September finds Rapid City somewhere between seasons, and that is part of the fun. Summer has not completely packed up, but fall is starting to make itself known across downtown and the Black Hills. The calendar follows suit with live entertainment, local shopping, pumpkins flying through the air, one of South Dakota’s most unforgettable wildlife traditions, and streets lined with classic cars.
Whether you are already headed this way or looking for an excuse to squeeze in one more Black Hills getaway, September gives you plenty of reasons to stay a little longer.
The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight
Sept. 10 | The Monument
Start the month with something a little unexpected. The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight takes over The Monument at 8 p.m. Sept. 10, bringing 14 classical musicians together for a 90-minute performance inspired by legendary rock and metal music. Candlelight, theatrical staging, and a soundtrack built for considerably more volume than your average orchestra make this an easy addition to a night out in Rapid City.
Make an evening of it with dinner downtown before the show, then let strings, distortion, and a few thousand candles take it from there.
Crazy Dayz
Sept. 12-13 | Downtown Rapid City
A Rapid City souvenir does not have to come from a souvenir shop.
Crazy Dayz gives visitors a reason to dig into the locally owned side of downtown Sept. 12-13, when boutiques, specialty shops, restaurants, and other businesses roll out discounts, sidewalk sales, and limited-time offers. It is less about one big attraction and more about wandering a few blocks, popping into someplace new, stopping for lunch, and leaving with something you did not know you were looking for.
Consider this your permission to leave a little extra room in the suitcase.
The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival
Sept. 19 | Main Street Square to Memorial Park
Things get considerably more orange Sept. 19.
The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival fills the stretch from Main Street Square to Memorial Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with vendors, food trucks, family activities, a giant pumpkin weigh-off, Touch-A-Truck, live music, pumpkin painting, and more. Then there is Pumpkin Chunkin’, where catapults built by South Dakota Mines students send pumpkins sailing across Memorial Park throughout the day. Admission to the festival is free, with select activities available for purchase.
It is big, busy, wonderfully weird, and one of those days when downtown feels like everyone in town decided to meet in the same place.
Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup & Arts Festival
Sept. 24-26 | Custer State Park
Set the alarm early on Sept. 25. This one is worth it.
Each September, riders on horseback gather Custer State Park’s bison herd and move the animals across the prairie toward the corrals as part of the park’s annual herd-management process. The Buffalo Roundup has become one of South Dakota’s most recognizable traditions, drawing thousands of spectators for a morning that feels inseparable from the landscape itself.
The experience stretches beyond roundup morning. The Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival takes place Sept. 24-26, giving visitors even more reason to spend the weekend exploring Custer State Park and the southern Black Hills.
Stay in Rapid City and make it a day trip. You can head into the Hills before sunrise, experience the Roundup, explore Custer State Park, then return to the city for dinner and a comfortable landing spot at the end of a very full day.
Cruiser Car Show
Sept. 26 | Downtown Rapid City
Roundup in the morning. Classic chrome the next day.
Downtown Rapid City trades pumpkins for polished paint and vintage horsepower during the Cruiser Car Show on Saturday, Sept. 26. Hosted by the Rapid City Police Department and Downtown Rapid City, the free show runs from noon to 4 p.m. and brings classic cars into the heart of downtown alongside food trucks, vendors, and live music from the Lonely Rangers Band. Visitors can wander from car to car, talk with owners, and vote for their favorites.
You do not have to know what is under the hood to enjoy this one. Grab lunch, stroll the lineup, explore the surrounding shops, and see which set of wheels earns your vote.
Make September a Rapid City Weekend
September does not ask you to choose between the city and the Black Hills. Spend one day wandering downtown, another watching bison move across the prairie, and the evening discovering a restaurant, brewery, trail, scenic overlook, or corner of Rapid City you have not experienced before.
The season is changing. Your Rapid City itinerary can change with it.
See what else is happening during your stay on our events calendar.