Idaho is an excellent destination for outdoor enthusiasts, and 2022 features a variety of events across both its largest and smallest towns. In Boise, the state capital, the Treefort Music Festival presents more than 400 bands across multiple genres and venues, celebrating a decade of live music in downtown Boise. This multi-venue festival runs March 23–27 and offers a lively mix of indoor and outdoor performances.
In spring, the small town of Fairfield hosts Camas Lily Days, a one-day festival on June 4 that celebrates the annual bloom of purple camas lilies. Visitors can enjoy wildflower viewing, bird watching, trout fishing and cultural performances by Shoshone-Bannock tribal members, all set against the backdrop of the region’s natural beauty.
Later in June, the Malad Valley Welsh Festival brings Welsh pioneer traditions to Malad City from June 24–26. The Malad Valley is noted for having one of the highest concentrations of Welsh descendants outside Wales, a legacy of settlers who arrived in the 1860s. The festival revives the eisteddfod tradition—music and poetry competitions rooted in Welsh culture—and features Welsh heritage games, musical performances, wagon tours, crafts and local foods.
© Brad Stinson
Experience Idaho’s western heritage at the 88th annual Lewiston Roundup, held Sept. 7–10. This classic rodeo features bull riding, barrel racing, roping and other signature events. The Roundup will include a PRCA Xtreme Bulls tour event where top Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bull riders compete for added prize money and the chance to ride elite bucking bulls. The schedule also includes Chicks N’ Chaps, an all-women’s rodeo clinic that teaches rodeo skills while raising awareness and funds to support local breast cancer patients and their families.
Oct. 5–9 brings the 26th Annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival to Ketchum and Hailey, celebrating the region’s sheep ranching and herding traditions. Each year, ranchers lead their flocks north for summer grazing and return them to the valley in the fall. The festival welcomes the sheep with a colorful parade and rounds out the weekend with local cuisine, sheepdog trials, cultural events and live music that highlight this enduring local way of life.