Downtown Tonight & Out To Lunch Will Happen in 2020

A few nights ago it was a beautiful evening in Missoula. The temperature was in the 60s, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and I got a text from one of my girls. She said we should be leaving spin right now and walking down to Caras Park to have dinner with our kids. "Wouldn't that be perfect?" she asked. Would it EVER! Admittedly, we are jumping the gun a bit, as Downtown Tonight and Out to Lunch seasons don't even start until June, but with all the saying at home indoors, it was a nice thought.

Good news came from the Missoula Downtown Association today! We will be enjoying the weekly Wednesday lunch and Thursday dinner staples this summer. I was sure we wouldn't be, so this came as a great surprise. According to the info sent out by the MDA, the first Out to Lunch will be on June 17th, with the first Downtown Tonight planned for June 18th.

During a normal season, the Downtown Missoula Partnership typically deploys an estimated 35 vendors, nearly 40 entertainment groups, and almost 45 activity providers throughout the summer events season, and close to 100 businesses contribute sponsorship dollars to fund the events. These programs generate nearly $430,000 in direct food & beverage consumption each year.

As with all 2020 events around the world, you never know what will actually be canceled or postponed, but we hope for the best. Will Missoulians be hesitant to join groups of people at Caras Park as early as June? Will we show up in masks and adhere to the 6 foot rule? Or will we throw caution to the wind and drink, eat and dance like a pandemic never happened? I guess we'll see come mid-June.