Let’s kick off the second half of 2025 strong, Boise! This weekend will be filled with (hopefully safe) fireworks celebrations, followed by three of the funnest weeks of the year if you like the heat. If you hate it, there’s still plenty to do!
Jaialdi: The Event of the Summer?
Jaialdi 2025 will make a comeback from July 29 through August 3 after canceling their 2020 festival due to the COVID pandemic. A tradition born in Boise in 1987, Jaialdi is one of the largest Basque festivals in the world and the largest in the U.S.
Among the three of us on the City Cast Boise podcast July guide, none of us had been to a previous Jaialdi (pronounced ‘hai-al-dee’) festival, but we all plan on going this year. So do the thousands of people expected to travel into Boise for the festival.
Jaialdi 2025 has been a decade in the making, so we’re excited to join the festivities. Expect a podcast episode from us soon detailing what to look forward to!
The Mountains Are Calling
We’ve been lucky enough to avoid wildfire smoke so far this season, but that will inevitably change this month. The combination of dry heat and apocalyptic smoke — well, if it’s your first summer here, just buckle in.
For many people, Idaho’s outdoors are one of the biggest reasons for living here. Even if you only get one camping trip in this summer, July might be the month to do it, if you’re willing to brace the heat, of course. Here are a few recommendations to spark your imagination.
Cool Eats
No one wants to turn their ovens on in July. So, on the occasion that ice cream substitutes for a meal, we’ve got some picks for you.
Here are a few newer treats to try:
- Soft Landing Soft Serve (the flavor of the week is peach).
- Lindsay can’t stop going to Black Market Gelato & Sorbet.
- The huckleberry lemonade at Common Ground Coffee & Market.
Catch Some Free Outdoor Concerts
There are plenty of stellar musical acts taking the stage this month, but we wanted to shout out some free ones (which are almost all family-friendly too).
Alive After 5 is a summertime classic, taking over the Grove Plaza at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. Check out the schedule, or just show up!
The Neighborhood Concert Series tours the city’s parks, and this July they’re hitting Memorial Park on the 9th and Cottonwood Park on the 23rd.
Jump, Jam, and Jive is another free concert series, all of them at JUMP! There are three shows this month.
