Lamar throws a four-day festival for the snow geese each February

When the snow geese settle onto the plains around Lamar each winter, the town doesn’t just watch from the roadside. It throws a festival.

The High Plains Snow Goose Festival runs four days in February, built around the migration that fills local reservoirs and grain fields with birds. The 2026 dates are February 5 through 8. The heart of it is the guided field trips, where local experts take groups out to roosting and feeding spots that can be tricky to find on your own. Around those trips, the schedule fills in with talks from bird experts, educational programs, a photo contest with categories like birds, wildlife, landscape, and water, plus a craft fair and a silent auction.

Part of what makes Lamar worth the drive is the sheer variety. The area tallies more than 400 bird species over the course of a year, so even on a single February morning the geese are rarely the only thing in the binoculars.

It is set up to be easy to try. Festival registration is free, and many programs cost nothing; the guided field trips carry a fee that varies by length and whether a meal is included.

For the current schedule, field-trip list, and registration, check the official festival site at highplainssnowgoose.com.