McCall Winter Carnival is an annual celebration of all things winter held in McCall, Idaho, sometime between late January and late February. The festivities bring a lot of excitement for kids and families, who can enjoy special activities and rides as well as delicious treats. Though the main draw is snow sculpture viewings, other highlights of the McCall Winter Carnival are live music and special events like Children's Torchlight Parade and Mardi Gras Parade.
Annual events
Each year, the events align to a new theme like "Legends, Myths, and Superheroes!", "There's 'Snow' Place Like Home", and "1 Valley, 100 Years," or "Color Outside the Lines." The program of entertainment ranges from art and comedy shows to snowmobile races. Events differ yearly, but the favorites remain on the bill. Some of the annual parts of the program, besides snow sculptures, live music, and parades, include opening and closing ceremonies, a craft fair, a vendor court, Snowshoe Golf, Monster Dog Sled Pull, Grand Bingo, and Fireworks over Payette Lake.
Main highlights
One of the most famous attractions at McCall Winter Carnival is surely Mardi Gras Parade, marching through the streets of McCall on the first Saturday. It is typically the most crowded day of the carnival. The culmination of the carnival festivities is fireworks over Payette Lake and the festival's snow and ice sculptures.
History
The carnival, inspired by the Payette Lake Winter Games, has been a symbol of Idaho winter since 1924. The local winter tradition started with residents constructing the sculptures in front of their homes. Later on, the sculptures moved to downtown, where local businesses supported the spirit of winter fun. The first edition of the winter fest drew only 248 participants. Now McCall snow sculpturing has grown into an event with national recognition and attracts over 60,000 attendees each year.
For more information, please visit the event's official website or Facebook, listed in the External Resources below. For accommodations, consider the options suggested on the map.
