MCCALL, Idaho — The stage is being set for the 2024 McCall Winter Carnival as businesses and organizers prepare for a surge of visitors coming out to enjoy the timeless Idaho winter event.
This year the entire Winter Carnival will be consolidated into just one weekend in February as a three-day event instead of running for two weekends.
The festival might be shorter this year, but the event is still as packed as ever featuring snowshoe golf, snow sculpture tours, the McPaws Monster Dog Pull, live music and a winter parade on Saturday with live coverage by Idaho News 6.
RELATED | Event Schedule for the 2024 McCall Winter Carnival
This year's festival will also be the first to run during the last weekend of February, a change that will affect not only the 2024 event but all McCall Winter Carnivals for the foreseeable future.
The theme for this year's carnival is "Color Outside the Lines", celebrating educators in the area and their commitment to the communities that make up the West Central Mountain region.
“We’re inviting educators from Cascade to Council – and everywhere in between – to serve as the Grand Marshals of the signature Mardi Gras Parade,” says McCall Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Julie Whitescarver. “Our local schools have been a source of consistency and inspiration for many years, and we want to celebrate the role they play in building future leaders and innovators as our community undergoes unprecedented growth and change.”
The McCall Winter Carnival dates back to 1924 when it was called the Payette Lakes Winter Festival. After a break in the 1940s, the event returned as the McCall Winter Carnival in 1964. Back then the purpose of the event was to provide a boost to local businesses, but in the last decade, business has skyrocketed more than 200% in the area, prompting organizers to shorten the event to better serve the influx of visitors.
“An unintended experiment took place during the COVID era, when Carnival was canceled for health and safety reasons,” says McCall Chamber Marketing Manager, McKenzie Kramer. “We surveyed business owners and found that 80% of them saw no drop in business or an increase in business the year Carnival was canceled. That gave us the confidence to make this needed adjustment so that our hospitality industry can more realistically give those who visit McCall the friendly, high-quality experience they’ve come to expect and treasure.”
RELATED: McCall Winter Carnival will only be held for one 3-day weekend in 2024
The festivities kick off on Friday, February 23, 20224 in McCall with activities open to enjoy across the town. More information on the event is available on visitmccall.org.
