Hello friends - we have a beautiful fall weekend ahead and there is soo much going on! Tons of festivals, some fun food things, lots of live music, and more (of course). Here's the podcast if you want to hear me talk about it. Have fun out there!
Weekend happenings
Friday, Sept 20 - Saturday, Sept 21
Das Alpenhaus Delikatessen’s Oktoberfest is happening in the parking lot at 1340 S Vista Ave. There will be 16+ authentic German and Austrian beers, limited wine, NA drinks, plus authentic foods like pretzels, schweinehaxe, eisbein, paprikahändl, brats, and sides. There’s also a daily Stein Hoisting challenge around 5:30pm. There will be no on-site parking and no outside food/drink (including water!) allowed.
Eagle Jazz Festival is happening at multiple locations in Eagle. The two-day event brings together local musicians for a variety of shows. Check out the schedule here. Tickets are a la carte for each event and there’s a few free events too.
Tater Tots Festival is happening in Lions Park in Ontario. If you didn’t know, Ontario is the birthplace of the tater tot! There will be lots of tots, live music, a vintage car & motorcycle show, activities, and more.
Friday, Sept 20 - Sunday, Sept 22
Payette Brewing’s Oktoberfest Celebration is happening all weekend at Payette Brewing. They have a jam-packed schedule with live music, games, food, costume contests and much more. It’s free to enter and then you pay for your beer, food, those darling little boot glasses to drink out of, etc. You can buy boot glasses and beer tokens ahead of time here. It’s all ages, dogs on leash welcome, and lederhosen, dirndl dresses and Bavarian hats are highly encouraged!
Boise Scottish Heritage Festival is happening this weekend. Friday night there’s a Scottish Ceilidh at The River Club in Garden City at 6pm, tix are $30. Then on Saturday and Sunday the festivities are happening at Expo Idaho all day starting at 9am. There will be music, dance, athletics, sporting events, food and vendors of Scottish related goods and services.
Potato Days is happening at Kleiner Park in Meridian all weekend. There’s all kinds of potato-themed events going on, including potato car races, potato lawn games, plus local vendors, live music, and tons of local vendors (and yes, there will be potato foods). It’s free!
Wepa’s 3rd Anniversary Party is happening at Wepa Cafe in Garden City this weekend. Friday night there’s a parking lot dance party from 6-10pm. Saturday is the traditional Lechon Pig Roast with live music, dance lessons, and a street market in the parking lot. Sunday is the Latin Hip Hop Brunch with a buffet and live dj. Tix are $50 for the pig roast and Saturday, $30 for the brunch on Sunday, or $75 for both events.
Saturday, Sept 21
¡Fiesta! Celebrating Idaho’s Hispanic Heritage is happening at Idaho State Museum from 10am-5pm. There will be hands-on crafts, vendors, and a special pop-up exhibit in the Canyon Gallery highlighting the history of traditional folklorico dancing in Latin America and in Idaho. It’s free!
St Luke’s FitOne, Idaho’s most family-friendly race, is happening on Saturday. There’s a 5k, 10k, and half marathon race and each race starts at a different time. There’s still time to register and participate! More info here.
Flywheel Fest is happening at JUMP from 4-8pm. There's pinewood tractor derby races, carnival games, antique farm equipment demonstrations, contests, prizes, food trucks, live music and more. It's free!
Kuna’s Art Attack Festival is happening from 10am-4pm at Kuna Square. There’s local artist booths, performances, food, kids activities and more.
Sunday, Sept 22
Japan Day is happening from 12-4pm at the Gene Harris Bandshell in Julia Davis Park. It’s a family-friendly event to experience the richness of Japanese heritage. There will be displays, Japanese performances such as traditional dance, Koto (Japanese harp), Sanshin (Okinawan three-stringed instrument), Taiko (traditional Japanese drumming), martial arts, and more. There will also be food vendors offering a variety of Japanese cuisine, from sushi to street food. It’s free!
Open Streets Boise, a car free celebration, is happening on Latah Street on the Boise Bench from 12-5pm. There’s tons of events happening - read my story about it here and check the official schedule + map here.
Wepa's Anniversary Party, credit Wepa Cafe
Markets this weekend
Saturday, Sept 21
No New Vintage Market is happening at the Linen Building from 10am-4pm. Shop vintage vendors, get a tiny tat, and more!
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, Sept 24
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.
PURSE! DiSCUSSES: Stories of Communication & Connectionsis happening at James Castle House. Storytellers are Mikkel & Nelson+ Jo Ann Dobecki Shopbell + Sonny Cabbage. In honor of James Castle's creative ways of connecting, this event celebrates stories of our incredible deaf community on the back porch of his former house. Tix are $20 and it goes 7-9pm.
Funny Feud Adult Comedy is happening at Watson’s Cafe at 8:30pm. Local comedians will go head-to-head in a bracket-style competition, debating audience-suggested topics. Tix are $15-$50. 18+
Saturday, Sept 21
Ira Glass, renown host of the public radio program This American Life, is speaking at The Cabin’s Readings & Conversations. He’s talking about what he’s learned across his Pulitzer and Peabody-award winning career. Handful of tix left and they are $44-$84. Starts at 8pm and it's at the Morrison Center.
Alfred Robles is doing a stand up comedy show at The Egyptian Theatre. He’s known for good-humored teasing. Tix are $23 and it starts at 7pm.
Monica Nevi is doing two stand up comedy shows at Mad Swede Brew Hall, at 7pm and 9pm. Tix are $20 per show.
Slammer of the Year: CHUTES AND LADDERS, is happening at JUMP. It’s a storytelling game where two teams of the five top-ranked story slammers from Story Story Night’s recent season battle it out live. Tix are $20 and stories start at 7pm.
Bob The Drag Queen is performing a comedy and entertainment show at The Egyptian Theatre. Tix are $44-$86 and it starts at 8pm. 18+
credit Story Story Night
Food finds & things to drink
Fun food & drink things
It’s Negroni Week at The Modern Bar. They have six classic negronis and negroni variations on the menu this week. Goes through Sunday, Sept 22.
Kichii Sushi & Spirits, a new sushi bar in BoDo, is opening on Friday at 3pm. It’s a new concept in the old Bodovino space on the corner of 8th Street and Broad Street.
Pranom Traveling Thai is popping up at Barbarian Brewing in Garden City on Friday and Saturday. Chef Dream Kasestatad travels all over the country serving authentic Thai cuisine handed down from generations of family home-style cooking. YUM.
Saturday, Sept 21
Tequila & Tacos (& mezcal), a tequila tasting event hosted by Richard’s, is happening on the second floor plaza of the Inn at 500 Capitol in downtown Boise. You can taste all the popular tequila & mezcal brands from 5 liquor reps, paired with house-made street tacos. There’s also tequila cocktails. Tix are $25. 21+
Wednesday, Sept 25
Prestige Pours: Tour of Spain, a Spanish wine tasting class, is happening at House of Wine. Enjoy five top tier wines (worth over $350!) and learn about the people, the land, the methods, and the history that makes these some of the finest wines in the world. Tix are $75. Goes 6:30-7:30pm. 21+
credit Pranom Traveling Thai
Things to do
Thursday, Sept 19
Nampa Third Thursday’s Street Festival is happening tonight from 6-9pm. This one is Nampa’s bday party! There’s a bunch of events happening in downtown Nampa from 1st Street S to 13th Ave S.
Friday, Sept 20
It’s Park(ing) Day in Downtown Boise, where parking spots are temporarily transformed into tiny parks! So cute. You can see the map of tiny parks here. Parks will be up 9am-4pm. It’s free!
How Everyday People Become Circus Artists, a workshop about how to become a circus performer, is happening at Fly! Boise. Witness jaw-dropping acts, hear inspiring stories, and learn what it takes to defy gravity and step into the spotlight. It goes from 7-9pm and tix are $15 for adults or $7.50 for kids.
Saturday, Sept 21
It’s Bug Day at the Idaho Botanical Garden! There’s bug-themed booths and activities, live music, food trucks, and more. Goes 11am-4pm.
International Red Panda Day is happening at Zoo Boise from 10am-2pm. You can meet red pandas, learn about the exhibit expansion happening at Zoo Boise in 2025, and do some arts & crafts activities, biofact exploration, and more.
Wine & Craft Bazaar happening at Williamson Orchards and Vineyards from 12-5pm. It’s an outdoor craft fair filled with local vendors and artists. Williamson’s also has a special Wine and Craft flight with five 1 ounce wine samples for $10, food trucks, and live music.
Middle-Earth Marathon is happening at Idaho Film Society. It’s an all-day marathon screening of the original Lord of the Rings theatrical films to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Tolkien’s LoTR book trilogy. In-between screenings you will be able to feast on an amazing menu of LoTR fare prepared by Idaho Provisions and Fiddlers Green Farms. You can also buy a ticket to see a single movie. More info and tix here.
The 4th annual Animal Rescue Volunteer Event is happening at Bark n’ Purr on Vista Ave from 12-4pm. It brings together 25 local rescue organizations & you can learn about different volunteer opportunities. There’s also a limited number of free dog & cat vaccines, low cost microchipping, food trucks, drinks, and a raffle.
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.
