Bozeman Christmas Stroll Poster Is A No-Go For 2025

If you're anything like me, you love the Montana holiday season.

First, Montana is the perfect backdrop for the holidays. You've got all of these charming little towns that feel like the set of one of those cheesy Hallmark movies. There are all the traditions, such as finding the perfect Christmas tree, putting up Christmas lights, and baking Christmas goodies, among others.

One of Montana's most iconic Christmas traditions takes place in Bozeman.

The Bozeman Christmas Stroll has been a holiday fixture for decades, and folks love to come out and enjoy the holiday spirit that takes place. The first Saturday evening of December, thousands gather downtown to watch the lights come on, do some shopping, have a bite to eat, and maybe enjoy a little Christmas cheer.

READ MORE: Is it ok to regift during the Holidays?

It's like old school meets new school. You have all of the old school traditions, but with food trucks, specialty cocktails, and Instagram!

Speaking of traditions, one of the things that makes the Bozeman Christmas Stroll so special is the artwork. Each year, there is a different poster that promotes the Stroll. In fact, a poster was picked and revealed for this year's stroll, and that's when it hit the fan.

Once the winning poster was released to the public, people took to the internet, crying foul. They blamed the artist for using AI, and all of a sudden, we had ourselves a plot for one of those cheesy Hallmark movies!

The 2025 Bozeman Christmas Stroll

Hear me out...a beloved tradition, somehow stained by some sort of interference, and now the chance of a holly jolly Christmas is in jeopardy. (For the record, I don't know if any of this involves Prince in disguise, some sort of corporate henchmen, or an owner of a Christmas tree farm)

What I do know is that the powers to be decided to scrap the artwork, and this year, there will be no original poster. Here is part of the statement that was released by the Downtown Bozeman Partnership Management Committee:

“The Downtown Bozeman Partnership Management Committee (PMC) has decided to refrain from printing and distributing Ghassane Moutaoukil's entry as the official 45th Annual Christmas Stroll Poster. This is largely due to the safety concerns of all parties involved and the businesses that sponsor this wonderful community event."

I don't blame the downtown folks, I mean, talk about being between a rock and a hard place. However, I thought the poster looked cool and was hoping to get one and have it framed. Now that I know it's "banned," I want one even more! (Can you imagine how much I could get for that on eBay?)

Listen, AI is part of our lives. Oh, and it's only going to become bigger as time goes on. I don't know the artist, and I don't know if AI had anything to do with it, but I do know that the fact that the downtown folks felt the only way to ensure safety was to cancel the poster says a lot about our thin-skinned society.

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What do you think? Is the poster ok or not? Should it be printed or should we go without? Please send us a message and let us know on our app.