Top 10 Things to Do in November 2026

November is the month the Treasure Valley changes gears. Football Saturdays at Albertsons Stadium give way to the first holiday lights, the foothills pick up their first dusting of snow, and the event calendar shifts from outdoor festivals to the kind of cozy, community traditions that make this place feel like home. The Broncos close out their home schedule. The Steelheads fill Idaho Central Arena on weeknights and weekends. Eagle and Caldwell kick off holiday shopping season. And Thanksgiving week stacks up the Festival of Trees, the Turkey Day 5K, and the Downtown Boise tree lighting back to back.

When I moved here from San Diego, November surprised me more than any other month. I expected things to slow down once the weather turned. Instead, the whole valley seems to show up for each other this time of year. If you're visiting to scout neighborhoods, or hosting family for Thanksgiving, here's the list I'd hand you for November 2026.

If the city guides would help orient you while you're here, start with Boise, Eagle, Meridian, and Star.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. Idaho Steelheads Home Games: November 4 to 21
• 2. Eagle Holiday Bazaar: November 7 and 8
• 3. Girls Day Out Expo, Holiday Edition: November 7
• 4. Boise State Football's Final Home Games: November 14 and 21
• 5. Caldwell's Winter Wonderland Opening Weekend: November 20 to 22
• 6. Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees: November 24 to 29
• 7. Turkey Day 5K in Boise and Caldwell: November 26
• 8. Downtown Boise Holiday Tree Lighting: November 27
• 9. Winter Garden aGlow Opens Thanksgiving Weekend
• 10. Bogus Basin Opening Day

1. Idaho Steelheads Home Games: November 4 to 21

Hockey season is back in downtown Boise, and November is one of the busiest home stretches of the fall. The Idaho Steelheads host the Rapid City Rush on Wednesday, November 4, Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, then return for a three-game series against the Maine Mariners on Wednesday, November 18, Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21. Every home game at Idaho Central Arena (233 S Capitol Blvd) drops the puck at 7:10 p.m., with doors at 6:15 p.m.

The Maine series is worth circling. The Mariners are one of only two out-of-division opponents visiting Boise this season, and all three of their games against Idaho are here. A Steelheads game is one of the easiest nights out in the valley: downtown dinner, a short walk to the arena, and a crowd that is loud from warmups to the final horn. Schedule and tickets at IdahoSteelheads.com.

PRO TIP Wednesday games tend to be an easier night for tickets and downtown parking than weekends. If you're bringing kids for the first time, a midweek game is a low-stress way to see if they love it. And if live music is more your speed, Dwight Yoakam plays the same arena on Thursday, November 12.

Official site: https://idahosteelheads.com/ | Arena: https://idahocentralarena.com/events/

2. Eagle Holiday Bazaar: November 7 and 8

The Eagle Holiday Bazaar is one of those small-town traditions that makes Eagle feel like Eagle. It takes over Eagle High School (574 N Park Ln) on Saturday, November 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, November 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with local artisans selling handmade goods: cinnamon rolls, BBQ sauce, candies, rugs, quilts, ceramics, glass, jewelry, woodwork, and plenty more.

It's run as a nonprofit, and donations collected at the door go to local charities including Shop With a Cop, AAA Eagle Boosters, and the Idaho Foodbank. If you want to start your holiday shopping with gifts you won't find at the mall, this is the weekend to do it. Details at EagleHolidayBazaar.com.

LOCAL INSIGHT Eagle High School is just a short drive from downtown Eagle. Pair the bazaar with lunch on State Street and a walk along the Boise River Greenbelt and you've got a very Eagle Saturday. If you're curious about living here, it's also a great way to see how close-knit the community really is.

Official site: https://www.eagleholidaybazaar.com/

3. Girls Day Out Expo, Holiday Edition: November 7

Same Saturday, different side of town. The Girls Day Out Expo returns to Expo Idaho (5610 N Glenwood St, Garden City) on Saturday, November 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 100 indoor vendors from around the Treasure Valley: boutique fashion and accessories, jewelry and handcrafted goods, home décor, beauty and wellness, and specialty treats.

General admission is free. A limited number of VIP tickets ($30, pre-purchase only, 25 available) are offered through the event's Eventbrite page. Grab your mom, your sister, or your best friend and knock out a chunk of your holiday list in one stop.

PRO TIP Doing both the Eagle Holiday Bazaar and the Girls Day Out Expo on November 7 is very doable. They're a short drive apart. Hit Expo Idaho when the doors open at 10, then head to Eagle for the afternoon.

Event page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/girls-day-out-expo-tickets-1988846015972

4. Boise State Football's Final Home Games: November 14 and 21

November is your last chance to see the Broncos on the blue turf this regular season, and both games are Pac-12 matchups. Boise State hosts Oregon State on Saturday, November 14 at 4 p.m., then San Diego State on Saturday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m. (a "Wear Blue" game), both at Albertsons Stadium and both on USA Network.

Game day in Boise is a whole-city event. Last season the Broncos sold out every regular season home game, so don't wait until the week of. Single-game tickets are available at BroncoSports.com/tickets, by phone at (208) 426-4737, or at the ticket office on the southwest corner of the stadium. The regular season wraps with a Pac-12 flex game on the road November 28, and the Pac-12 Championship is set for Friday, December 4.

LOCAL INSIGHT As a San Diego transplant, I'll admit I had a soft spot for that November 21 matchup. If you've moved here from California too, a night game under the lights in late November, bundled up in a packed stadium full of your new neighbors, is one of the fastest ways to feel like a local.

Official schedule: https://broncosports.com/sports/football/schedule/2026

5. Caldwell's Winter Wonderland Opening Weekend: November 20 to 22

Downtown Caldwell has become one of the best holiday destinations in the valley, and the season starts with Winter Wonderland opening weekend at Indian Creek Plaza (120 S Kimball Ave) from Friday, November 20 through Sunday, November 22. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

This year's Winter Market is newly expanded, with novelty vendors, cottage food and drink, and food trucks, all set against the plaza and Indian Creek lit up for the season. Downtown Caldwell's restaurants are steps away if you'd rather sit down for dinner before or after. Details at IndianCreekPlaza.com.

LOCAL INSIGHT People sometimes overlook Caldwell when they're scouting the valley. I'd encourage you not to. The downtown revitalization around Indian Creek is a big part of why Canyon County has so much momentum right now, and Winter Wonderland weekend is the best possible introduction.

Official site: https://www.indiancreekplaza.com/winter-wonderland-festival

6. Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees: November 24 to 29

The 42nd annual Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees fills Boise Centre (850 W Front St) Thanksgiving week with designer-decorated trees, a North Pole Village with Santa, live performances from local dance groups, choirs, and musicians, a children's scavenger hunt, a K through 6 art contest with the Boise School District, a gift shop, and a huge interactive LEGO display from the Idaho LEGO User Group.

Public admission days and hours:

• Wednesday, November 25 (Senior Day): 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving): 2 to 6 p.m.
• Friday, November 27: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, November 28 (Family Day): 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sunday, November 29: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are $16 for adults and $11 for children 3 to 12, seniors 65+, and military. Kids 2 and under are free, and seniors get in for $5 on Senior Day. Cards and contactless only, no cash this year. The Gala is Tuesday, November 24 and the Fashion Show and Luncheon is Monday, November 30 (both ticketed separately).

PRO TIP The Thanksgiving afternoon window (2 to 6 p.m.) is a sneaky-good option if you have family in town and want to get everyone out of the house between the Turkey Day 5K and dinner. Buy tickets online to skip the line.

Official site: https://www.saintalphonsus.org/foundation/events/festival-of-trees/admission-and-attractions

7. Turkey Day 5K in Boise and Caldwell: November 26

The Turkey Day 5K is the valley's favorite Thanksgiving morning tradition, and 2026 is its 15th year. Races start at 9 a.m. on Thursday, November 26 in two locations: downtown Boise at Cecil D. Andrus Park by the Capitol, and downtown Caldwell. Organizers expect more than 7,500 people in Boise alone. It's a family fun run and walk, festive costumes encouraged, benefiting the Boise Rescue Mission and Camp Rainbow Gold.

Adult registration is $45 through November 3, $50 from November 4 to 19, and $55 after that. Kids 12 and under are $18 (plus sign-up fees). Packet pickup runs November 21 to 25 at Shu's Idaho Running Company in Boise and Fleet Feet in Meridian and Nampa, plus race morning from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Bring a few canned goods for the Boise Rescue Mission donation barrels.

PRO TIP Pick up your packet ahead of time. With a crowd that size, race-morning lines can be long enough to make you miss the start. And note the price bump after November 3: if you're in, register early.

Official site: https://turkeyday5kboise.com/ [Caldwell start: the site lists both Memorial Park and Indian Creek Plaza; confirm before publishing]

8. Downtown Boise Holiday Tree Lighting: November 27

The holiday season in Boise officially starts the night after Thanksgiving. The Downtown Boise Holiday Tree Lighting is Friday, November 27 at 5 p.m. in The Grove Plaza. A donated evergreen, typically 40-plus feet tall and strung with more than 5,000 lights, is lit during a free, all-ages ceremony with live holiday music and a candle-lighting tradition.

The night also launches the community Giving Tree program benefiting the Women's and Children's Alliance, and kicks off Small Business Saturday and Downtown Boise's full "Holidays in the City" season. Come early, grab a hot drink from one of the downtown spots around The Grove, and stay for dinner afterward.

LOCAL INSIGHT The Festival of Trees is open until 9 p.m. that same Friday, just a few blocks away at Boise Centre. Tree lighting at 5, Festival of Trees after, dinner downtown: that's my favorite night of the whole holiday season.

Official info: https://downtownboise.org/events/our-downtown-events/downtown-holiday-tree-lighting (2026 date confirmed by Visit Boise: https://visitboise.com/boise-lights-up-for-fall-and-holiday-season-with-new-flavors-festivals-and-a-city-full-of-glow/)

9. Winter Garden aGlow Opens Thanksgiving Weekend

Winter Garden aGlow at the Idaho Botanical Garden (2355 Old Penitentiary Rd) is the biggest holiday-light tradition in the region, and 2026 is its 30th year. According to Visit Boise, this year's display will reach 900,000 lights, including more than 50,000 new lights in the Garden's recently opened expansion and a new river of light across Outlaw Field. It runs select nights from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Eve, with the Yuletide Bar, a Gingerbread Village, cookies and hot chocolate, a letter-to-Santa station, and visits from Santa on select nights.

Tickets are timed-entry and the popular nights sell out, so buy early through the Garden's website, which supports the Garden directly. The Garden typically opens Winter Garden aGlow Thanksgiving weekend and runs it through December 31. Check idahobotanicalgarden.org for this year's opening night and tickets.

PRO TIP Weeknights early in the season are your best bet for open time slots. Dress warmer than you think you need to: it's an outdoor walk, and Boise nights in late November are cold.

Official site: https://www.idahobotanicalgarden.org/event/winter-garden-aglow/

10. Bogus Basin Opening Day

Bogus Basin, the nonprofit ski area just 16 miles from downtown Boise, usually aims to open around Thanksgiving weekend. Opening day depends on snow and snowmaking conditions, so watch bogusbasin.org for the official announcement.

What is confirmed for this season: lifts will spin daily at 9 a.m., night skiing runs until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Value Season Pass holders get unrestricted, open-to-close early-season access through December 18. Last season Bogus opened on Thanksgiving weekend using machine-made snow, a first in its history, thanks to years of snowmaking investment. Having a full ski area this close to town is one of the things people who move here from California tell me they didn't expect to love so much.

LOCAL INSIGHT 2027 marks Bogus Basin's 85th year. It opened in December 1942 with a single rope tow, and it's still a community-run nonprofit today. Follow Bogus on social or sign up for their text alerts so you hear about opening day the minute it's announced.

Official site: https://bogusbasin.org/event/opening-day/ | Season info: https://bogusbasin.org/about-bogus/culture/2026-27-season-pass-guide/

REAL TALK November is when a lot of people decide whether the Treasure Valley is somewhere they could actually live. The summer crowds are gone, the weather is honest, and what's left is the community: thousands of people running together on Thanksgiving morning, neighbors filling a high school gym to buy handmade gifts, a whole downtown gathered around a tree. If you're scouting neighborhoods this month, that's what you're really seeing. It's a good month to visit.

Key Takeaways

• Idaho Steelheads play six home games at Idaho Central Arena: November 4, 6, 7 (Rapid City) and November 18, 20, 21 (Maine). Puck drop 7:10 p.m.
• Eagle Holiday Bazaar is November 7 and 8 at Eagle High School, and the Girls Day Out Expo is November 7 at Expo Idaho with free admission and 100+ vendors.
• Boise State's last home games are Oregon State on November 14 (4 p.m.) and San Diego State on November 21 (7:30 p.m.) at Albertsons Stadium.
• Caldwell's Winter Wonderland opening weekend runs November 20 to 22 at Indian Creek Plaza, with an expanded Winter Market.
• The 42nd Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees is at Boise Centre November 24 to 29, with public hours November 25 to 29.
• The Turkey Day 5K starts at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, November 26, in Boise and Caldwell. Register by November 3 for the lowest price.
• Downtown Boise lights its holiday tree in The Grove on Friday, November 27 at 5 p.m.
• Winter Garden aGlow celebrates its 30th year from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Eve. Opening date to be confirmed.
• Bogus Basin opening day for 2026/27 has not been announced yet. Watch bogusbasin.org.

Curtis Chism

November is one of my favorite months in this valley. If you're visiting to scout neighborhoods, or your family is in town for Thanksgiving and asking what it's like to live here, I'd love to connect. Learn more at weknowtreasurevalley.com/about.

Visiting the Treasure Valley This November?

(208)-510-0427

curtis@curtischism.com

License# 56593