Entry No. 31 — the Coeur d'Alene file — filed under: haunted
Wallace Paranormal Festival
Launched in October 2025 in a town that bills itself as teeming with ghosts, this festival packs haunted-history tours, lectures, vendors, and overnight ghost hunts into the historic Silver Valley mining district. The inaugural year drew up to 1,000 people and ghost-hunt tickets at the Stardust Motel and Oasis Bordello sold out in under 30 seconds. Organizers have confirmed more ghost hunts for the 2026 edition.
The story
Wallace has spent over a century collecting ghosts, born from hard-rock silver mining, catastrophic forest fires, and a red-light district that operated openly into the late 1980s. When the Wallace Paranormal Festival launched in October 2025, it gave the town’s dark history a dedicated stage. The inaugural three-day event drew nearly 1,000 visitors to downtown Wallace, filling historic spaces like the Jameson Hotel, the Wallace-Hall Art House, the Stardust Motel, and the Oasis Bordello Museum with daytime history tours, vendor booths, lectures, and midnight investigations.
What makes this gathering distinctly unsettling isn't just the visitors wandering Cedar Street with EMF detectors; it's the preserved backdrop. Wallace is an isolated mining town where nearly every turn-of-the-century brick building carries a backstory of labor unrest, federal raids, or sudden violence. During the inaugural weekend, ticket packages for overnight ghost hunts at prime venues—like the Oasis Bordello, sealed since workers fled an impending federal raid in 1988—sold out in under 30 seconds online. Organizers responded by securing additional overnight investigation access for subsequent editions.
What it's like
Expect crisp October mountain air and a quiet mining town briefly overtaken by paranormal investigators, local history buffs, and curiosities vendors. By day, the vibe feels like an offbeat street fair—lectures in historic halls, walking tours weaving down Cedar Street, and vendors hawking oddities—before shifting into hushed, dark-street investigations after midnight. If you want a ticket to an overnight hunt, treat the online drop like a timed heist: set a timer, keep your payment info saved, and click the second they go live, because spots vanish instantly. Even without an investigation ticket, wandering downtown after dark puts you right in the middle of impromptu pendulum sessions and whispered lore outside century-old brick facades.
The move: Make a mid-October overnight of it: do a haunted-history tour by day, then snag tickets to an evening ghost hunt at the Oasis Bordello or Stardust Motel.
📍 Before you go Annual, held in mid-October (2025 ran Oct 17-19); ghost-hunt tickets sell out almost instantly, so watch the festival site and buy the moment they drop. About 50 miles from CdA.
- 📍 Wallace
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Downtown Wallace, ID 83873 (multiple venues)
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Oasis Bordello Museum — One of the festival's flagship investigation sites, this preserved 1988 brothel offers daytime historical tours before ghost hunters take over at night.
- The Historic Jameson (Cocktail Bar & Inn) — A central hub for festival investigations where you can grab a drink at North Idaho’s oldest hotel bar while trading ghost stories.
- North Idaho Trading Co. — Packed with over 150 taxidermy pieces and oddities, this downtown store fits right into the festival's appetite for the strange.
- Center of the Universe, Wallace — Located right in the middle of downtown, this tongue-in-cheek landmark gives you a quick stop between festival lectures and tours.
Good to know
When does the Wallace Paranormal Festival take place?
It is an annual event held in mid-October in downtown Wallace. The inaugural 2025 festival ran from October 17 through October 19.
How do I secure tickets for the overnight ghost hunts?
Investigation tickets drop on the official festival website in advance of the event. Because tickets for spots like the Oasis Bordello and Stardust Motel sell out in under 30 seconds, you need to monitor the event announcements and buy immediately when sales open.
How far is Wallace from Coeur d'Alene?
Wallace sits about 50 miles east of Coeur d'Alene, roughly a 45-minute drive along Interstate 90 into the Silver Valley.
What can I do at the festival if ghost hunt tickets sell out?
You can attend daytime haunted-history walking tours, listen to guest lectures, browse vendor booths, and explore Wallace's historic museums and bars without an overnight investigation ticket.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: cdapress.com · shoshonenewspress.com · inlander.com · Official site · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-24