Annually, during the first full weekend in June, a historical festival is staged at Fort Sisseton.  Each year, cavalry troops and infantry units converge on the fort’s grounds to form a military encampment complete with soldiers, women and children, and all the necessary tents, uniforms, horses, and memorabilia. The military is joined by fur traders and other participants of the Rendezvous.  Muzzleloaders, riflemen and crack-shots from eight states meet amidst a teepee encampment with dozens of lodges and traders.  Just like old a time rendezvous, colorful costumes, tall tales and unique system of bartering, help bring history to life.

The festival covers the whole gamut of frontier life and settlement.  It includes fiddle music, medicine shows, an art and craft show, hoop dancing, songs and music from the Civil War, period dance instruction classes, and a military costume ball.