 p.m., all free in Meier Hall.
- "Endgame", Woodburn Theatre, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. BHSU Theatre closes its run of Samuel Beckett's tragicomedy about four people waiting out an unspecified end.
Saturday
- Deadwood's 150th Motorcycle Giveaway Party, Saloon No. 10, Deadwood, 1 to 5 p.m. Free. Deadwood History draws the winning ticket for its custom anniversary motorcycle, with music by The Flanstones, a silent auction and whiskey tastings.
- Historical Poetry Writing Workshop, High Plains Western Heritage Center, 825 Heritage Drive, Spearfish, 2 to 4 p.m. Free. Poet laureate Bruce Roseland and Dakota State professor emeritus John Nelson teach the basics of historical free verse. RSVP to Roseland at bbroseland@venturecomm.net.
- Hounding in the Hills, Jacket Legacy Room, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, 3 p.m. Free. Learn about foraging, panning and rockhounding in the hills, with book giveaways from Henry's Books.
- Community Art Show opening reception and awards, Matthews Opera House, 614 N. Main St., Spearfish, 5 to 7 p.m. Free. This year's show, "From Fridge Art to Fine Art," returns to the theater where it began. Start with a free cyanotype workshop with Tia Erin from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Fireplace Room.
- A Dickens Christmas Festival of Trees, Historic Homestake Opera House, Lead, doors at 5 p.m. $10 at the door. Hors d'oeuvres, holiday drinks and a performance by Sarah Carper lead up to the live auction of trees and wreaths.
Hot Springs and Edgemont
Saturday
- Nature's Clues: Animal Tracking, Wind Cave National Park Visitor Center, 26611 U.S. Highway 385, north of Hot Springs, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. $25 per person or $65 for up to four. Educator Tom Tonkin of the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association teaches how to read tracks, scat and other wildlife signs. Ages 8 and up.
Coming up
Chef José Andrés comes to the Summit Arena for An Evening with José Andrés on Wednesday, Nov. 18, presented by the John T. Vucurevich Foundation. In Spearfish, the Zonta Club's Festival of Trees fills downtown Nov. 18 to 21.
