A year of Idaho Falls events: rodeo, ballgames, hockey and a duck race

The Idaho Falls calendar has a shape. Summer is loud and outdoors, packed into a few months between the last spring frost and the first fall one. Winter moves inside, mostly to an ice rink. This guide goes through the year in order, with the months things usually happen rather than exact dates, because exact dates move every year. Each organizer posts the current ones, and those are the dates to trust.

Spring: the market, and a warning about canals

The Idaho Falls Farmers' Market opens in May. It runs on Saturdays from May through October on Memorial Drive downtown, beside the river, and the organizers count more than 130 vendors over the season: produce, meat, bread, crafts and food trucks.

Spring is also when the irrigation canals fill. The Idaho Water Users Association and the state health department both warn about them. Under smooth water, a canal can hide trash, plants and irrigation structures, and swift undercurrents that are hard to escape. Never leave children alone near one, and never jump in after a dog or even a friend. Call for help instead.

June: the path opens up

The floating bridge at John's Hole on the River Walk usually goes back in during the first week of June, which reconnects the long northern loop. From then until fall, the whole path is open.

Summer nights: Chukars baseball

The Idaho Falls Chukars play in the Pioneer League, an independent league that became an MLB Partner League in 2021. Home games are at Melaleuca Field, where the team has played since 2007, and the season runs through the summer into early September. The name came from a fan vote in the early 2000s. A chukar is a game bird.

A weeknight game is an easy evening out. Check the team's schedule for home dates and promotions.

Independence Day, and what changed in 2026

For 33 years, the Fourth of July in Idaho Falls ended with the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration fireworks over Snake River Landing, with crowds spread across Snake River Landing, Freeman Park and the neighborhoods nearby. The sponsor held its final show in July 2026, saying it was losing the venue at Snake River Landing. If you are planning a Fourth in town after that, look at the city's announcements for what takes its place.

Late July into August: the War Bonnet Round Up

The War Bonnet Round Up calls itself Idaho's oldest rodeo. It was first held in 1911 and marked its 115th anniversary in 2026. It is a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo at Sandy Downs, 1860 East 65th South, run by the city's parks and recreation department.

The city describes it as held every year on the first weekend of August. In practice it can start in the last days of July; in 2026 it ran July 29 through August 1. The rodeo runs in the evening, with gates opening in the late afternoon. Tickets go through the city's official sellers, and the city has warned people to buy only from those.

August: ducks on the Snake

The Great Snake River Duck Race belongs to the Idaho Falls Rotary Club, which has used it to raise money for the River Walk and greenbelt since 1991, with matching funds from the city. It is usually on a Saturday in August, with daytime festivities along the River Walk. In the afternoon the numbered ducks go into the Snake just south of the John's Hole bridge. You adopt a duck by buying a numbered entry, and the people holding the numbers of the first ducks across the finish line win prizes. The money goes back into the path you are standing on.

Summer, any day: Tautphaus Park

The zoo at Tautphaus Park has been open since 1935 and holds more than 300 animals. Funland, the amusement park in the same park, opened in 1947. The city bought it in 2019 and reopened it on August 12, 2023. The park covers 84.5 acres and has ball fields and a skate park for the rest of the afternoon.

Fall: hockey season starts

The Idaho Falls Spud Kings are a junior hockey team that started in 2022, the same year the Mountain America Center opened in Snake River Landing. The arena holds up to 6,000. The team came into the 2025-26 season as defending Dineen Cup champions of the USPHL, and for 2026-27 it moved to the North American Hockey League. The season starts in the fall, and home games carry through the winter.

The Farmers' Market closes out in October, and the floating bridge on the River Walk usually comes out in the first week of November.

Winter: rinks, sled hills and indoor culture

Winter here is cold. January averages about 20 degrees at the airport, and snow averages around three feet across the season. Tautphaus Park has an ice arena. Freeman Park, at the north end of the River Walk, has a sled hill with its own parking.

Downtown carries the indoor side. The Museum of Idaho rotates traveling exhibits through the year, and the Arts Council publishes the calendar for the Colonial Theater at the Willard Arts Center. Check both before a cold Saturday.

Using our listings

The Things to Do, Parks and Outdoors, and Museums and Galleries categories list the places named here, and the Hotels and Restaurants pages help if you are coming in for a weekend. We do not run an events calendar. Dates change, and the organizer's own page is the only place to get them right.