Idaho Is Home to 4 Of America’s Quirkiest New Year’s Eve Drops

Did we take the Monday before Christmas off simply to get a selfie with Spuddy Buddy at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl? We sure did. Were there Washington State fans sitting near us at the game who were jealous of the mini-plush Spuddy we got for taking that photo? You know it. 

We wrecked some fries in the parking lot and loaded up baked potatoes in the ESPN Zone. Life’s just more fun when you embrace the silliness that comes with Idaho’s timeless connection to potatoes and you’ll have one more chance to do it tonight at the Idaho Potato Drop. 

READ MORE: Bogus Basin Postpones 2026 New Year's Day Celebration

The quirky and unmistakably most well known New Year’s Eve “drop” in Idaho landed at #2 on USA Today’s list of the best drops in the United States for the second year in a row. The only drop to beat it out was Whiting, Indiana’s Pierogi Drop. 

Should Idaho Have More Drops in the Running in 2026?

While the Idaho Potato Drop has been around for 13 years, there are a handful of drops that have popped up over the last few years. The City of Kuna embraced Idaho’s nickname of the “Gem State” and is about to host their third annual Gem Drop at Bernie Fisher Park. 

Star’s throwing its hat into the ring this year. Their iconic City Hall star was moved to a crane near the Riverhouse on Main Street for their New Year’s Eve Star Drop. Starting at 11 p.m., the public is invited to gather around it and enjoy some time together before a live countdown and Martinelli’s toast as the star is dropped to welcome 2026. 

Idaho’s Other Highly Underrated Drop

While those events are still fairly new, we really think that another Idaho drop that was created in 2019 deserves consideration for USA Today’s list next year and that’s Rupert’s Beet Drop that happens in Rupert Square. 

According to Idaho News 6, the idea for the event was the brainchild of two local business owners and led to the creation of “Crystal,” a 22-foot tall, 12-foot wide sparkling tribute to another one of Idaho’s most famous crops - the Sugar Beet. 

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The event includes free ice skating starting at 6 p.m. and live music from Sweet Nadine, Carson Hasher and SkyLark. They even have a faux countdown at 9 p.m. for kids (and adults for that matter) who don’t think they’ll be able to stay awake until midnight. 

The real deal at midnight includes fireworks. While the crowd is significantly smaller than the one in Downtown Boise, the Rupert event is incredibly well organized and in our opinion, deserves to be one of the nominees for the best in the U.S. alongside the Idaho Potato Drop in 2026.