McCall, Idaho Announces MAJOR Change to Its Famous Winter Carnival

Back in 2022, the McCall Area Chamber shocked Idahoans with the announcement that they were making significant changes to their famous “Winter Carnival.” After collecting extensive feedback from tourists and McCall residents, they’re making another big change in 2026. 

McCall Wraps Up Two Year Trial of 3-Day Event

For many years, McCall Winter Carnival was a 10-day event that took place at the end of January through the first weekend of February. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the McCall Area Chamber began to wonder if the current format was in the best interest for the small community. Historically, the festival would bring nearly 60,000 tourists into the area. 

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Winter Carnival, no doubt, plays a large role in the small mountain towns economy, but when the chamber surveyed business owners about how the cancellation of the 2021 event due to COVID affected their bottom line 82% said the decision didn’t affect them negatively. In fact, 80% said their business was actually up that year. 

Locals also let the chamber know that staffing the 10-day event was a bit of a hardship. Several said that they chose to close their business during Winter Carnival, rather than offer a sub-par experience to carnival goers. 

That feedback is what led to a two year pilot program where Winter Carnival was moved to late February and shortened to three days. 

New Winter Carnival Format Faced Challenges

The shortened event maintained most of Winter Carnival’s signature events like the Children’s Torchlight Parade, Mardi Gras Parade, ice show, fireworks over Payette Lake and snow sculpture contest. 

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The last one proved to be a challenge to maintain in 2024, the first year of the three year festival. In the days leading up to the festival organizers were plagued by social media rumors that the event had been canceled due to lack of snow and warm temperatures. While that wasn’t true, they were forced to make changes to the sculpture contest because they couldn’t get snow blocks to freeze. 

Competitors got to use whatever materials they wanted to create the base of their sculptures: chicken wire, plywood, anything was fair game. While many took advantage of the freedom to create something wonderful, the sculptures were kind of “meh” by the time guests from all over the state arrived. 

In 2025, there was plenty of snow but the weekend warmed up quickly. The sculptures were starting to melt by Saturday. The warmer temperatures drenched McCall on the final day of the event, causing them to cancel the Local Legends Talent show. 

McCall Winter Carnival Will Return to 10-Day Format in 2026

We went to both years of the three day festival and still had a good time, but not all guests thought it was a slam dunk. After collecting feedback from tourists and locals, event organizers announced the return of the 10-day format in 2026 via Facebook. 

McCall Chamber Executive Director, Shelia Francis, explains: 

This trial period brought us valuable insights into the most important and impactful aspects of Winter Carnival. While opinions remain divided on the ideal length and timing of the event, at the end of the day, the Chamber’s mission is to drive traffic to local businesses. If we can secure strong community support, a 10-day event remains the most effective way to provide that boost.

Next year’s event will take place Friday, January 30 through Sunday, February 8, 2026.