The Hyde Street Park Fair is a must-go if you're looking for something fun to do in Boise. There…read moreare so many vendors of all different kinds including clothing, pet products, crafts, and food. They really have it all. On top of that, they feature three different bands which makes the atmosphere even better. It is located at Camel's Back Park, so if you're up for it you can also hike to the top of the hill for amazing views of the city and the fair. We had such a great time here, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Probably the best free event in Boise. Unlike Art in the Park, which has turned into a neighborhood…read morecraft sale, the Hyde Park Street Fair isn't just about selling people's art and craft projects. Instead, it really feels like a community event that brings together everyone who lives in the north end, and sometimes our neighbors to the west. The focus here is on connecting with people while perusing booths, eating food, listening to local social groups, and watching performances on the main stage. THey have a great variety of talent here, from kids playing marimbas to hackey sack competitions to cultural dancers to music groups. Check the schedule before you come if you're interested in any particular topic, and you're likely to find it--and for free. If you peer beyond the stage, you'll find slackliners, aerial yogis, and mountain bikers all practicing their sports in the park around you, and that itself is worth watching. There are usually some good food trucks, with tacos, Pronto Pups, Hawaiian and Greek food, and the usual fried....everything. Luckily, everything tastes better deep fried on a September night. Parking is a nightmare, but parking in Hyde Park always is, so plan to walk, carpool, or bike if you can. The fun is about being close to the people in the neighborhood, so enjoy the crush of humanity, grab a kombucha and sit back and listen to the latest bluegrass jam band while the sun sets.

We had an amazing afternoon of great food and even better music! I look forward to being able to…read moreattend again.

Ok. Let me just say this.... One vendor is NOT a BBQ festival! Music is very good, but the "Bones"…read morepart needs some working on. I had the mindset coming here there would be several people Q'n it up to fill up an 8 hour event of music and eating. Although the pulled pork I ordered was tasty, serving it with Sweet Baby Rays, a product I can buy off the shelf, was not what I had expected. I can see some great potential with this event. Not sure how many years this has run, but I do hope next time they add more to the BBQ side of things. Surely there must be some other BBQ enthusiasts around the treasure valley who want to showcase their talents at an event like this. There was one lucky find having bought two bottles off of a local Q sauce maker. Can't wait to Go home and grill something up to enjoy his creation.

We came here right when they opened and it was honestly the highlight of our trip. Not that many…read morepeople at the time but loved how big it was and so much to do that it wasn't overwhelming. The price was a bit hefty but totally worth it to be honest. All the activities from the Slide, Feeding the Animals, the Cows and Animals, the chicken coop, the photo Ops, all the activities basketball hoops, the corn maze was our favorite & so much more there is to do you can easily spend a whole day here. Loved how clean and organized the place was there were different handwashing stations if you fed the animals and the Potty's they had outside were clean and didn't have a bad smell appreciated that. The food options we wanted we didn't get to try but that's ok. It was a bit windy that day that made some activities hard to do or for the corn to get roasted and so fourth, we grabbed some of their donuts and warm apple cider that was so good and perfect for the chilly weather. There was also pumpkin picking and loved that you can go out to the field and grab a wagon and such a fun activity to do with the family. They also had a lot of fun picture ops with the pumpkins as well & the little barn area that was decorated with pumpkins. Their sunflower field was so amazing I had never been to one but it was magical. Wear shoes you don't care for cause it was muddy in the fields and you can take the ones you like and just pay for them at the little shack. They also had tons of Zinnias that were beautiful and those were up for purchase as well. All in all it was def a fun place to visit, I mean their corn maze was shaped like a Jet & not to mention the Pig Races! Grab your family & friends and stop on by..

I'm not a sucker for fall activities like most "basic girls" but I will drag my husband here every…read moreyear. Nice variety u-pick pumpkins, great activities for kids, and I'm a sucker for a petting zoo, I matter how grown up I am. Even if it's expensive- I can't resist.

Treefort is a music festival, but it's so much MORE than just music. At first glance, you may think…read morethat it's just a bunch of music lovers hanging out in a park, listening to up-and-coming bands as well as a few better known groups. But then you start to hear about all the "forts" around town that draw in other interests. Yoga fort. Alefort. Comedyfort. Hackerfort. And some of those don't require a wristband at all-they are free and open to the public. If you're here to listen to the music, you definitely need the wristband-that's what gets you access to the park with the stages. However, since some of the ancillary activities are pubic, do a little research ahead and find out which events you can attend for free and which require a pass. I found myself spending the majority of time at Hackerfort (public) and the Yogafort (pass required). You can buy passes to individual forts, but the a la cart option will add up if you do several of those. Many of the local businesses partner with Treefort and host smaller events or performers-I love that! It gives me a chance to get outside the park and see what Boise really has to offer. And there's lots. The branding for Treefort is very hipster/creative and is all over town. I love that there's something for everyone here-whether you're a die hard music fan, a yoga enthusiast or LGBTQ+ you'll find something of interest at Treefort. I just wish the weather would have cooperated this year. Perhaps in years past, it was not so bad-but 2023 was COLD.

A music festival is more than the music acts performing. It's really a little community that forms…read morefor a few days, each with a unique culture. Treefort is a surprisingly friendly and eclectic sea of lumberjack hipsters, Patagonia jacketed folk, and rainbow glittered festiv-elles mixing to make a super unusual festival that somehow really works? The ratio of gorgeous drag queens to long bearded and plaid flannel sporting crowd is low, but bizarrely delightful. I really noticed how kind this festival's culture was! The music was really all over the spectrum. Really enjoyed Liz Phair, one of the headliners. However, it was a joy to listen to a lot of the smaller names before attending to try to schedule which I wanted to hear. My absolute favorite discovery was the hilarious punk/pop Caroline Rose. She and her band seemed to draw a bigger crowd then even the headliners... IN THE RAIN! I think there were about 500 bands/DJ's performing this year. The Main Stage had the headliners and big hitters, including some stand up comics. This area requires a wristband to enter, while most of them do (except Kidsfort). A lot of the performances are in bars, outdoor smaller stages, and other community buildings scattered downtown. Across from the Main Stage, there is a great Kidsfort area on Saturday and Sunday that has all sorts of fun stuff for small tots all the way up to preteens. Crafts, free snacks, cardboard box fort cities being built lovingly by little guys. Even tot friendly bands. A block up from that, there is the Alefort. Most everyone has an aluminum mug carabiner clipped to theirselves. This is required in the Alefort Tent, and you buy tokens for $3.50 a piece to use at the 20+ beer/cider vendors. There are beer/cider vendors in the Main Stage area too. This festival is extremely vegan friendly. I'd say probably 70% of the food trucks had vegan options. Also, lots of friendly pups out and about in the streets between the different forts. Spring in Boise means wearing layers. There was a fair amount of rain, but the Main Stage had lots of cover for anyone bothered by it. Wear some really comfy shoes too, because you are going to put in miles trekking between one stage to the next over the course of the day through the evening. For serious music fans, you may be slightly overwhelmed to try to schedule all the artists you want to catch. Luckily the Treefort App makes this easy, and bonus for it letting you share your plans with all your friends. Tip: For any artist you have on your schedule that will be performing in a bar, be sure to get there at least an hour to 90 minutes early to get yourself in the door. We saw many long lines of people just trying to get into the doors of these bars. Lastly, there is amazing community support for this festival in Boise. You will see signs up in businesses and window art left and right downtown. A great community event with tons of sponsorship. Can't wait to attend again!

There seems to be a general lack of understanding about the Basque Center in Boise - certainly…read moreamong non-Basques. The Basque Center was built in 1949 and is a gathering place for Basque people in the area as well as non-Basques. It is available for rent and it has a huge kitchen in the basement for catering events. This past Saturday in support of the Basque Block Christmas Market, the Center featured the Basque music group, Txantxangorriak, and performances by Boiseko Gazteak, which teaches traditional Basque dance children from 4 to 13 years of age. It was a lively afternoon of traditional music and dance while the largely Basque crowd cheered and appreciated the show of talents. The Center is open to the public and non-Basques should not be intimidated to enter the bar for a good strong drink at a really low price. Be mindful that the Center is closed Monday, serves drinks after 3 pm Tues-Thur and has extensive hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Center is celebrating the 93rd Sheepherders Ball on Saturday, December 17th with a dinner that is currently sold out. After the dinner, the Oinkari Dancers (ages 14 and above) will perform at 8:00 PM, followed by a lamb auction which raises funds for the Basque Charities account. The dance, featuring the popular band "Amuma Says No", will begin after the lamb auction. The cost of admission to the dance is $5 for adults and children under 12 are admitted for free.

Pretty amazing little place! If you haven't popped your head in, you probably should. It always has…read morea perfect amount of people. Two's a party, three's a crowd. I am not sure what the scene looks like on most days but closer to the end of the week there are several people on the patio and in the bar. Come with friends or plan to pick up a conversation at the bar with someone you don't know. Friendly place!

I would like to start by saying that this was easily, hands-down, the best beer festival I've ever…read morebeen to (and this ain't my first rodeo). For me, personally, it was amazing for a few different reasons. There was the game element (yeah, nobody knew what they were drinking until after 7 p.m.; the event started at 4), the fact that beer is, indeed, a social lubricant (leading to so much good conversation with strangers), great food, music, games, proximity to 10 Barrel and some of the best beer-appreciating folks in Boise. To begin with, the tastings were divided into four (or was it five?) states, but were only identified as "State 1," "State 2," etc. Each tap was assigned a number, so you had a lot of folks running around and asking each other, "Did you like 19?" "No, but 17 was incredible!" At first glance, I thought this was a lame gimmick. Boy, oh, boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. It kept us interested and forced us to really taste each beer thoughtfully. Not to brag, but wifey and I guessed #1 (Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin), which meant we knew State 1 was California. We also totally called the fact that State 3 was Oregon, with its piney, citrusy, almost juicy hops. This was an IPA-lover's dream-come-true. It was so epic and beautiful, and I'm really just talking about the beer itself. Next, the company we found ourselves in was seriously epic. As we entered, a gentleman (purveyor of Sandpoint's own Pour Authority) approached me and asked if I was from Portland, since he saw my Rogue t-shirt with the silhouette of OR state on it. This led to a lively conversation about beer across the PAC NW and an invitation to sample at his establishment. I really appreciated how he continued to check in with us, provide recommendations and feedback, and generally share in the friendly company of he and his wife. We also met Nick, a beer enthusiast who'd already been to the Oktoberfest that day (it was a little lame, apparently) and who spoke to us about the tribulations of being a seriously-beer-loving parent and also Star Wars films, new and old. My wife and I, who met at Whittier College, met a gentleman who attended during two of the years we were actually there. I met a fellow Caldwell School District employee that I'd never met before, and in that way got to "network" a little bit (nice to meet you, Ms. K). I cannot overemphasize how friendly and genuine these people were. Of course, there were the obligatory "grown ass" adults (yes, men and women) who were fine with cutting in line. Remember fourth grade, guys? "No cuts, no butts, no coconuts." However, you have these people at any beer festival and I'm sure they're already aware that there is a special circle in hell for people who cut in line. Overall, it was an outstanding experience and the single best-organized event I've ever attended in the state of Idaho, which includes the gigantic Barley Bros. beer fests that used to take place at Anne Morrison and Kleiner Park. The food looked great (sorry, we'd eaten beforehand, but there were finger steaks, pulled pork sammies and pizza by the slice); the staff was incredibly friendly, helpful and funny; the event was just seriously well-coordinated. The beer was amazing; we didn't dislike a single thing we tried and pretty much loved most of the brews. Maybe the most underrated part of this event was the cost: $5 for a glass (not the crappy, plastic ones we've received at other festivals, but a legit tulip glass with the odd Beer Wars guy logo) and $1 per 4 oz. taste! That equates to a $4 pint, a good deal anywhere for craft deliciousness, and you don't have to drink like a fiend. My wife and I actually split all of our tastes, so we could try everything and still make it home. I wish this was a regular event, so I could say, "Check it out!" I can only hope this happens again next year, but at that time, I won't be recommending you go (more beer and open space for me). Ten Barrel, I salute you and your crafty ways.

Leave your bah-humbuggery at the door and let the holidays begin! We had so much fun at the Boise…read moreChristmas Show. You cannot help but get into the seasonal spirit with all the lovely holiday-themed merchandise, jolly music playing in the background, cinnamon and apple wafting through the air, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus there to welcome in the season. We wandered from booth to booth and found the most unusual gift ideas (manly wool kilts with your favorite sports team logo, anyone? With manly guys modeling them too...I wonder if they are included) I bought some cool Christmas ornament earrings, amazingly smooth, salt-caramel fudge ("Blue Moose"), and stocking stuffer gifts for everyone on my list. As a new arrival to the area I am obsessed with anything in the shape of Idaho state. I found Idaho cutting boards, earrings, handmade scarves, and ornaments. You have your choice of many "potato" themed gifts as well. I so appreciate the handmade tradition and fear that many of these crafts may disappear. It is also one of the few truly family-oriented activities that has something for everyone. That is why it is so important to attend these events and support local artisans. My one suggestion is to eliminate those "informational" types of booths that are not holiday or gift themed (ie: booths selling siding, windows, floor cleaners, etc.) They made up most of the center area and we just kind of bypassed them...you can find these products and services at other events.

My wife and I have been attending events hosted by the Idaho Renaissance Faire since 2018 and we…read morecan safely say it has been one of our favorite outings and preferred dates. The group that hosted these events are always so joyful and lively. There's always things to do and a little something for everyone. As one can expect from a nice Renaissance Faire the entertainment types can vary from archery, fire dancers, belly dancers, armored knights, costumes characters, and browsing the vendors. Many vendors sell various handicrafts, foods, and souvenirs to make the weekend getaway memorable. This events usually have a maypole, king and queen, opening ceremony, and lots of shade since the are often hosted at the Kuna Greenbelt Park with the exception of Beltane which was at Expo Idaho. The group that runs these events are very dedicated and host memorable experiences that's perfect for the family. Be sure to check their website and see when they're in town next. Huzzah!

I have attended these festivals in Texas, California and Arizona so have extensive experience. In…read moreIdaho this is really more of a renaissance themed craft show than a full blown festival. In AZ and TX their Festivals are in dedicated fairgrounds with permeant structures and give the feeling of being in Renaissance era Europe, there is nothing obviously modern. Here it's aluminum pop up tents and food trucks n a city park with absolutely none of the usual charm. No vendors with cheesy accents who stay in character, referring to you as my Lord and my Lady. I was honestly pretty disappointed, no wonder it's only one weekend a year rather than the six week long, bring the tent and spend a couple days at it, spectacular I've enjoyed elsewhere. There was entertainment, dancers and musicians, lots of vendors...but a big yellow Dickies BBQ tent and a Scentsy tent, and a food truck selling coffee at prices well above those posted right their on their board...these have NO place at a proper festival. Without someone making the investment to build dedicated fairgrounds as found elsewhere, it's extremely difficult to make constructive comments. This said...they should NOT allow food trucks or the marketing tents, it ruins the spirit of the event. They should absolutely require vendors to be in costume, referring to customers as my Lord/Lady. Having a vendor with a large, wood burning grill, cooking turkey legs would help add the right smell. There was no mead or grog, both typically found at these events. Now I know I've hammered on period appropriate...but I'll diverge here to say that vendors absolutely need to be prepared to handle credit cards. It was rediculous how many vendors were cash only...what, are we in the dark ages??? If not cards, then at least an ATM available. Now the question I always answer...would I return or encourage others to attend? Probably not because this experience would cause them not to want to try a proper Renaissance Faire elsewhere. I would highly recommend the faires in both Phoenix and Houston. AZ runs for about two MONTHS and can be done in a day, stretched to two. Houston is probably at least the size of Disneyland and can not be done in only one day, plan for at least two, there are campsites.