WildWalk & Wildfest

30TH ANNIVERSARY WILDWALK & WILDFEST

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

SPONSORED BY

WILDWALK

This is the day for all the wild ones - big & small - to dress up as their favorite flora or fauna and then walk, hop, and slither down Higgins Avenue together! Be ready to strut your stuff at 11:00 am or grab a seat along the street to gawk.

Gather at the First Interstate Bank Building on Higgins and Front Street at 10:30 am. Don your wild animal guise and meet on the East side of the building- you’ll see us. We’ll march down Higgins toward the XXXXs this year.

Please arrive early to settle in and join the fun!

WILDFEST

The WildFest begins when we get to the XXXX’s and officially kicks off the 2022 film festival. Music and food trucks cap off the morning fun before the films begin rolling.

Missoula artist Craig Menteer started the WildWalk in 1992 to begin each year’s film festival. He is the creative force behind this celebrated Missoula tradition. As you make your costume this year, consider Craig’s philosophy, “the act of making and representing a wild creature for a parade connects minds to what we call the natural world, to wildness. We need wildness. We need to be connected to the earth.”

10:00 am in the Art Box: Make a Mask for WildWalk Come make a wild animal mask at the Library’s Art Box before joining the WildWalk.

10:30 am: Gather for the WildWalk at First Interstate Bank at Higgins and Front.

11:00 am: The parade migrates north on Higgins to the XXXXs.

11:30 am: An Invocation of the Wild by Craig Menteer + Welcome to the 2022 IWFF from Roxy Theater Executive Director Mike Steinberg

12:00 pm: Live Performance of “The Black-Footed Ferret” from the Endangered: Short Tales for The Nearly Forgotten podcast by actor and musician, Noah Watts + prizes for creative costumes.

12:30-1:30 pm: Live music from Transcendental Express and lunch from many local food trucks including Mary’s Mountain Berry Bowls, Dreamy’s Soft Serve + Madeline’s Mediterranean Street Food plus conservation-minded vendors will be present with activities and information.

2:00 - 6:00 pm: spectrUM Discovery Area opens a new interactive exhibit, The Nearly Forgotten Species Exhibition, exploring seven endangered species at the Missoula Public Library. Celebrate with special guests, experts in their field, and discover more about these incredible species.

2:00-2:30 pm: Animal Wonders visits the Imaginarium, Level 2 at the Missoula Public Library. Space is limited and registration is required, register here starting April 1.