Shindig Farms' calendar for Lost in Christmas does something most event pages don't. Each open date carries a price and a letter. S means Slow, M means Mild and B means Busy. The first three Thursdays in December are marked S and cost $12. The first three Saturdays are marked B and cost $14. The farm is telling you in advance which nights will be crowded and charging less for the quiet ones.
That chart is a good guide to the rest of Nampa's 2026 holiday season. The Canyon County Festival of Trees has added a whole day. The Nampa Civic Center opens its season with an evening session and a brand-new community tree. A Parks and Recreation 5K returns in its second year at a different golf course. Each of these gives you another option for when to go.
November 6 starts with a tree residents decorated
The season opens at the Nampa Civic Center, 311 3rd Street South, with the Holiday Makers Market, formerly the Craft & Chocolate Affaire. It runs Friday, November 6, from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, November 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The center says more than 100 artisans will fill the building, from the theater stage to the backstage dressing rooms, and the scavenger hunt is coming back.
The new piece is the Civic Center's community Christmas tree. Since July 15, the center has asked each Treasure Valley household to donate one ornament between 4 and 8 inches. Handmade and store-bought are both welcome, as long as it suits viewers of all ages. The finished tree debuts at the market under the theme "Together We Shine." The center plans to make it an annual display, and it's still accepting ornaments at the building during business hours.
The Friday session is the useful one here. A four-hour evening window on a weeknight lets you see the tree and do a first round of gift shopping without giving up a Saturday. And if your household dropped off an ornament, Friday is the first chance to find it on the tree.
November 20 through 22 stacks three openings on one weekend
Two weeks later, three things open at once.
The Canyon County Christmas Show, presented by Spectra Productions, fills the Ford Idaho Center Friday through Sunday, November 20 to 22. It's a family holiday show with gift vendors and Santa visits. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors 62 and older, and free for children 12 and under. Parking is free. The Idaho Snowmobile Show is on the same Ford Idaho Center schedule for November 20 and 21.
That same Friday, November 20, Lost in Christmas opens for the season. In November the maze runs Fridays and Saturdays only, from 5 to 10 p.m.
The two schedules barely overlap. The Christmas Show closes at 7 on Friday and Saturday, and the maze opens at 5. A daytime show followed by an evening at the farm fits in one Saturday. On Sunday the show runs until 4 and the maze is closed.
November 27 through 30 is the busiest stretch on the calendar
The week of Thanksgiving is when Nampa's holiday events crowd together, and it's also where this year's biggest change lands.
The Canyon County Festival of Trees moves into the Horse Park Arena at the Ford Idaho Sports Complex, 16200 N Idaho Center Blvd. The public festival runs Friday through Sunday, November 27 to 29, followed by a formal gala on Monday, November 30. The festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its proceeds pay for meals for Canyon County seniors through Meals on Wheels, serving Nampa, Caldwell, Greenleaf, Middleton, Melba and Parma.
On the organizer's events page, the Sunday appears under the line "NEW this year!! We extended our Festival one more day!" The weekend breaks down like this, using the organizer's times:
- Friday, November 27: Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Cookies with Santa runs 7 to 8:30 p.m. for $20 and includes entry, one Santa photo, cookies and drinks.
- Saturday, November 28: Festival hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Breakfast with Santa runs 8 to 10 a.m. for $30. Adults-only bingo opens its doors at 5:30 p.m. and starts at 6:30, with a $50 buy-in.
- Sunday, November 29: Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pet photos with Santa run all day and are new this year. A $30 ticket covers one festival entry and one photo of your pet with Santa.
- Monday, November 30: The gala starts at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 and a live auction at 7, where the decorated trees are sold. Seats are $150 each, tickets must be bought in advance, and it's a formal attire event.
General admission is sold at the door: $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 62 and older and kids 4 to 12, and free for children 3 and under. Cash and cards are accepted, parking is free, and admission doesn't include photos with Santa. The Ford Idaho Center's event page lists different times for both the daily festival hours and the Santa events. It has Cookies with Santa at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Breakfast with Santa at 8 to 9:30 a.m. Check the festival's own site the morning you go.
Saturday, November 28, is the day to plan around. Downtown, the Downtown Nampa Association lists a free S'mores and Shop Small Saturday on its 2026 events schedule for that same date. The printed hours on that listing don't read cleanly, so confirm them with the association before building a day around them. Shindig Farms is open that night too, marked Mild at $14. The Friday before, November 27, is the only November night the farm marks Busy.
Downtown's rooftops got their first lights last December
Downtown has a reason to visit after dark that it didn't have two years ago. Last December the City of Nampa finished putting LED lights on the rooftops of participating downtown core buildings, at no cost to the property owners. The City of Nampa's announcement credited four donors: the Kevin and Mary Daniels Fund at $100,000, Republic Services gas rebate funding at $50,000, the Downtown Nampa Association at $13,000, and the Nampa High School Class of 1975 at $2,000. Sparq Lighting gave a discount and worked to a short deadline, finishing the installation despite backordered materials.
Mayor Kling explained the project in the city's release:
"The installation of lights on top of downtown businesses has been a dream of mine for several years and an investment that will enhance the atmosphere in downtown Nampa for years to come."
The city also said future phases would need more funding and invited residents, organizations and businesses to contact the Office of the Mayor. This would be the lights' second season. The city hasn't announced a switch-on date, so wait for that before planning a downtown evening around the rooftops.
December belongs to the Thursday nights
After Thanksgiving, Lost in Christmas moves to Thursday through Saturday, with a few added dates. It's closed on Christmas Day. The farm's December pricing follows a steady pattern:
| Night | Shindig's label | Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Thursdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17 | Slow | $12 |
| Fridays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18 | Mild | $14 |
| Saturdays, Dec. 5, 12 and 19 | Busy | $14 |
| Monday, Dec. 21 | Slow | $12 |
| Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 22 to 24 | Mild | $12 |
| Saturday, Dec. 26 | Mild | $14 |
| Saturday, Jan. 2 | Slow | $12 |
Prices are plus tax, children 3 and under get in free with a paying adult, and hours are 5 to 10 p.m. The farm says the maze has more than 3 million lights. New this year is a lighted wagon route, about five minutes long, for $5 a person. Concessions and add-ons like axe throwing and the swing ride use $1 tickets, or 12 for $10. The page also says dates, times, activities and prices can change, so check it before you drive out.
The bargains sit at the edges of the season. A Thursday in early December, or the stretch from December 21 to 24 when school is out and the price stays at $12, gets you the same maze for $2 less per person than a Saturday. For a family of five, that's $10 saved before anyone buys cocoa.
December's other dates fill in around the farm. The Ford Idaho Center lists Vintage Market Days for December 4 to 6 and Mannheim Steamroller Christmas for Sunday, December 13. On Saturday, December 19, Nampa Parks and Recreation holds its second Run Santa Run 5K. The 2026 sponsor form lists Ridgecrest Golf Club as the venue. The first race last year was at Centennial Golf Course, and the city asked runners to dress like Santa. Registration fees for 2026 haven't been posted yet. When they are, they'll be on Nampa Parks and Recreation's site.
Put together, the season runs from the Civic Center's first evening on November 6 to Shindig's last Slow night on January 2. The busiest stretch is Thanksgiving weekend, and the quietest nights are the Thursdays of December 3, 10 and 17.
If family is coming to town for the holidays and you'd like help planning which of these nights fit around their visit, the Soldman Team knows Canyon County's calendar and is glad to share it. Let's find your way home, and enjoy the season while you're here.
