From October 31 to December 19, almost every confirmed event in Rathdrum lands on a Saturday. Four of them are at the same address, the Rathdrum Lions Club at 16114 N. Meyer Road, where the Rathdrum Craft and Farmers Market holds a holiday fair every other week until Christmas.
Once you see that pattern, planning the season gets simpler. You know which Saturdays are already spoken for, which ones are open, and which December weekend could end up with two events at once.
The every-other-week pattern on Meyer Road
The market's 2026 schedule has five fall and winter fairs. The first, It's Fall Y'all on October 3, is already over. So is the market's two-day Family Fall Festival on October 17 and 18. That leaves four, each two weeks apart:
- November 7: Handmade Holiday Craft Fair
- November 21: Santa Helpers For Seniors Craft Fair
- December 5: Holiday Craft Fair
- December 19: Last Minute Shopping Craft Fair
That leaves November 14, November 28 and December 12 with no fair at the Lions Club. November 28 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which falls on November 26 this year. The market's year started back on February 7 with its Cupid's Arrow fair, and the December 19 fair is its last event of 2026.
The fairs offer both indoor and outdoor booths. The organizer tells vendors that indoor space is limited. In practice, that means the crowd is spread across the building and the grounds, so a November Saturday on Meyer Road calls for a real coat.
Halloween weekend starts on a Friday
The season opens with the only weekday event on this list. On Friday, October 30, North Idaho College is holding a free CTE Trick-or-Treat Open House from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Parker Technical Education Center, 7064 W. Lancaster Road, according to the Spokane Public Radio community calendar.
Saturday is the city's turn. The City of Rathdrum's 11th Annual Trunk or Treat runs from 3 to 5 p.m. on October 31 in the teachers' parking lot on the east side of the Lakeland High School campus. It's free, and the city credits local businesses, organizations and families who decorate their vehicles and hand out candy for making it happen.
The city's parking directions:
- You can only enter through the Student Parking Lot.
- If you come in from the Super 1 side or from Highway 53, you'll be sent around to that entrance.
- Park in the Student Parking Lot on the west side of campus.
- Overflow parking is at Lakeland Middle School across the street, and crossing guards will be there.
Trunk or Treat ends at 5 p.m., before dark, so families still have the whole evening for their own street.
November 7 has two stops
The first Saturday of November is the first time two events share a day. The City of Rathdrum's Veterans Recognition Ceremony is in the Lakeland High School Commons. Doors open at 10 a.m., the ceremony starts at 11, and lunch follows.
The Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is the same day at the Lions Club on Meyer Road. The market hasn't posted hours for this fair. For comparison, last year's Santa Helpers fair ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the same address. If you want to do both, the ceremony at 11 and the lunch after it set your morning, so check the market's hours before you plan the afternoon.
The Saturday before Thanksgiving is the one with a cause
Of the four fairs, November 21 is the one the organizer singles out. Here's how the market's application page describes it:
"One of our most important events is Santa Helpers For Seniors. This event is a craft fair that doubles as a fundraiser, which is used to help the local seniors in the area. Santa Helpers For Seniors takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving every year."
Thanksgiving is November 26 this year, and Community Library Network branches will be closed that Thursday and Friday. That puts the fair on Saturday, November 21, with a 10 a.m. start listed for 2026. The Coeur d'Alene Press holiday roundup last November called it the third annual event. It was free to attend, ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featured handmade goods alongside locally grown farm products, and donated all vendor fees to help local seniors. The organizer hasn't confirmed this year's hours or admission yet. If last year holds, it will be free, and the money is raised through vendor fees.
The weekend before Thanksgiving has also been the slot for another Rathdrum tradition. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 13541 W. Highway 53, held its annual holiday bazaar on Saturday, November 22, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. That bazaar offered baked goods, handmade crafts, a large indoor yard sale, breakfast and lunch for purchase, and a room of free clothing for all ages, according to the same Press roundup. In 2024 it ran November 22 and 23. No 2026 date has been posted. If the church keeps that weekend, November 21 could have both a bazaar on Highway 53 and a fair on Meyer Road.
December 5 could be the busiest Saturday of the year
The Holiday Craft Fair is on Saturday, December 5. The city's December D'Lights celebration usually falls around then too.
Last year, D'Lights was on Saturday, December 6, the first Saturday of the month. It ran from 2 to 8 p.m. with carriage rides, Majestic Park lit up, cocoa, and carols at City Hall. A lighted-vehicle parade led by Santa started at 6 p.m., and Santa lit the City Hall tree. The Coeur d'Alene Press also listed the Main Street lighted-vehicle parade at 6 p.m. that night.
The first Saturday of December 2026 is December 5. The city's December D'Lights event page is still for the 2025 event. If D'Lights stays on the first Saturday, one day would hold a daytime fair on Meyer Road and an evening on Main Street, with the parade as the last stop. Keep an eye on the city calendar as December gets closer.
One more December note. A Rathdrum Community Center Christmas Market ran on December 7, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission was free, and the market asked for shelf-stable food donations for the Rathdrum Food Bank. No 2026 date has been posted for that one either.
The last fair, Last Minute Shopping, is on December 19, six days before Christmas. The name says what it's for.
The weekday side of the season is on Highway 53
The Saturday calendar is full, but some of the newest places in town keep weekday hours.
Bare Root Apothecary recently opened at 14777 Highway 53. Owner Sandra Line runs a tea and mushroom elixir bar there, serving moon milks, teas and wellness shots alongside her herbal consultations, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported on October 18. She moved the business from Coeur d'Alene to be closer to her home in Twin Lakes. The Press quoted her saying the smaller space "feels a lot more community-based here. I see many of the same people every day." The Press reported the shop is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That means it's closed on every Saturday in this post, so plan it for a weekday lunch break.
Jitterz Sit & Sip Cafe opened in July a short way down the road at 14683 W. Highway 53, according to the Coeur d'Alene Press. Between the two shops and the Shepherd of the Hills bazaar, that stretch of Highway 53 has some holiday stops of its own.
If your weekday plans include the library, the Rathdrum branch of the Community Library Network is closed Friday, December 4, for an all-staff day. That's the day before the December 5 fair.
My family keeps a calendar like this every year, and I'm happy to share the Rathdrum dates as the city fills in December. If you're thinking about a move that lines up with the holidays, or need to time a sale around a busy season, Katie McDaris can help you plan the dates so they don't run into the Saturdays you want for yourself. Schedule a Consultation whenever you're ready.
