Northern Hotel and Downtown Billings Alliance Offer Free Shuttle Service to MontanaFair

With 230,000 expected to attend MontanaFair, the single biggest event in Montana, you can bet every inch of the parking lot at MetraPark is taken with no room to spare.

To help alleviate some of the parking crunch this year, the Northern Hotel and Downtown Billings Alliance (DBA) are providing free round trip shuttle service from downtown to the fairgrounds, according to Ray Massie, sales and marketing director for MontanaFair.

The Northern Hotel shuttle adds the parking capacity of downtown Billings to the more than 3,500 parking spaces at MetraPark.

"The shuttle leaves the Northern Hotel on the hour and half hour each day from noon to 10 p.m.," said Mike Nelson Northern Hotel partner. "It will leave from in front of the hotel making it easy for people to use any of the city parking garages to get to MontanaFair."

Downtown Billings Alliance Executive Director Lisa Harmon said in a news release that the DBA was thrilled to be part of the project. "The fair, like our downtown Billings businesses, brings so much to our community. Many of the downtown businesses will remain open later to give fair patrons even more to do before or after a great day at MontanaFair."

The shuttle will leave the fairgrounds from in front of Rimrock Auto Arena at 15 minutes and 45 minutes past the hour for the round trip to downtown. Cost of the shuttle is free and riders will get half price gate admission to the fair along with the ride.