McCall Winter Carnival Makes Two More Big Tweaks to 2026 Event

After a two year trial-run of a three-day, late February McCall Winter Carnival organizers are switching back to the event’s original 10-day format in 2026. While that may feel familiar, there’s another big change coming to the event this year. 

McCall Wraps Up Two-Year Test of Shortened Winter Carnival

McCall Winter Carnival 2020 was one of the last large events the state got to enjoy before uncertainty around COVID-19 brought everything to a screeching halt. The pandemic did, however, lead to the cancellation of the 2021 event and the McCall Area Chamber felt like that was an opportunity to start a dialogue with businesses in the small mountain town. 

READ MORE: Can You Help Us Solve the Mystery of These 15 McCall Winter Carnival Sculptures?

Those conversations revealed that many of the businesses were not negatively impacted by the event’s cancellation. Many business owners also expressed that providing enough staffing to support the number of tourists in town over Winter Carnival’s run was a bit of a hardship for them.  

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The feedback led organizers to condense the event to three days and move it to late February which proved to be a “just okay” experience for visitors. In 2024, a lack of snow and warm temperatures resulted in the traditional rules of the snow sculpture contest being thrown out because the snow blocks wouldn’t freeze. 2025 had snow, but warmer temperatures and rain plagued the final day of the event, leading to the cancellation of some outdoor events like the talent show. 

2026’s McCall Winter Carnival Runs January 30-February 8

While the 10-day format is back, visitors that used to time their visit around certain events should be aware of a few major schedule changes. 

In the past the Mardi Gras Parade was the first weekend of the event. That’s not the case in 2026. The Mardi Gras Parade is scheduled for Noon on Saturday, February 7. 

Additionally, while the Children’s Torchlight Parade is still scheduled for the first Friday of the event, the welcome fireworks are not. Instead, the first night to see fireworks over Payette Lake will be Saturday, January 31 at 7 p.m. There will be a second fireworks show on Saturday, February 7 at 7 p.m.

The college hockey showdown between Boise State and the University of Idaho stays on the first weekend. The ice show will remain on the second weekend. 

For the complete rundown of Winter Carnival events click HERE.