
A winter festival that commemorates the 1943 World Record Temperature Change in Spearfish, SD!
Chinook Days! A community wide winter festival celebrating the world record temperature change in Spearfish, SD. On 1/22/1943 the temperature rose 49 degrees in 2 minutes.
Winter adventure sports, craft beer, music, arts, local food, bonfire, community events. All the things making the Spearfish great in the winter!
What is a Chinook
Spearfish holds the world record for the fastest recorded temperature change! On January 22, 1943, at about 7:30 a.m. MST, the temperature in Spearfish was -4 degrees. The Chinook wind picked up speed rapidly, and two minutes later the temperature was 45 degrees above zero. The 49 degree rise in two minutes set a world record that still holds. By 9 a.m. the temperature had risen to 54 degrees. Suddenly, the chinook died down and the temperature tumbled back to -4. The sudden change in temperatures caused glass windows to crack and windshields to instantly frost over.

What are Chinook Hops?
Chinook hops are a very distinctive dual-purpose hop used for both bittering and flavor/aroma. Chinook hops have a strong and distinctive pine-like aroma and flavor that is not common among other varieties. The flavor/aroma is spicy and unique, with a huge following of loyal fans.
Chinook is also a hop variety used in brewing beer. Local breweries will be brewing specialty beers to be released for the multiple events over the week! The week of events will commemorate and celebrate this unique event in Spearfish, South Dakota!
The event is being organized by Spread the Tunes, Black Hills Brew Club, BH Nordic Club, Grooming Alliance of Spearfish, Visit Spearfish and the Matthews Opera House.
2023 Chinook Days Events
Chinook Days Snow Sculpture Event
Happy Chinook Week! Come visit downtown Spearfish on Friday, January 20th for a FREE downtown snow sculpture event! Scattered through Main Street will be stockpiled snow, tables, and tools for all to create a snow masterpiece! Prizes will be awarded.
Chinook Pub Crawl
Wednesday, January 18th Fatbike, bike, run, truck, scoot pub crawl Starts at Crow Peak Brewery and ends at Killians
Killian’s Winter Luau
Sunday, January 15th Killian's Winter Luau and Pub Crawl Get out your best Hawaiian apparel for a chance to win a prize! Pub Crawl locations and time will be announced soon We will have Hawaiian food and drink specials throughout the day! Live music performed by......
Winter Carnival
Free Event Chinook Day's Winter Carnival at Big Hill. Celebrate Chinook Days at Big Hill from 10:00am-2:00pm at the Winter Carnival. Activities for everyone of all ages. This is a family friendly event. Activities include: group rides, winter games, and free equipment...
ChinookFest BeerFest
Saturday, January 21st ChinookFest BeerFest Chinook Days! A community wide winter festival celebrating the world record temperature change in Spearfish, SD. On 1/22/1943 the temperature rose 49 degrees in 2 minutes. Craft beer, music, arts, local food, and bonfire....