tr?id=&ev=PageView&noscript=

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

By Erin Yarnall

January 14, 2025

There are plenty of wacky Wisconsin festivals for you to attend this year, from one on a frozen lake to another that takes you back to the time of dinosaurs.

Festivals are a great way to bring together communities—whether it’s neighbors coming together for a local celebration or communities of fans gathering for a festival celebrating their interests. With more than 1,150 festivals a year, Wisconsin’s a great place to come together and celebrate.

But it’s not all Summerfest and county fairs; Wisconsin is home to some pretty wacky and weird festivals that take place all year long. From ice festivals in the winter to a constant stream of unique food festivals, including the World’s Largest Brat Fest, throughout the summer and fall, there’s something in Wisconsin for any festival attendee.

1. Lake Superior Ice Festival

Where: 15 Marina Drive, Superior

When: Jan. 24-25

Cost: Free

Normally, winter in Wisconsin is the time to hunker down and stay out of the cold, unless you’re in Superior, of course. Then you can celebrate the cold weather at the Lake Superior Ice Festival, which takes place on Jan. 24 and 25.

The free festival is organized by the community and is jam-packed with icy events, like the mini golf extravaganza, where golfers have to navigate the snow and ice-covered course. There’s also a snow slide, an ice carousel, and a wide range of ice sculptures.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

ATV riders prepare to race on Lake Superior at the Lake Superior Ice Festival in Superior, Wisc. (City of Superior)

2. Frozen Assets Festival

Where: 1001 Wisconsin Place, Madison

When: Feb. 3-9

Cost: Free

Most festivals in Madison take place on a street or in a building, but the city’s Frozen Assets Festival has more of a unique setting: a frozen-over Lake Mendota. The festival is organized by the Clean Lakes Alliance to showcase how people can interact with Madison’s “frozen assets” in the winter.

There are plenty of events that take advantage of the frozen lake, including ice skating and dancing, and even a slippery 5K walk and run along the lake’s icy surface. The free festival seeks to highlight the year-round value of Madison’s lakes.

3. Sturgeon Spectacular

Where: Downtown Fond du Lac

When: Feb. 7-9

Cost: Free

Making a snowman is one thing; creating a snow sculpture worthy of being judged at the Sturgeon Spectacular is another. The annual festival, which takes place throughout downtown Fond du Lac, is home to the Wisconsin Snow Sculpting Championship, where the state’s best snow sculptors compete to win the $1,000 grand prize.

That’s not the only contest at the festival—true to its name, the Sturgeon Spectacular offers an award for the largest sturgeon caught. The winter festival, which is free to attend, also has kid-friendly events like scavenger hunts, a 5K run and walk, a kids fun run, and more outdoor games and activities.

4. Flannelfest

Where: 15 Dodge St., Janesville

When: Feb. 22

Cost: $50 general admission, $100 VIP admission

Flannelfest doesn’t have a dress code per se, but if it did, it would most likely include a flannel shirt of some sort. Despite the lack of a dress code, many of the Janesville festival’s attendees typically don their favorite shirts made out of the festival’s namesake material.

While flannels are recommended, it’s actually more of a beer fest. A $50 general admission ticket will grant attendees more than 90 craft beer tastings and unlimited access to games, including a cornhole tournament. The VIP ticket, which costs $100, comes with a pretzel necklace and indoor access to an exclusive beer selection.

5. Anime Fest

Where: Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, 51 Sheboygan St., Fond du Lac

When: April 12

Cost: $35 for non-members, $28 for members

Anime may have originated in Japan, but its fandom has spread all the way to Wisconsin. It will be celebrated at Anime Fest in Fond du Lac on April 12. The celebration is held in honor of National Anime Day, which is April 15. The event, which runs from 7 p.m. until midnight, will have a wide range of anime-inspired events, including trivia, a cosplay contest, and a dance/rave.

This year is the first year that the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts is hosting the event—they were inspired by the popularity of a Fae Ball that was held at the center last year. The event is open to new anime fans, as well as lifelong devotees, but attendees must be 18 and over.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

The inaugural Anime Fest at Fond du Lac’s Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts kicks off on April 12. (Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts)

6. Duck Derby

Where: 202 N. Main St., Friendship

When: May 10

Cost: One ticket for $10, three tickets for $20

Plenty of festivals offer some sort of race, like a fun run or a 5K. Duck Derby, held in Friendship, Wisc., does as well—but all of its racers are rubber ducks. During the event, thousands of numbered rubber ducks are released into a stream at Friendship Park, just below the dam on Friendship Lake. The first duck to cross the finish line wins, and prizes are given to the top three finishers.

Participants can buy one duck for $10 or three for $20. It isn’t all about rubber duck racing, though. The event also has food vendors and other kid-friendly activities.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Rubber ducks are wrangled at Duck Derby in Friendship, Wisc. (Visit Adams County)

7. Syttende Mai Folk Festival

Where: 246 E. Main St., Stoughton

When: May 16-18

Cost: $5 (kids 5 and under are free)

Stoughton is known for its large Norwegian community, so it makes sense that one of the city’s largest festivals celebrates Norwegian Constitution Day, or Syttende Mai. Rather than just celebrate on the official Norwegian holiday, May 17, Stoughton makes a festival out of the event and celebrates over three days for the Syttende Mai Folk Festival.

It costs $5 to attend the festival, but it’s free for children under the age of 5. Festival attendees won’t go hungry, as there’s a large collection of traditional Norwegian food for sale, including lutefisk, a dried cod that has been tenderized in lye, or kjøttkake, Norway’s answer to Swedish meatballs. There are also less traditional takes on Norwegian food, like the Uff Da hot dog. The three-day festival wraps up with the 70th annual Norwegian parade on May 18, which begins at Mandt Park and continues until it reaches Stoughton Plaza.

8. World’s Largest Brat Fest

Where: 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison

When: May 24-26

Cost: Free

This Madison festival certainly isn’t the only festival in the world to celebrate bratwurst, but the annual event is certainly the largest. The World’s Largest Brat Fest, which is free to attend, has been held every Memorial Day weekend since 1983, with the exception of 2020, when it was canceled due to COVID-19.

There are three different types of brat for sale at the event: a traditional Johnsonville bratwurst as well as the brand’s jalapeño cheddar chicken brat, and, for vegans and vegetarians, an Impossible plant-based brat. While the food is a standout of the festival, another is its slate of live music. This year, artists like The Village People, Quiet Riot, and Tigirlily Gold are performing.

9. Dino Daze

Where: Town Square Community Center, 492 Hill St., Green Lake

When: June 8

Cost: If purchased before May 25, tickets cost $5 for an individual ticket, $20 for a family pass (up to six people); after May 25, tickets cost $6 for an individual ticket and $25 for a family pass (up to six people)

There are few things kids are more fascinated by than dinosaurs, so thoroughly excite your youngsters at Green Lake’s Dino Daze, which takes place at the Town Square Community Center (which is pretty easy to find thanks to the two permanent dinos they have out front). The event is recommended for kids between the ages of 2 and 10 and features activities like face painting, crafts, a fossil presentation, and a live snake show.

It’s cheaper if you buy tickets in advance. With early bird pricing, tickets cost $5 for an individual ticket or $20 for a family of up to six people. After May 25, the price increases to $6 for an individual ticket or $25 for a family of up to six.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

A family poses with a souvenir dinosaur at Green Lake’s Dino Daze. (Town Square Community Center)

10. Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival

Where: Doyle Park, 100 Van Buren St., Little Chute

When: June 6-8

Cost: Friday and Saturday, $3-5 (kids 3 and under are free); free on Sunday

Wisconsin is the largest producer of cheese in the United States, so there are plenty of festivals celebrating the dairy staple throughout the state, including the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute.

Of course, there’s plenty of cheese to be tasted at the festival. Attendees can enjoy free samples of cheese on Saturday and Sunday and samples of macaroni and cheese on just Sunday. Or, you can try your hand at the cheese curd eating contest. When you’re totally stuffed, take in the cheese carving demonstration and watch blocks of cheddar get turned into works of art.

11. Bristol Renaissance Faire

Where: 12550 120th Ave., Kenosha

When: Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day from July 5 through Sept. 1

Cost: $15-40 (kids 4 and under are free)

The convenient thing about the Bristol Renaissance Faire is that it runs on Saturdays and Sundays all throughout the summer, so you don’t have to worry about trying to fit it into your schedule. If you have a lot of availability this summer, try making it to one of the fair’s themed weekends, like Cottagecore weekend, which takes place July 26 and 27. That weekend, there will be a cottagecore maypole dance and a fairy frolic drum jam.

Go anytime during the season to enjoy the daily jousting tournaments, catch a show from Barely Balanced, a comedic acrobat team, or enjoy some of the festival’s culinary offerings, like bratwurst, tacos, and strawberry slushies, which don’t necessarily hearken back to the Renaissance, but are delicious nonetheless.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

The Bristol Renaissance Faire’s red knight competes in jousting games at the annual fair. (Bristol Renaissance Faire)

12. Cheese Curd Festival

Where: East End Park, 398 East Main St., Ellsworth

When: June 27-28

Cost: Free

It makes sense that the Cheese Curd Festival is held in a western Wisconsin village. Ellsworth is known as the cheese curd capital of Wisconsin, as the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery produces many of the state’s cheese curds. To commemorate the designation, the village hosts the annual Cheese Curd Festival. The festival is free to attend, but certain tasting events require pre-purchased tickets.

While many people attend the festival each year to sample cheese curds, they never have to worry about running low on the delicious snack, as the creamery makes fresh cheese curds all day, every day. In addition to all of the snacking that there is to do at the festival, there’s also live music and an artisan marketplace.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Cheese curds come out of the fryer at the Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival. (Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce)

13. SubFest

Where: Wisconsin Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Drive, Manitowoc

When: July 4-6

Cost: $5, free for veterans

Wisconsin’s not often associated with being an ideal submarine destination, but the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc proves that wrong. The museum is the home of the USS Cobia, a former United States Navy submarine that was in service during World War II. In celebration of its submarine, the museum salutes all things submarine during SubFest, a festival held by the museum.

Attendees can explore the submarine, now a National Historic Landmark, at the festival, which is over the 4th of July weekend. They can also check out live music and do a meet-and-greet with veterans. The festival is $5 but free to attend for veterans.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Attendees at Sub Fest get a photo taken aboard the USS Cobia. (Wisconsin Maritime Museum)

14. Dairyland Balloon Jubilee

Where: Seehafer Acres, 202612 Highway 97, Marshfield

When: July 11-12

Cost: $5 (kids 5 and under are free)

Every summer, hot air balloons lift up into the sky above Marshfield, Wisc., as part of the city’s Dairyland Balloon Jubilee. The annual festival, which is the largest balloon event in the state, features more than 35 hot air balloons each year.

But even if you’re afraid of heights, there’s plenty to do. A more unique offering that the balloon festival has is a cow patty toss. Be sure to wash your hands before going to the food truck rally and beer garden.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Balloons prepare to take flight at the Dairyland Balloon Jubilee in Marshfield, Wisc. (Dairyland Balloon Jubilee)

15. Hodag Country Festival

Where: 4270 River Road, Rhinelander

When: July 10-13

Cost: $100-200

A country music festival in Wisconsin isn’t that weird or wacky of a concept–there are several of them. What is wacky about the Hodag Country Festival is that it’s named for the Hodag, a folkloric creature that has the horns of a bull and spikes down its back. The Hodag has become a symbol of Rhinelander, Wisc., where the music festival is held annually.

Since it started in 1981, the festival has brought in some of the biggest names in country music, including Loretta Lynn, Randy Travis, and Tammy Wynette. This year, the lineup includes Carly Pearce, Neal McCoy, and Nate Smith, among many other artists, who will be announced in the months leading up to the festival.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Bailey Zimmerman performs at the 2024 Hodag Country Music Festival in Rhinelander, Wisc. (Hodag County Music Festival)

16. Colby Cheese Days

Where: 211 West Spence St., Colby

When: July 18-20

Cost: Free

With a population of nearly 2,000, Colby is a relatively small city in central Wisconsin, but it’s made a big impact in the dairy world. As the birthplace of Colby cheese, the city highlights its hometown creation each year at Colby Cheese Days. The annual festival has been held since 1961.

It wouldn’t be a good food-inspired festival if it didn’t offer free samples of the hometown cheese, but it also has so much more than just cheese samples. Colby Cheese Days offers up a carnival, parade, street dances, a car show and a 5K and 10K race.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Festival attendees go on a ride at Colby Cheese Days in Colby, Wisc. (City of Colby)

17. PROST! Das Fest Wisconsin

Where: Kenosha County Fairgrounds, 30820 111th St., Wilmot

When: July 18-20

Cost: $2

Oktoberfest is held in September and October, but the minds behind PROST! Das Fest Wisconsin wanted to get the party started a little early, so they created the German-themed festival as a pre-party for Oktoberfest.

While attendees might come for the beer and the food, they stay for the dachshund and corgi races, which take place every day of the festival. There’s also a costume contest for the dogs involved in the race on Saturday. Only pre-registered dogs can attend the annual event. PROST! Das Fest Wisconsin costs $2 per person to attend, which goes toward maintaining and bringing the festival back year after year.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Alphorns are blown at PROST! Das Fest Wisconsin, which serves as a pre-party for Oktoberfest. (PROST! Das Fest Wisconsin)

18. National Mustard Day

Where: National Mustard Museum, 7477 Hubbard Ave., Middleton

When: Aug. 2

Cost: Free

Wisconsin may be America’s Dairyland, but that doesn’t mean it can’t recognize how good other foods are, too—like mustard. The beloved condiment is celebrated as part of National Mustard Day. The event has mustard-themed games as well as bounce houses and balloon animals for kids to enjoy.

National Mustard Day is held at Middleton’s National Mustard Museum, one of the quirkiest museums in the state. During the festival, the street in front of the museum is filled with bratwurst, pretzel, and, of course, mustard vendors. If you haven’t gotten your fill of the condiment after leaving the festival, stop by the National Mustard Museum, which is free to enter the day of the festival, and pick up some mustard to bring home from the gift shop.

19. Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show

Where: 5005 Country View Road, Valmy

When: Aug. 15-17

Cost: $10 (kids 12 and under free)

When people head up to Door County in the summer, the highlights usually include visiting the state parks, exploring lighthouses, and experiencing a fish boil. But for others, the highlight is attending the Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show.

The annual event, which first kicked off in 1983, takes attendees back to an older way of life, by showcasing farming equipment and other machinery that were used historically in Door County, but not used anymore—unless, of course, you’re taking part in the festival.

Each year, the Valmy Thresheree has a chainsaw competition and a vintage machinery showcase, and it even lets kids get involved with the antique machines during a kids’ pedal tractor pull.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Antique machinery is showcased at the Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show in Sturgeon Bay. (Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show)

20. Art Infusion

Where: Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 205 South Main St., Janesville

When: Sept. 5-7

Cost: Free

Janesville is known for its impressive architecture, with several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places (including the Lincoln-Tallman House, an Italianate-style house where Abraham Lincoln slept two nights). But the city’s notable architecture isn’t the only impressive artwork on display throughout Janesville, especially during Art Infusion.

Art Infusion is an annual festival where guest artists craft large-scale murals. You don’t have to be a professional artist to join in on the fun; amateur artists can take part in a chalk art competition. It costs $15 to register for the chalk art competition.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Artists pose with their chalk art at Janesville’s Art Infusion festival. (Pat Sparling Photography/Janesville Convention & Visitors Bureau)

21. Cranberry Fest

Where: 402 Pine St., Warrens

When: Sept. 26-28

Cost: Free

Warrens, a small village in Monroe County, has its population swell from just over 500 to more than 100,000 every year when the village hosts its annual Cranberry Fest. The popular festival, which is held every September, is one of the largest cranberry festivals in the country, with more than 100 different farmers market stalls and 800 arts and crafts vendors.

At Warrens’ Cranberry Fest, attendees can, of course, try an abundance of cranberry treats, like cranberry sauce and cranberry cream puffs. But visitors can also see where the magic is made, by taking a tour of the cranberry marshes, which are offered every day.

21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Pageant winners at Warrens Cranberry Festival help to cook some of the festival’s namesake berries. (Warrens Cranberry Festival Inc.)

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.21 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 202521 weird & wacky Wisconsin festivals happening in 2025

Author

CATEGORIES: THINGS TO DO
Related Stories
Share This