5/4/2026
PIERRE, S.D. – Travel South Dakota Dakota's Tourism Advertising Promotion (TAP) Grant program, in its third year, has awarded a total of $200,000 to assist South Dakota’s tourism industry in garnering additional visitation to tourism-related events.
Governor Larry Rhoden announced on Monday at a press conference at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the State’s contribution of $200,000 across the state to 40 separate entities.
“The TAP Grant program is about investing directly in communities across South Dakota so they can promote what makes them unique and bring more visitors in,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “These events drive visitation, support local businesses, and create real opportunities for South Dakotans—especially in our rural areas.”
The purpose of the TAP Grant program is to provide marketing funds for tourism-related events such as festivals, concerts, rodeos, and powwows. This grant program is focused on providing funding to events in smaller towns, cities, and rural areas of the state, but entities and events of all sizes were encouraged to apply. The grants range from $1,000 to $10,000.
Award recipients include:
Storybook Land Festival, Aberdeen; Harvest Stroll Fall Festival, Aberdeen; Christmas in Arlington, Arlington; Salute To Ellsworth, Box Elder; Northern Fort Playhouse, Britton; Anderson Plaza Summer Performance Series, Brookings; Balloons Over Brookings, Brookings; Celebrate Canton 160th: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future, Canton; America's 250th Celebration Week: Chamberlain Oacoma, Chamberlain; Crystal Springs Rodeo, Clear Lake; Custer Restaurant Week, Custer; St. Patrick's Weekend Celebration, Deadwood; Homestake Volksmarch, Deadwood; Big STEM Day, Ellsworth AFB; Wild West Days, Wheels and Wings, Faulkton; Boots & Roots: 4th in Fort Pierre, Fort Pierre; Jesse James Days, Garretson; Rooted: A Prairie Arts Weekend, Geddes; Light Up Hill City, Hill City; The Natural History Museum of the Black Hills Grand Opening, Hill City; Badlands Astronomy Festival, Interior; Neutrino Day, Lead; City of Lead 150th Anniversary Celebration, Lead; Harvest Festival, Lennox; Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party, Mitchell; Mobridge Indian Relay Races, Mobridge; Turner County Fair, Parker; Back Forty Adventure Farm and Sunflower Experience, Pierpont; HWY 1804 Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch, Pierre; Pollock, SD 125th Celebration, Pollock; Raymond Redwing Day, Raymond; Redfield's Harvest Fest, Redfield; 150th Annual Rosebud Sioux Tribal Fair & Rodeo- Battle of Little Big Horn Victory Commemoration, Rosebud;; Wings, Wheels and Meals, Spearfish; Black Hills Mountain Bike Classic, Sturgis; Tabor Czech Days, Tabor; An Evening with Rachel Barton Pine, Stradivari, and Stainer, Vermillion; 2nd Annual Harvest Bash, Webster; Ribfest, Wessington Springs; Kickoff to Christmas in Yankton, Yankton.
Funding for the TAP Grant comes from the Department of Tourism’s internal budget, funded through the 1.5% tourism promotion tax.
For more information about the Tourism Advertising Promotion Grant, visit SDVisit.com/TAP.
The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.
-30-
Media Notes: Photos from the press conference are available here.
CONTACT
Katlyn Svendsen, Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director
Travel South Dakota
Email: [email protected]