Frontier Festival Family Fun June 5-7, 2026
To celebrate America’s 250th and bring back a highly popular family event and major fundraiser, the Cody Medical Foundation will host the second annual Frontier Festival, honoring the skills required to homestead on the frontier. From a Chuckwagon Cookoff, providing a delicious meal, to wagon demonstrations and packhorse races, where they hurry through an obstacle course while keeping their cargo (eggs) intact. In addition, there will be vendors and a Kiddie Corral with fun activities.
This free event kicks off on Friday night at the Chamberlin Inn, where you can meet the Cowboys, Cowgirls, Chuck Wagon Cooks, Wagon Masters, and Exhibitors. Enjoy the live music, signature drinks, and food truck, while getting ready for some extra fun with the calcutta.
The calcutta works through bidding, auction style, on the team you think will win. If your bid is the highest, then you bought them. If your team wins the competition, you will receive 90% of the winnings – 10% goes to the foundation, and you split your winnings 50/50 with the team as a bonus. The proceeds from this will go directly to the Cody Medical Foundation to continue their support of the West Park Hospital District serving Cody and Meeteetse.
Saturday, head to the rodeo grounds for the festival itself. Gates open at 8:00 am, with the horse packing competition starting at 9:00 am. Six teams will compete in eight runs to win $2000 for 1st place, $1500 for 2nd place, and $1000 for 3rd place. showcasing their skills with packing and leading a team of pack horses through an obstacle course, keeping as many eggs as possible intact in their pack.
At 1:00, the authentic Chuckwagon competition begins, featuring 5 wagons cooking an authentic meal over a wood-burning fire, serving chicken-fried steak, beans, biscuits, and cobbler. Each wagon is an antique, down to the last bolt, and period-specific. Several of these wagons are past winners of large competitions around the country. This is a meal you don’t want to miss! Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance.
Schedule
Friday: Cowboy Calcutta
- 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Come meet the cowboys and cowgirls and have some gambling fun.
Saturday
- 8:00 am – 5:00 pm | Festival
- 9:00 am – 12:00 pm | Horse Packing Competition
- 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Chuckwagon Cookoff (purchase tickets in advance)
Sunday
- 10:00 am – 3:00 pm | Festival
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased here or at the gates.
Janet Jones
Owner, Publisher, Editor
Janet has a rich history in Cody with her grandparents moving here in the late 1930s. Her grandfather started Wyoming Well Service. Janet is a writer, photographer, graphic designer and webmaster. Cody Journal and Cody Calendar blends her skills and talents with her love of the area.
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