The inaugural Idaho Island Festival is happening at Kleiner Park in Meridian. There will be live pacific islander music, dancing, food, vendors, cultural booths, hands-on games & activities! You can learn to hula, ukulele strums, make a flower lei, and more. Goes from 10am-9:30pm. Fun!
The 63rd Annual Basque Picnic is happening at Basque Park in Mountain Home. There will be food & drinks, an Esku Pilota (Basque handball) exhibition, games for kids and adults, a performance by the Oinkari Basque Dancers, a live lamb auction, and a street dance with Ripple Effect. Starts at 4pm. All are welcome!
All weekend
Kuna Days is happening at multiple locations in downtown Kuna on Friday & Saturday. There’s tons of events going on like a cornhole tournament, pie eating contest, live music, a movie night, pet costume contest, a mullet contest, and much more. See the schedule here.
The 53rd Annual Nightfire Nationals is happening at Firebird Raceway in Eagle. It’s a car race… honestly I don’t think I have the right vocab to explain this correctly but there’s multiple different types of vehicles that are racing. Tix are $20-$40 and parking is free! There’s also $100 camping passes.
Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival is happening up in beautiful Yellow Pine this weekend on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. There’s lots of live music, workshops, bingo, community meals, and much more happening at multiple locations in Yellow Pine. See the schedule here.
A beautiful day in Yellow Pine
Markets this weekend
Saturday, August 3
Boise Farmers Market is happening from 9am-1pm at 1500 Shoreline Drive in Boise. This one is a food-focused market with local farmers, ranchers, and producers, plus a few food trucks. Also fyi no dogs allowed.
Capital City Public Market is happening from 9:30am-1:30pm on the Grove Plaza in downtown Boise. Art, baked goods, produce, herbs and spices, clothing, jewelry, and more.
Meridian Main Street Market is happening from 9am-2pm at City Hall Plaza & next to Meridian City Hall. Find fresh produce, artisan goods, crafts, and more.
Nampa Farmers Market is happening from 9am-1:30pm in Lloyd Square Park in Nampa. Tons of vendors to shop!
Eagle Saturday Market is going on from 9am-2pm at Eagle City Hall Campus. There’s food and craft vendors, and live music.
Tuesday, August 6
Caldwell's Farm to Fork Farmers Market is happening at Indian Creek Plaza from 5-8pm. Find tons of local producers, plus live music, local restaurants and more.
Meridian Night Market is happening in Frontier Park in Meridian from 6-10pm. Over 20 local artists, live music, food, drinks, and more. There’s an all ages section and a 21+ section.
Comedian Trey Kennedy is at The Morrison Center at 7pm. Tix are $27.50 - $125 depending on where you sit and if you add the meet & greet.
Friday, August 2
The Improv Games are happening at the Lounge at the End of the Universe. It’s a comedy competition that allows improvisers from all over the Treasure Valley to compete in duos for fun, glory, and cold, hard cash! Each week, the audience decides who lives or “dies,” in this love letter to The Hunger Games. Tix are $25 and it goes 7-9pm.
Storytelling + Stand-Up Comedy Show is happening at The Creative Space at 7:30pm. Tix are $10 online, $15 at the door, or $5 for kids (5-12).
Watson's Live! It's Freaky Friday is happening at 8:30pm. Five of the funniest local comedians are coming together to perform their own sets and then remix each other's work. Tix are $15-$50. 18+
Saturday, August 3
White Hot Comedy Show & Dance Party is happening at Lounge at the End of the Universe. It’s a comedy show, dance party, and fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Comedians include Craig Gass (Howard Stern, Family Guy, Sex & the City), Curtis Taylor III, and Jen Adams. Tix are $30 for the whole evening or $20 for the dance party only.
Food finds & things to drink
Thursday, August 1
Barbarian Brewing is releasing three new beers and has free bingo at 7pm. Happening at the Downtown Boise location.
Saturday, August 3
La Carne Asada, a patio party, is happening at Heritage Social from 3pm-2am. There will be tacos, DJs, drinks and more. 18+ to enter, 21+ to drink. Tix are $10.
More food news
Saltbrush has a new “violet hour” aka happy hour with food and drinks. Yum!
KIN has an Olympics-themed pop up bar menu. It’s available every Friday & Saturday from 5-10pm during The Olympics.
Craft Lounge has a new speakeasy open in downtown Caldwell. Looks cozy.
Funky Sol is a new-ish mobile coffee shop in a converted airstream camper. They have coffee drinks & treats. What a cute idea!
Things to do
Thursday, August 1
First Thursday is happening tonight all around downtown Boise. Lots of fun stuff going on including clothing sales, giveaways, food & drink specials, & more!
Friday, August 2
First Friday Studio Art Stroll is happening in multiple locations throughout Garden City. Go visit different local artists in their studios & enjoy pop up performances at different businesses. You can see the map here.
Singles Date Night & Puppy Speed Dating is happening at Clubhound (the new dog park bar). They are doing some fun & cute activities for you & your dog. It’s open to ages 21-34 and it’s $10 at the door or free for Clubhound members.
First Friday Astronomy is happening at Boise State University. Dr. Jason Williams, Project Scientist for NASA’s Cold Atom Lab, is doing a presentation on “NASA’s Cold Atom Lab: Six Years of Quantum Science on the International Space Station”. Stargazing afterward. It’s free!
Friday, August 2 & Saturday, August 3
BY & BYE: an unsustainable art show is happening at The Egyptian Theatre. It’s a multimedia, evening-length dance theater performance in collaboration with multiple Boise artists. Tix are $30-$55 and it starts at 7:30pm both nights.
Saturday, August 3
Hot Air Balloon rides are happening at Ste. Chapelle Winery! Treasure Valley Balloon Rides is hosting rides plus there’s live music and local beer & wine. Goes 6am-1pm.
Boise Front Trail Run is happening at Bogus Basin. There’s a 5 mile and 10 mile race and you can run or walk either distance. Still time to sign up!
Idaho Indie Shorts Cinema Showcase is happening at Overland Park Cinema. It’s a family friendly theatrical screening created to highlight some of the entertaining short films made in Idaho. Starts at 7pm and tix are $5.
Sunday, August 4
Sound Bath Yoga on the Mountain is happening at Bogus Basin from 10-11am. It’s open to all levels. Bring your own mat or towel and meet on the lawn in front of the J.R. Simplot Lodge. It’s free!
Flamenco 4X4 is happening at MING Studios at 7pm. It’s an evening of music, dance, and photography. Space is limited to 50 people.
Wednesday, August 7
Camels Back Hike with Womeness In the Wilderness is happening from 6-8pm. Womeness in the wilderness is held each month as a way to encourage women to enjoy the outdoors and connect with other women in the area. It’s free!
Also…
Have you heard about Now That’s A Deal? It’s a new store at 5443 N Glenwood St in Garden City.Basically they buy a truckload of stuff from Amazon and then everything is for sale for a set price depending on the day. Tuesday everything is $8, Wednesday is $4, Thursday is $2, Friday is $1, and Saturday is $0.25.
Vervain Collective, a a natural products apothecary located inside Roots Zero Waste Market, is doing a crowdfunding campaign right now to help with their new space in the new Travis Building (1620 W Bannock St). They are almost 70% to their goal! More info here.
Boise-based nonprofit S H E (Style Her Empowered) has been nominated for a CNN Hero Award, which is a very big deal in the nonprofit world. Watch the video here.
Every Tuesday, read a story about a person, place, piece of Boise history, or local happening. Every Thursday, get a huge list of things to do over the weekend. No news, no politics - just the fun stuff.
