Going Wild on the River: Taking Kids to Youth Jam

The Roaring Youth Jam is a FREE three-day arts festival for kids that takes place along the Idaho Falls Riverwalk. A feature of the event is the Art Booths, which include a variety of art activities that correspond with this year’s theme of ANIMALS! Projects include jellyfish mobiles, paper plate hedgehogs, animal puppets, coffee filter butterflies, and much, much more. In addition, there are performances by local singers, musicians, dancers, and family entertainers all day on the Greenbelt Stage, large-scale collaborative art projects, and many local vendors, each of which will offer a free activity for kids. It’s a great community event and a great way for your kids to engage in art without making a mess in your house!

Here are some tips for making the most of the event:

• Dress for mess! Many of the art projects include messy materials, such as paint and glue. Dress your kids in clothes you’re not worried about, or bring an old T-shirt they can throw on over the top of their outfit.
• Plan for the weather. It’s typically pretty hot in mid-August, but we can get storms rolling through during the event. Youth Jam takes place in a mostly-shaded part of the Riverwalk, but sunscreen is still essential!
• Know where to eat. Youth Jam has a few food vendors with kid-appropriate food, such as BJs Bayou and The Great Bambino, and Kona Ice will have shaved ice treats. Lines can get long-ish right at lunchtime so you might plan to grab food before noon if you have restless little ones. It’s a relatively short walk to downtown restaurants and shops if you want to escape the crowds or get out of the sun. There’s plenty of open grass space if you want to bring a picnic, but be prepared to sit on the ground – most of the picnic tables are being used for the event. The Farmer’s Market will be taking place on the Saturday of Youth Jam from 9am until 1pm, which has many additional food options.
• Park as close as you can! If you arrive early, you might snag a space in the small 2-hour parking lot on the Riverwalk (close to the Memorial Dr/E street traffic circle). Otherwise, you can park in the LDS church parking lot next to the Temple and cross Riverside Drive to be right at the event. Downtown street parking (2-hour) might also be available. Note that Memorial Drive will be closed on the Saturday of Youth Jam since the Farmer’s Market takes place along the road from 9am until 1pm.
• Grab a bag. There is an Info Tent in the middle of the event, at the north end of the Riverwalk parking lot/close to the Greenbelt stage. Here they have free bags that you can use to carry all of your kids’ wonderful creations! You can also talk to staff from the Idaho Falls Arts Council (the organizers of the event), pick up a map, find first aid kits, and get answers to any questions you might have.
• Avoid the crowds. Youth Jam can get busy, but there are so many different activities to do that you rarely have to wait. The quietest times are usually in the first and last hours, so 10-11am and 3-4pm, but there really isn’t any time of day that needs to be avoided. This year there will be a Petting Zoo, which will likely be very popular so you may want to check there first.

  

• Check the schedule. You can find a schedule of the performances online or at the Info Tent. Take a look to make sure you don’t miss something you’d like to see.
• Take your stroller. The main path through Youth Jam is paved so it’s perfect for strollers if your little ones get tired walking.
• And finally, HAVE FUN! Youth Jam is all about kids having fun with art. There are no prerequisites and older kids and adults are more than welcome to join in, too.

Info at a Glance:

What: Three days of free art activities, live performances, and fun interactions for kids ages 0-12.

When: August 9, 10, and 11 from 10am until 4pm each day

Where: Along the Idaho Falls Riverwalk on the east side of the river (along Memorial Drive) between C and E streets.