Things to Do Around the Treasure Valley This September

September is one of those months in the Treasure Valley where summer is still hanging on, but fall is starting to sneak in. The mornings feel a little cooler, the evenings come a little earlier, and suddenly there are markets, festivals, art shows, and local events popping up all over the place.

If you’re looking for an excuse to get out and explore a little this month, we pulled together a few September happenings that caught our attention around Boise, Meridian, Nampa, and Caldwell. Some are big annual favorites, others are easy little stops, but all of them give you a chance to get out, discover something new, and support local along the way.

If You Love Art & Local Makers

September is a good month to wander, browse, and come home with something amazing and local.

Art in the Park returns to Julia Davis Park in Boise September 11–13. The free three-day event brings together 240 artists, along with food, live music, entertainment, and hands-on activities for kids. It’s the kind of event where you can spend an hour or make a whole afternoon of it! Discover local artists and makers you haven’t seen before. 

The following weekend, Hyde Park Street Fair takes over Camel’s Back Park September 18-20. This long-running North End tradition has nearly 200 vendor booths, two stages of entertainment, and amazing food and drinks. This fair has a strong focus on local art, crafts, organizations, and community. Also a major plus the admission is free!

These are two of our favorite kinds of events because it's a chance to meet the people making, creating, and building things right here in Idaho.

Something Different to Do With the Family

If you want something a little different from the usual market or festival, Space Day at the Nampa Civic Center is worth a look.

The Children’s Museum of Idaho is bringing Space Day to Nampa on Saturday, September 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event includes hands-on space activities, planetarium shows, space trivia, robotics demonstrations, and many different activities all built around exploring space. The cool part is the admission is listed as free, but they would appreciate donations. 

This one feels especially nice to include because it gives families something educational to do without making it feel like another day of school. Kids can actually touch, try, watch, and explore. All while parents get an easy Saturday outing that doesn’t require a huge plan.

Head West for a Day in Caldwell

Caldwell has a lot happening in September, and Indian Creek Festival is probably the biggest reason to make the drive.

The two-day festival takes over downtown Caldwell on Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19. It is pack full of entertainment with live music, food, a vendor market, car and motorcycle shows, Chalk the Block, a first-responder tug-of-war, and one of the most exciting traditions of the weekend, the Cardboard Kayak Race on Indian Creek. The festival actually began in 2003 as a celebration of the creek being uncovered after flowing beneath downtown roads and buildings for decades. 

If you’d rather make a quieter evening of it, the Farm to Fork Farmers Market continues every Tuesday through September 29 from 5 to 8 p.m. There are more than 30 vendors that bring local produce and handmade goods downtown, and a great plus, Tuesdays on the Creek runs alongside it with live music from 6 to 9 p.m. 

It makes Caldwell an easy place to turn into more than one stop! Browse the market, grab dinner nearby, listen to music, or come back for the festival weekend. And because so much of it centers around local vendors, growers, makers, and downtown businesses, it fits right into the kind of places we love discovering right here in Idaho.

A Quiet Local Find

Not every September outing has to be a big festival. If you’d rather slow things down a little, Initial Point Gallery inside Meridian City Hall is an easy local stop to add to your list.

The gallery’s September and October exhibit, Elemental Vision, features photography from members of the Boise Camera Club alongside ceramics by Mandy Henebry. The exhibit runs September 1 through October 29, and the gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with excluding holidays. 

There’s also an artist talk scheduled for September 17 from noon to 1 p.m., featuring Boise Camera Club members Jeff Manser, Harold Hall, and Christy Griffith.  

This is the kind of stop that’s easy to overlook, but that’s also why we like including it. You don’t need tickets, a whole Saturday, or a big plan, just a little time to wander through and see what local artists are creating.

One More September Celebration  

If you’re looking for one more reason to get out before September wraps up, Oktoberfest returns to the Nampa Civic Center on Saturday, September 26, from 3 to 9 p.m.

Now in its 19th year, the celebration brings German culture, food, live music, family-friendly activities, local vendors, and, of course, beer to Nampa. This year’s event is being held in partnership with the Idaho Veterans Chamber of Commerce. 

It’s a great way to finish the month of September, whether you’re going for the food, the music, or simply an excuse to spend a September evening out with friends and family.

Make a Little Room for Local This September

September is a good reminder that you don’t have to travel far to find something worth doing. Sometimes it’s a big festival, sometimes it’s a farmers market, and sometimes it’s simply stopping somewhere you’ve driven past a dozen times and finally going in.

That’s a big part of what we love about Made In The Valley, helping people discover the businesses, makers, events, and places that are already right here in our communities.

If there’s a September event or local stop you think we should know about, send it our way. We’re always looking for the next place, person, or story worth discovering.