Light up the Night: New Year’s Eve Celebration
Light up the Night on New Year’s Eve at Brundage Mountain. Light up the Night features the Torchlight Parade, a slope-side Fireworks Show, and a Kids Glowstick walking parade. As the chairlifts close, you can stay warm around the plaza-level fire pit. With plenty of room on balconies and on the snow-front, everyone gets a front-row seat to enjoy the show. The festivities and fireworks are free to attend. Please be sure to dress for winter mountain weather conditions!
Aglow on the Snow Parade
Take part in the Aglow on the Snow Parade with your children before the fireworks kick off. This year, there will be almost 300 LED foam wands and 2000+ glow sticks for participants to use as they walk from Mountain Sports School to Smoky’s at the Lodge. Kids must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Kids and parents will meet inside the Mountain Sports School facility of the new MAC building (enter next to the base of the Bluebird Express), by 5:15 p.m.
Torchlight Parade
Advanced skiers and snowboarders ages 16 and over are invited to participate in the Torchlight Parade down the mountain. Ski and ride in formation with torches to light up the mountain. Advanced registration is required to participate in the Torchlight Parade and participants must fill out a waiver in advance. Participants are required to wear goggles for eye protection from potential sparks. Clear or very light lenses are recommended. All participants must check in at the base of the Bluebird Lift, no later than 5:15 p.m. or risk being unable to participate in the parade.
Fireworks Show
You’ve seen the photos, now check out the fireworks show at Brundage in person! The snow-front at the base area provides an incredible view of the event. Slope-side fireworks will begin just after the finish of the Torchlight Parade, about 6:15 p.m. Thank you to Fireworks America for providing the great show!
Food And Beverage
Smoky’s, Main Street Cafe, and the Upper Lot will all be open for attendees’ enjoyment during Light up the Night!
Brundage Blue Line Express
The Brundage Blue Line Express will add two more loops on New Year’s Eve.
The Shuttle will leave the Post Office at:
- 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
The Shuttle will leave Brundage at:
- 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m.
Winter Carnival
Journey Back To 1924
The inspiration for the Winter Carnival dates to 1924, when McCall created the Payette Lakes Sports Carnival to beat the winter doldrums. Back then, events included dog and snowshoe races, ski jumping, horse skijoring, and a tug-o-war for which the prize was a box of oranges—now that’s a treat! In addition to these events, visitors could also take an exhilarating ride across the lake ice on a motor sleigh, a standard sleigh outfitted with an airplane motor for power.
As guest lodging in McCall was limited in the 1920s, overflow visitors were housed by residents who opened their homes for the Carnival. In addition, a train with sleeper cars was positioned at the train station, and reduced rates were offered as another form of accommodation for visitors. The first Sports Carnival was attended by approximately 2,000 people, including then Idaho Governor Charles C. Moore.
The Payette Lakes Sports Carnival lasted several years. Still, it began to fade out as organized clubs and the development of permanent facilities—like the Little Ski Hill—made sporting competitions more formal, reducing the need for competition-based festivals. The Sports Carnival eventually evolved into an “Ice Break-Up Contest.” A person could purchase a ticket and enter a guess as to what day, hour, and minute the ice on Payette Lake would break up in the spring. The last contest was held in 1941 and ended when gambling became illegal.
Motivated by a desire to promote skiing in the area, the community rallied to bring back a winter festival to McCall. The first two-day official Winter Carnival was held that year on the same weekend as the University of Idaho Ski Invitational at Brundage Mountain Ski Resort. The Carnival drew regional visitors to the area and hosted slalom skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, snowshoeing, and snowcat races.
Over time, McCall’s Winter Carnival has moved around the winter calendar several times. In the 1990s, the event adopted an ongoing “Mardi Gras” theme for the parade and stretched from a single weekend event into a 10-day extravaganza. The goal at that time was to bring more people to the sleepy winter town and boost awareness about McCall’s unique blend of winter offerings.
100 years after the first Payette Lakes Sports Carnival, McCall’s signature event is undergoing more change. The McCall Chamber is in year two of a two-year trial of a new date and format. The Chamber is exploring whether hosting the event during a single weekend at the end of February can better strike a balance between the importance of honoring community traditions and the ability of the community to provide services to the visitors who flock here to enjoy what McCall has to offer.
This year’s Winter Carnival is February 21-23, 2025. Dates for the 2026 Winter Carnival will be announced in March 2025.
For more information, scan the code below to visit the official website of this year’s carnival.
Disco Carnival Weekend
February 14-16, 2025
Disco Carnival Weekend is a three-day celebration of skiing and snowboarding and a culmination of all of McCall residents’ favorite winter activities. Come out for a weekend of riding and events:
- Friday, February 14: There will be a speed-dating singles lift line from 12 p.m.-2 p.m., a Full Moon Experience with yoga in the early evening, and a romantic snowshoe excursion under the moonlight, plus wine and hors d’oeuvres.
- Saturday, February 15: Come out for the first Penguin Slide, a kids’ event where kids can sled down a hill on their stomachs like penguins to win prizes and have fun. The Penguin Slide is an event hosted in partnership with local student Julia Auth as her senior project. There will also be a cardboard box derby during the day, and Disco on Disco night skiing with lasers, DJs, fire and LED spinners, vendors, and more!
- Sunday, February 16: There will be the first Dummy Downhill, in which participants will create a dummy on skis, snowboards, or sleds. The only requirement—the dummy must be able to slide on snow! The dummies will be sent down a small hill and over a jump. Participants have a chance to win prizes for dummies who survive the hill, the most creative dummy, and more!
Snow Bar
The first Snow Bar will be open all weekend on the Snowfront in front of Seven Devils Taphouse. The Snow Bar is a bar carved out of snow that serves up cocktails and brews all weekend long. With a DJ and drinks flowing, the Snow Bar will be the place to hang out and enjoy aprés after riding all day long!
