The year starts with the granddaddy festival of them all, the McCall Winter Carnival.

Take a stroll on the sidewalks of Ski Town USA and you’ll find magnificent snow sculptures, quaint boutiques and festivities at McCall’s Winter Carnival. In 2007 the Winter Carnival brought record crowds estimated at 30,000.

Every June, Bark in the Park, sponsored by the MCPAWS Regional Animal Shelter is held at Ponderosa Park to raise much needed funds.

The Fourth of July is the best attended and most exciting event of the summer season when our local population swells to over 10,000 local and part time residents, tourists and event participants. Concession stands offer treats while fireworks over Payette Lake from a barge downtown and from Whitetail Resort on the Lake light up the summer sky.

Payette Cup Regatta. Multi colored sails adorn boats of all shapes and sizes as they race across Payette—quite a sight to behold and a summer favorite.

The area’s Huckleberry Festival is held in Donnelly every August and features delicious jams, pies and other preparations of fresh, local huckleberries in vendor booths that line the streets of Donnelly.

The Payette Lakes Arts and Crafts Fair is another area highlight held in August at Fairway Park in McCall. A local’s summer favorite: The annual Charlie’s Garden Art Auction benefiting local arts and artists is a much anticipated celebration of creativity and community.

The Manchester Ice and Event Centre home of the Manchester Mountaineers hockey team is open year round and is ideal for ice skaters of all ages and skill levels.

If you like music, the Annual Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival, McCall Summer Music Festival and the Brundage Mountain Festival offer interesting venues to enjoy bluegrass, jazz and contemporary tunes. Also, the Common Ground Café at 303 East Colorado in McCall is the hippest spot for local artists and bands from as far away as Hawaii, Africa and Italy. Crusty’s Pizza and Babblefish also host local musicians throughout the year.