Visit Sun Valley

Ketchum Arts Festival is an annual celebration of Idaho art in the shadow of Sun Valley’s Baldy Mountain.

Take a breather from your busy summer schedule and spend some time sampling great food and beer, and perusing the creative output of more than 100 Idaho artists. The kiddos will enjoy free activities in a special area while the folks can shop. Even Fido can visit with her friends (from the safety of a leash). Festival Meadow is easily accessed from the Bitterroot stop of the free Mountain Rides Blue Route bus or with a short stroll from Ketchum or Sun Valley on the bike path. More information can be found at www.ketchumartsfestival.com or Facebook/KetchumArtsFestival.

Free admission. More info: www.ketchumartsfestival.com

The 6th Annual Sun Valley Tour de Force on July 20-22, 2023 is a weekend of epic proportions for car lovers of all ages. Eight events take place over the course of three days. The signature event of the weekend is the ‘NO SPEED LIMIT’ high speed runs at Phantom Hill. Located in the heart of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, 3.2 miles of state highway becomes a no-speed limit zone. For one day only, drivers are allowed to put their machines to the ultimate test. In 2019, all previously recorded speed records were broken when a Bugatti Chiron hit 253.01mph. This is truly an experience of a lifetime. Additional weekend events include scenic drives, SVTdF Car Show at Festival Meadows, hosted sponsor events and our fundraiser; Cars & Comedy. With the stunning backdrop of Sun Valley, Idaho, this is a weekend not to be missed.

The SVTdF Car Show is a highly anticipated event with supercars, classics, and collectibles on display. Both participants of the SVTdF high-speed event as well as any proud collector are welcome to participate. Approximately 150 cars are invited to enter the Show. This event offers a chance for spectators to check out sponsor cars, purchase SVTdF merchandise, and enjoy local food and beverage specialties. Guests will be entertained with commentary from Peter Bush, veteran radio personality, and SVTdF friend Max Monahan.

Sun Valley Tour de Force, a non-profit raising funds for The Hunger Coalition, is three days of events for car enthusiasts, sponsors, and guests. Weekend highlights include runs on a state highway with no speed limit, with cars reaching well over 200mph. Open to the public, the Friday SVTdF Car Show hosts supercars, classics, and the latest models on display. Guests also enjoy the scenic Huckleberry Drive from Ketchum to Smiley Creek Lodge, hosted sponsor events, test drives, and Cars & Comedy, the chief fundraising event of the weekend.

For more information visit www.sunvalleytourdeforce.com

Save the dates for summer 2023: July 30 – August 24.

The Sun Valley Music Festival’s 39th Summer Season presents a star-studded lineup of guest artists for over three weeks of free concerts in the beautiful, natural surroundings of Sun Valley, Idaho. Pianists Yefim Bronfman and Orli Shaham, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, and violinist Augustin Hadelich will headline concerts featuring works by Schumann, Ravel, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky. Other programs include works by contemporary American composers including Mason Bates, Michael Abels, and Michael Tilson Thomas. For a very special Pops Night, Stéphane Denève, Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony, will lead the Festival Orchestra in an evening of the music of John Williams. Major orchestral repertoire will include Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (the season finale) and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

The annual fundraising Gala Concert will take place on August 8 (details will be released in mid-February).

The concerts are free (except for the Gala), and available for everyone to enjoy at the Sun Valley Pavilion, whether inside or on the big lawn.

About Sun Valley Music Festival

The Sun Valley Music Festival’s mission is to enrich, inspire, and instill in our community a lifelong love of classical music through extraordinary, free concerts and education programs. Festival programs provide opportunities for people from all walks of life to listen, learn, and play. Now in its 37^th year, it is the largest privately supported, free-admission orchestra in the United States.

Over 100 world-class musicians from North America’s most distinguished orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Houston Symphony, comprise the Festival Orchestra. Summer Season concerts are held in July and August at the spectacular R.E. Holding Sun Valley Pavilion, in the mountain-resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. Internationally renowned guest artists such as Gautier Capuçon, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, Kristin Chenoweth, Seraphic Fire, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet have performed with the Festival.

The Festival strives to introduce every Wood River Valley student to the joys of classical music, to inspire the next generation of music lovers. Its year-round and summer Music Institute programs provide tuition-free instruction for string, piano, and voice students of all skill levels — from elementary through high school — that goes beyond the fundamentals and embraces the entire musician.

This summer we celebrate the 54th edition of the popular Sun Valley Arts & Crafts Festival. Join us in beautiful Atkinson Park just off Main Street in Ketchum as we welcome 132 professional artists and craftspeople from 27 different states to the Wood River Valley.

This Festival is a juried, outdoor, fine arts show that includes world-class artwork in categories such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, woodwork, metalwork, jewelry and more. The rigorous jury process used to select artists ensures the residents and visitors to the Festival will see truly exceptional work in all different categories. This Festival also has food trucks, a picnic area, live music, and a kids’ activity area. It is completely free and open to the public.

Hours

Friday: 10am – 5pm

Saturday: 10am – 5pm

Sunday: 10am – 4pm

Sheep have been trailing through the Wood River Valley of Idaho for well over a century and are an integral part of Idaho’s heritage. The iconic Trailing of the Sheep Festival celebrates the sheep, herders, history, and food, of this unique cultural tradition, with the event recognized as one of the “Top Ten Fall Festivals in the World” by msn.com.

Each fall, the Trailing of the Sheep Festival honors the 150+ year annual tradition of moving sheep (‘trailing’) from high mountain summer pastures down through the Valley to traditional winter grazing and lambing areas in the south. This annual migration is living history and the focus of a unique and authentic Festival that celebrates the people, arts, cultures, and traditions of Idaho’s sheep ranching families, highlighting the principal contributors – the Basques, Scottish and Peruvians.

The five-day Festival includes nonstop activities in multiple venues – history, folk arts, a Sheep Folklife Fair, lamb culinary offerings, a Wool Festival with classes and workshops, music, dance, storytelling, championship Sheepdog Trials and, the always entertaining, Big Sheep Parade with 1,500 sheep hoofing it down Main Street in Ketchum.

Save the Dates for next year’s Trailing of the Sheep Festival: October 4 – 8, 2023!

2022 Festival Highlights include:

• Big Sheep Parade with 1,500 sheep trailing down Main Street in Ketchum
• Championship Sheepdog Trials featuring over 110 of the county’s most talented border collies and their handlers competing for top awards
• Sheep Folklife Fair featuring the Basque, Scottish, and Peruvian dancers and musicians, sheep shearing demonstrations, over 80 sheep & wool product vendors, children’s activities and more
• Sheep Tales Gathering will present Voices from the Land -Unique Stories of Women in Ranching, featuring women ranchers from three prominent Western sheep ranches in the west.
• Culinary Events with For Love of Lamb tastings, Lamb Fest at the Folklife Fair, lamb cooking classes, and Farm to Table Lamb Dinners
• Wool Fest featuring a dozen different classes and workshops
• Hikes and Histories featuring Idaho’s sheep ranchers and renowned storytellers
• Happy Trails Closing Party in the Ketchum Town Square with food and live music

For the detailed schedule, tickets, and lodging deals, visit www.trailingofthesheep.org.

About the Trailing of the Sheep Festival

The Trailing of the Sheep Festival has also garnered some well-deserved accolades over the years, including being recognized as one of the Top Ten Fall Festivals in the World by msn.com travel, Top Ten US Fall Festivals by smartertravel.com, Top Animal Festivals in the World and Top Ten Fall Festivals by USA Today, Top 7 Fun Fall Festivals by AARP,  One of the Greatest Cultural Events in the West by Northwest Travel, and recipient of the Society of American Travel Writer’s Phoenix Award for best in cultural tourism, and the  Idaho Governor’s Award for Cultural Heritage.

Media Contacts: 

Laura Musbach Drake, Director, Trailing of the Sheep Festival, 208.720.0585, [email protected]

Carol Waller, Festival PR, CW Communications, 208.720.3965, [email protected]

IMAGES TO DOWNLOAD FOR MEDIA USE HERE: https://trailingofthesheep.org/news-media/media/