Love & Music in Missoula: Zootown 2026

Every once in a while, life gives you one of those weekends you wish you could bottle up forever. Cue our last family adventure: Zootown Music Festival in Missoula.

Sometimes wellness and self-care isn't found inside a treatment room. Wellness = JOY found dancing barefoot in the grass, hugging the people you love, singing songs you've known for years, and watching the Montana sky turn every shade of pink imaginable.

Time outside and under the big sky makes this life even more special, and we were ready for a family weekend of fun, love and music, and a sweet surprise!

Well, we couldn't let Father's Day weekend pass without a little surprise... everyone was in on the plan, except Cary.

Kim and Cary met Cierra for lunch while Mia, dearest family friend, and Kiara (both live out of state) hid around the corner. When the timing was right, Kiara walked up pretending to be their server and casually asked if anyone had ordered drinks yet. Cary chatted about the menu for a minute before finally looking up and quickly realized that Kiara and Mia had flown to Montana to surprise him!

Safe to say, we got him! After lots of hugs and a few happy tears, we made our way to the yearly Zootown Festival in Missoula, Montana.

You could feel the summer vibes at Zootown from a mile away. Blankets covering the grass, families spread out in lawn chairs, kids dancing around.

We barely caught the end of "Rivers and Roads" by The Head and The Heart, one of those songs that's been part of our family since the day it came out. Even catching the last verse felt special. Then came Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and lastly the The Lumineers took the stage!

The Lumineers have been playing in our house, on road trips, around campfires, and through every season of life for years.

A notable favorite: The Lumineers played a cover of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones. A song that was often sung when Collier kids were asking for something they wanted (that we didn’t necessarily need). It’s almost like they read our minds with what songs would be the most nostalgic for us. Perfection!

And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, the Montana sky lit up in a cotton candy pink that filled the heavens with glowing clouds.

During our travels, we stumbled across something called "Festival Flourishing" by a study from Cambridge University UK. This research placed clarity on yet another reason why the weekend may have felt extra magical.

"Festival Flourishing" refers to the cultural, economic, or psychological growth celebrated through community events. The idea is that maybe festivals are one of the few places left where we feel completely present.

Researchers conclude that music has evolved to help people connect with each other. Before phones, before streaming, before any of the distractions we have now, people gathered around music. They sang together, danced together, celebrated together. It was so much more than entertainment. It was and is community.

You could feel it at Zootown, no doubt. 15,000 people who didn't know each other, all singing the same songs, smiling at strangers, dancing, raising their joy!

There's also research showing music can lower stress, help regulate our nervous systems, and boost your mood, but after a weekend like this, you don't really need a study to tell you that. You just know it was some needed groovin’ time in the sunshine.

And if we were all to explain the weekend in a sentence or two:

Cary: "It was the perfect day. I had happy tears several times"

Kim: "What a beautiful blessing, absolutely all of it! The older I become, the younger I feel, and the deeper the joy flows."

Kiara: “The second it ended, I looked up the dates for 2027. I feel so lucky to spend such intentional and magical time with my family in Montana.”

Cierra: “Tears, smiles, sparkles and sunsets. An idyllic summer weekend in Montana surrounded by friends, family and joyful smiling faces.”

We'll always love a good spa day or wellness getaway, but this reminded us that wellness isn't always quiet. Sometimes it looks like live music, lifelong friends, family, dancing until your feet hurt, and a Montana sky.

Take this as your reminder to go spend some uninterrupted time with the people you love most, dance and sing at the top of your lungs.

Until next year, Zootown. ❤️

Pre-Sale tickets for the June 18th & 19th 2027 festival are available now!