Winter Carnival | 100 Years of Tradition

Winter Carnival. Two words that mean many things to many people here in McCall – and far beyond our local area.

The original motivation to create a winter festival in McCall dates back 100 years. It came from the hearty local folks, presumably suffering from more than a touch of cabin fever, who devised winter sporting competitions in 1924 to encourage their neighbors to head outdoors and find the fun in the wintery landscapes – and each other’s company.

The original Winter Sports Carnival ran from 1924 to the early 1940s, then faded out during the WWII era. By the 1960’s the community was starting to transition from its roots as a logging town into one with a more recreation-based economy. That motivated the people of McCall to reimagine Winter Carnival as a way to draw attention to their new ski resort and emerging identity as a winter tourist destination.

Over time, McCall’s Winter Carnival has moved around the winter calendar several times, adopted an ongoing “Mardi Gras” theme for the parade, and stretched from a single weekend event into a 10-day extravaganza, again, with the goal of bringing in more people – and more awareness about McCall’s unique blend of winter offerings.

Fast forward to 2023, and the word is out about McCall. Instead of spending the winter wringing their hands about a lack of business, local hoteliers, restauranteurs, and shopkeepers are hustling hard to keep up with the flood of visitors that now pour into town all year long. In fact, lodging statistics show that visitation during January and February has skyrocketed, rising more than 200% over the past decade.

Winter is no longer an off-season, and in recent years, carnival crowds have outpaced the community’s ability to offer them McCall-quality hospitality. The time has come for McCall to reimagine Winter Carnival, once again, to meet the needs of the community and the people who call this magical place home.

Winter Carnival 2024 Redefining Our Community Celebration

The COVID era brought a lot of hardship to our local businesses, but it also revealed our resilience in the face of challenges. The Winter of 2021 proved that visitors will continue to spend their precious free time and money in McCall, with or without the trappings of Winter Carnival. Carnival was canceled for safety reasons in 2021, and a survey of our members shows that revenues were actually UP for January and February thanks to the timeless appeal of our winter playground, delightful culinary scene, cozy lodging options and hometown hospitality. That unintentional experiment gave your local Chamber of Commerce, long-time hosts of the Winter Carnival, the confidence we needed to make some necessary changes.

This year, we’re inviting the world to enjoy our favorite Winter Carnival traditions from February 23-25, 2024. All the favorite events like the Snow Sculpture Competition, Mardi Gras Parade, Kid’s torchlight parade, Monster Dog Pull, Live Music on the Main Stage and fireworks will remain part of the winter celebration. It will just be a bit shorter, and a bit further removed from the prime spot on the calendar that it held before McCall became a mecca for snowsports enthusiasts in search of our exceptional snow and the community’s friendly, low-key vibe.

This year’s theme, Color Outside the Lines, pays homage to the re-imagined event, which is focused on making Winter Carnival meaningful for locals again. It’s also meant to honor our educators, from Council to Cascade, and everywhere in between. Their steadfast presence in our community and dedication to excellence has inspired generations of young people to dream big and chart their own course, even if that means taking risks and throwing (some) traditions to the wind.

We invite you to head to our website www.visitmccall.org/events/winter-carnival for more details about Winter Carnival 2024. We hope you’ll join us as we Color Outside the Lines to plot the future of this iconic event and its role in the community we love.