The 125th Brawl of the Wild, Montana State against Montana, is set for Saturday, November 21, 2026, at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman. The rivalry dates to 1897, the game alternates between the two campuses, and even years belong to Bozeman. Kickoff time and broadcast designation post closer to the date, so book the weekend now and the hours later.

The context is not subtle. Montana State arrives as the defending FCS national champion, after a 35–34 overtime win over Illinois State in Nashville in January 2026. The Bobcats also won both Brawls of the 2025 season: 31–28 in Missoula in November, then 48–23 in a playoff semifinal rematch in Bozeman in December, the first time the two schools had met twice in one year since 1913. Montana still leads the all-time series by a wide margin. Nobody in Bozeman will mention that, and every Griz fan in town will.

The shape of the weekend

The game is the fixed point and everything else bends around it. Friday is arrival and dinner. Saturday morning is the only unhurried stretch of the weekend. Saturday afternoon and evening belong to the stadium and downtown. Sunday is the drive home, and in late November that drive deserves its own planning.

The timing matters too. The Brawl falls five days before Thanksgiving, which means a lot of Montana families fold it into the holiday week, and lodging in Bozeman and Belgrade tightens accordingly. Hotels that look open in October tend not to be in mid-November.

Getting there

From Missoula, it is I-90 the whole way, east past Butte and over Homestake Pass, then across the Jefferson and Gallatin valleys. More than three hours in good conditions, and late November rarely promises good conditions. Check the state 511 road report before leaving, carry winter gear, and respect Homestake as a mountain pass, because it is one.

From Billings, it is I-90 west over Bozeman Pass. Same advice. Flying in means Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Belgrade, a short drive from town, with fares that reflect a rivalry weekend before a holiday.

Saturday morning, before the noise

Two good options, both indoors or close to it.

The Bozeman Winter Farmers' Market runs on November 21 at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds on North Black Avenue, in Building 1 that day. It is a Saturday-morning market, so go early and go before the stadium traffic starts.

The Museum of the Rockies opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and sits on the Montana State campus on West Kagy Boulevard. The Siebel Dinosaur Complex and the T. rex skeleton called Big Mike are the reason most people go, and adult admission tops out at $20. It closes on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, so anyone staying through the holiday week should go before then.

The campus rule

The rule, plainly: Montana State University prohibits the use, possession and distribution of cannabis in any form, medical or adult-use, on university property and at university-sponsored events. Montana law does not override it, because the university receives federal funding and federal law still classifies cannabis as a controlled substance.

What it means for your game day: Bobcat Stadium, its parking lots, the tailgate rows and the Museum of the Rockies are all university property. Vaporizers and e-cigarettes are on the stadium's prohibited-items list as well. Whatever is bought in town stays sealed and stays out of the car parked on campus, or better, stays back at the rental.

Buying in Bozeman

Gallatin County allows adult-use sales, so licensed dispensaries in Bozeman and Belgrade sell to adults 21+ with a valid government-issued photo ID, out-of-state licenses included. Most still run on cash. Browse licensed shops on the dispensary directory.

The limits are the same statewide. An adult may buy and possess up to one ounce of flower a day, or the equivalent: 8 grams of concentrate, or 800 milligrams of THC in edibles. That edible figure is a purchase ceiling, not a serving suggestion. Single servings are typically 10 mg or less, and the standing advice is start low, go slow, especially at altitude, in the cold, after a long day outside.

Adult-use purchases carry Montana's 20 percent state tax, plus a local option tax of up to 3 percent in counties that adopted one. Gallatin is on that list.

Carrying it home

Griz fans driving back west, and anyone driving anywhere, should know the vehicle rules. Dispensary purchases travel in their unopened, original packaging, in a locked glove box, the trunk, a truck bed, or behind the last upright seat in a vehicle without a trunk. Nobody consumes in a moving vehicle, passengers included. Montana's legal limit for driving is 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood, and the simplest way to stay under it on Homestake Pass at night is not to consume before driving at all.

After the final whistle

Downtown Bozeman's Main Street is where both fan bases end up, and it stays busy late on a Brawl Saturday. Make dinner reservations well ahead, or eat early.

The weekend also marks the end of a season. Bridger Bowl's projected opening for 2026–27 is Friday, December 11, three weeks after the game, so the Brawl is the last big Bozeman weekend before winter takes over the calendar. Anyone extending the trip into Thanksgiving week will find a quieter town and the same mountains, with less snow on them than a visitor might hope.

Compliance, quickly

• 21+ only at every dispensary and for every purchase
• Verify licensed status through the Montana Department of Revenue Cannabis Control Division, now part of the department's CARD division, at revenue.mt.gov/card/cannabis
• Montana state law prohibits cannabis consumption in public places, which covers Main Street, sidewalks, parking lots and the stadium approaches
• Montana State University prohibits cannabis on all university property, state law notwithstanding
• Federal law prohibits cannabis on national forest land, including Hyalite Canyon and the rest of the Custer Gallatin
• Hotels and rentals set their own rules; ask before assuming
• Never drive after consuming

The rest of the season's calendar is on the events hub.