Zootown Music Festival Economic Impact Study
Quantifying net new economic activity from Missoula's breakout outdoor music festival.
From Local Event to Regional Economic Driver
Zootown Music Festival emerged as one of the most talked-about new music festivals in the Mountain West. Headlined in successive years by acts including The Lumineers and The Chicks, the festival draws fans from across Montana and beyond to Missoula for a multi-day outdoor event that anchors the region's summer tourism economy.
As Zootown grew from a local launch into a multi-state draw, the festival's organizers needed credible data on its economic value to the city of Missoula and surrounding Mountain West region. Specifically, they needed to differentiate net new spending — dollars brought into the region by visitors who would not otherwise have come — from in-region spending that would have happened anyway.
Zenith Economics designed and executed a primary research study combining attendee intercept surveys with input-output modeling. We found the festival generated approximately $9.1 million in net new economic output for the Missoula region in a single edition.
Methodology
The study used a two-phase approach:
- Attendee survey. Field staff intercepted attendees on-site to collect data on origin (zip code, state, country), trip purpose (festival-only versus combined-purpose travel), party size, length of stay, and spending across categories including lodging, dining, transportation, retail, and entertainment.
- IMPLAN modeling. Spending data from out-of-region attendees was modeled in IMPLAN using Missoula-region multipliers to capture direct, indirect, and induced effects on jobs, income, and output.
Critically, in-region attendees were excluded from the net new impact calculation, since their spending represents substitution rather than incremental activity. This conservative approach gives sponsors and city officials a defensible figure that withstands scrutiny.
Findings That Earned National Press
The study's results were cited by Billboard and NBC Montana in coverage of the festival's growth and economic significance. Beyond the headline $9.1 million figure, the study documented:
- Visitor demographics, including the share of multi-night out-of-state travelers
- Average daily spending by category and by attendee origin
- Hotel-room-night demand attributable to the festival
- Tax revenue contributions to state and local governments
- Attendee satisfaction and likelihood of returning the following year
The combination of attendee survey rigor and conservative IMPLAN methodology made the results sponsor-ready, press-ready, and grant-ready — a single study supporting multiple stakeholder needs.
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We've conducted economic impact studies and attendee surveys for music festivals, sporting events, and cultural celebrations. Defensible figures for sponsors, city officials, and the press.