Big Sky Between Seasons: Haunted Peaks, What's Open, and the Countdown to Opening Day

The lifts at Big Sky Resort don't start until Wednesday, Nov. 25. Several Meadow Village kitchens stay closed into December. Meanwhile, Town Center has three days of Halloween planned, starting Friday, Oct. 30.

That gap is the story of the next five weeks. In shoulder season, Big Sky gets smaller and more local. Town Center becomes its living room, and a surprising share of the calendar doubles as a fundraiser for local schools, kids and the arts. If you know which doors are open and which events support which causes, you can plan the stretch from now until opening day.

Haunted Peaks turns ten, and the money stays local

Big Sky Town Center's 10th Annual Haunted Peaks Festival runs Friday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov. 1. Look at who benefits from each event. The Haunted Run 5K and the Kids Fun Run & Costume Parade are hosted by Moving Mountains in support of Morningstar Learning Center. Visit Big Sky's haunted house raises money for Discovery Academy. Proceeds from the Skull & Roses Ball go to the Arts Council of Big Sky.

Here's the weekend at a glance:

A few details for Saturday. Packet pickup and registration run 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Moving Mountains. Beehive Basin Brewery opens at 11:30 a.m., when the live music and food trucks get going, and the 5K awards and costume contest are at the brewery at 1 p.m. Kids Fun Run registration is 1 to 1:35 p.m. The witches' dance happens twice, at Beehive Basin Brewery at 1:40 p.m. and at Fire Pit Park at 4 p.m.

Cosmic Possum is a Park City, Utah, band that plays a Grateful Dead-heavy set of cosmic rock and roll. Costumes are encouraged at the Skull & Roses Ball, with prizes in several categories, and tickets are at bigskyarts.org.

Sunday's Día de Muertos gathering at Big Sky Center for the Arts runs in stages. Ofrenda and family activities go from noon to 2 p.m., followed by storytelling and remembrance from 2 to 4. A performance starts at 4 and leads into the Parade of Catrinas, then food, dancing and DJ QueenE from 5 to 7.

Where to eat once the costumes come off

Haunted Peaks fills Town Center, and Visit Big Sky's 2026 Fall Dining Guide shows the same pattern for food: most of the places with dependable daily hours are clustered there. These are open every day:

• Beehive Basin Brewery, noon to 10 p.m.
• Hungry Moose Market & Deli, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Roxy's Market, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Pinky G's Pizzeria, noon to 8 p.m.
• Terrain Tacos @ Gravity Haus, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• The Rocks Tasting Room, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For coffee in Town Center, Caliber Coffee is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Down in the canyon, Lone Perk Coffee House opens at 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and Cafe 191 serves 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day. Over at Meadow Village Center, Country Market is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The thinnest week is Nov. 3 through 7

Closures are staggered, and the first full week of November is when the most of them overlap. According to the guide:

1. Cowboy Coffee is closed Nov. 1 through 7.
2. Hero Snow Coffee is closed Nov. 2 through 9, and again Nov. 23 through 29.
3. The Waypoint is closed Nov. 3 through 10.
4. Alberto's has been closed since Oct. 24 and stays closed through Dec. 4.
5. The Wrap Shack has been closed since Oct. 23 and is listed as closed through mid-November.

So from Tuesday, Nov. 3, through Saturday, Nov. 7, Cowboy Coffee, Hero Snow Coffee and The Waypoint are all closed at the same time. That's the week to go to Caliber, Lone Perk or Hungry Moose for coffee, and to Beehive Basin or Pinky G's for dinner.

There's also some good news in the guide. Ousel and Spur is listed as closed only through Nov. 1, so it should be back right after Haunted Peaks wraps up. The longer closures run into December. Big Sky Noodles is closed through Dec. 2, Michaelangelo's Ristorante through Dec. 9, and Scoops through Nov. 27. McGill's Restaurant & Saloon at 320 Ranch is closed for the winter season, and the Montana Dinner Yurt is listed as opening in mid-December. Seasonal hours change, so call ahead before you drive anywhere special.

November's stages belong to local performers

Big Sky's November arts calendar is mostly local talent. The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center presents Big Sky Community Theatre in Doublewide, Texas at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 and 6. Early December brings Her Gift, Her Creation, a showcase of local women in the arts, on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. A week later, local students take the stage in Disney's Frozen at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 and 11.

One visiting act stands out. Acoustic guitarist Luca Stricagnoli plays WMPAC on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. Then on Dec. 13, Montana Ballet Company's The Nutcracker is on WMPAC's calendar from noon to 4 p.m.

Once The Waypoint reopens, its own calendar lists trivia on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and American Legion Bingo on Friday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. Business owners can also mark Nov. 19 for the Big Sky Chamber's November Member Meetup. It doubles as the ribbon cutting for Big Sky Eyes' expansion, 4 to 6 p.m. at 99 Town Center Ave., Unit A6. Admission is free, with an RSVP requested.

The countdown to Nov. 25

The return of the season is spread over several dates. Skyline's 2026–27 winter schedule starts Monday, Nov. 23. Check Skyline's winter schedule page for the final timetable before you count on a particular run. Big Sky Resort's opening day is Wednesday, Nov. 25, at Mountain Village. The resort says it will post terrain and amenity details closer to winter. The dining guide lists Scissor Bills, Yeti Dogs and Cabin Bar & Grill on the mountain as closed through Tuesday, Nov. 24.

As Explore Big Sky reported on Oct. 7, the biggest on-mountain change this winter is the new Explorer Gondola Mid-Station Learning Center, with its own surface lifts and beginner terrain next to the gondola's mid-mountain station. That puts first-timers in the middle of the mountain's activity, not off at the base. The Explorer Gondola itself opened in December 2025, so this is its second winter. Iglu Big Sky, the snow-built bar at the base of the Lone Peak Tram, comes back with a larger footprint. M by The Alinea Group, the seasonal dining concept led by chef Grant Achatz, returns for a second season. The resort's M page lists the opening as Dec. 10.

Thanksgiving weekend brings two more community events. The Waypoint shows Warren Miller's 77th film, Days Off, at 6 p.m. on Nov. 27, 28 and 29, and Warren Miller's tour page links to tickets. On Saturday, Nov. 28, the Chamber holds a free Small Business Saturday KickOff Party from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., with refreshments, giveaways and Shop Big Sky passports. The Big Sky Christmas Stroll follows on Dec. 11. Friday's activities are in Meadow Village and Saturday's are in Town Center, and the full 2026 schedule hasn't been posted yet.

One more Town Center date from this fall: on Oct. 7, the community broke ground on Cold Smoke, which Big Sky Town Center described as the largest workforce housing investment in Big Sky's history. Project details are on the Big Sky Community Housing Trust's Cold Smoke page.

Shoulder season is one of my favorite times to show people Big Sky. Town Center is quiet enough to talk, and you can tell which places stay open all year. If you're picturing yourself here for the whole calendar, not just ski season, I'd love to share what I know about the Gallatin Valley and the canyon. Reach out to Debbie McEachron. Let's Connect.