From Prairie du Chien to Peninsula State Park, Cedarburg to Superior, Beloit to Bayfield and back — Wisconsin is filled to the brim with fun events all summer long.
Community festivals can be found in just about every corner of the state, Memorial Day through Labor Day. County fairs are everywhere, and don’t even try to count the number of celebrations set for the Fourth of July.
The State Department of Tourism has comprehensive listings of what’s happening throughout summer; check out all the events at travelwisconsin.com. Here are some statewide highlights.
May
Chocolate Fest: May 23-26, Burlington. A sweet tradition since 1987 — and who doesn’t love a good chocolate-eating contest? On the Web: chocolatefest.com.
Ho-Chunk Nation Pow-wow: May 24-26 in Black River Falls. Public is welcome to this traditional annual gathering. On the Web: ho-chunknation.com.
Dairyfest: May 30-June 1, Marshfield. Includes a “Cheese Chase” and free milk on Saturday. On the Web: visitmarshfield.com/dairyfest.
June
Tour to the Top: June 1 at Wind Point Lighthouse, Racine. Climb the 144 steps to the top of the historic Lake Michigan lighthouse. Also offered July 6, Aug. 3, Sept. 7 and Oct. 5. On the Web: windpointlighthouse.com.
Summer Frolic: June 5-8, Mount Horeb. Live entertainment, games, fireworks, bingo, dog show, parade — there’s no better way to kick off summer. On the Web: mthorebsummerfrolic.com.
Downtown Dining Week: June 5-12, Milwaukee. Find special lunch and dinner deals at dozens of restaurants. On the Web: milwaukeedowntown.com.
Bayfield Garden Tours: June 7-8. Self-guided walking tours of some of the prettiest spots in the city, part of the month-long “Bayfield in Bloom” celebration. On the Web: bayfield.org.
Day Out with Thomas: June 11-15, Green Bay. The National Railroad Museum welcomes fans of the animated Thomas the Train Engine. On the Web: nationalrrmuseum.org.
Hometown Days: June 12-15, Verona. Thursday night fireworks get things rolling as usual, and the Sunday parade is always a hit. On the Web: veronahometowndays.com.
Prairie Villa Rendezvous: June 12-15, Prairie du Chien. Huge re-enactment of life in the 1800s, with educational demonstrations and hands-on family activities. At St. Feriole Island on the Mississippi River. On the Web: prairieduchien.org.
Balloon Blues Festival: June 13-14, Monroe. It’s like three events in one — live blues music, hot air balloons and a classic car show. On the Web: monroeballoonrally.com.
Door County Lighthouse Festival: June 13-15, Sturgeon Bay. Choose from a variety of tours of area lighthouses, sponsored by the Door County Maritime Museum. On the Web: dcmm.org.
Washington Island Canoe Kayak Event: June 13-15. This scenic area of Door County has a paddle marathon, expedition, eco-tour and more. On the Web: washingtonislandcanoeandkayakevent.com.
Waterslide-athon: June 14, Wisconsin Dells. Area waterparks support the Ronald McDonald House. On the Web: wisdells.com.
Cambridge Pottery Festival: June 14-15. Annual event at Lake Ripley Park also includes the U.S. Pottery Games. On the Web: cambridgepotteryfestival.org.
Civil War Encampment: June 14-15, Sauk City. Re-enactors turn August Derleth Park into a living history lesson. On the Web: saukprairie.com.
Badger State Games: June 14, 20-22 and 27-29 in the Wausau area. Amateur all-ages competition in events including archery, golf, track, soccer and swimming. On the Web: sportsinwisconsin.com.
Musky Festival: June 19-21, Hayward. The 65th annual ode to the muskellunge. On the Web: muskyfestival.com.
Heidi Fest: June 27-29, New Glarus. Celebrate the Swiss literary classic with a weekend of fun (50th annual) and performances of the “Heidi” play. It’s Taste of New Glarus on Saturday, too. On the Web: swisstown.com.
Strawberry Fest: June 28-29, Cedarburg. Local grower Schmit’s Berry Farm provides the fruits of summer, and there’s even a strawberry bratwurst. On the Web: cedarburgfestivals.org.
July
Fourth of July: Late June and early July are chock-full of Independence Day celebrations throughout the state. Numerous related events are listed on the Travel Wisconsin website. There’s also an online site listing more than 200 fireworks displays, mostly marking the Fourth of July but also including Memorial Day and other celebrations. On the Web: fireworksinwisconsin.com.
Heart of the North Rodeo: July 10-12, Spooner. The city has welcomed world-class rodeo competition for more than six decades. On the Web: spoonerrodeo.com.
Northwoods Heritage Festival: July 11-12, Three Lakes. It’s a German-Italian-Polish-Irish-Native American cultural extravaganza in Oneida County. On the Web: threelakes.com/northwoods-heritage-fest.
MDA Freedom Ride: July 19, Sauk City. Annual Harley-Davidson gathering and ride to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. On the Web: saukprairiehd.com.
Battle Anniversary: July 19-20, Prairie du Chien. It’s the bicentennial of the War of 1812’s Battle of Prairie du Chien, and state historic site Villa Louis is marking the occasion with re-enactment events. On the Web: villalouis.org.
Colby Cheese Days: July 18-20, Colby. The Abbotsford Colby Area Chamber puts on the 49th annual event. On the Web: abbycolbyareachamber.org.
Bayfield Festival of Arts: July 19-20. Includes gallery tours, demonstrations and an art show and sale with artists from around the Midwest. On the Web: bayfield.org.
Lumberjack World Championships: July 24-26, Hayward. Annual major competition includes all the categories — pole climb, boom run, logrolling, hot saw and more. On the Web: lumberjackworldchampionships.
Circus Celebration Days: July 24-27, Baraboo. Family-friendly extravaganza includes a Big Top Parade on July 26. On the Web: baraboo.com and bigtopparade.com.
Pioneer Days: July 25-27, Butternut. A mud race and a horse pull are highlights. On the Web: butternutwi.com.
EAA AirVenture: July 28-Aug. 3, Oshkosh. It’s all about aviation at this event drawing tens of thousands annually. On the Web: airventure.org.
Johnsonville Brat Days: July 31-Aug. 2, Sheboygan. Lots of live entertainment, savory sausage all ways and a Brat Trot to boot. On the Web: brat-days.com.
Wisconsin State Fair: July 31-Aug. 10, West Allis. Music headliners — Aretha Franklin, Lady Antebellum and Alabama. Food headliners — anything on a stick and cream puffs, of course. On the Web: wistatefair.com.
August
Cookie Daze: Aug. 2, Ripon. Home of the Rippin’ Good Cookie celebrates its Cookie Town heritage. On the Web: ripon-wi.com.
National Mustard Day: Aug. 2, Middleton. Be part of the “mustard magic” on this special day at the National Mustard Museum. On the Web: mustardmuseum.com.
Burger Fest: Aug. 9, Seymour. Staking its claim as birthplace of the hamburger, Seymour celebrates this All-American culinary delight every year in August. On the Web: homeofthehamburger.org.
Show Ski National Championships: Aug. 8-10, Janesville. Madison’s own Mad-City Ski Team and the host Janesville Rock Aqua Jays are favorites in this competition at Traxler Park. And remember, the Madison team performs free shows nearly every Sunday evening at Law Park on Lake Monona, Memorial Day through Labor Day. On the Web: madcityskiteam.com.
Paul Bunyan Fest: Aug. 13, Eagle River. Chain-saw carving demos and a Paul Bunyan Roast-off rock this Northwoods classic. On the Web: eagleriver.org.
Washington Island Fair: Aug. 16, Washington Island. Enjoy an island party, Wisconsin style, at this accessible-by-ferry spot off Door County. On the Web: washingtonisland-wi.com.
Venetian Fest: Aug. 13-17, Lake Geneva. A long weekend of fun festival activities culminates in a beautiful lighted boat parade and fireworks display on Sunday night. On the Web: venetianfest.com.
Sweet Corn Festival: Aug. 14-17, Sun Prairie. Fresh, crisp, buttery, sweet, corn. A delicious rite of summer. On the Web: sunprairiechamber.com.
Rutabaga Festival: Aug. 21-24, Cumberland. The humble rutabaga rules the day at this one-of-a-kind northwest Wisconsin fest. On the Web: cumberland-wisconsin.com.
Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival: Aug. 22-23, Superior. Paddle your heart out, or just watch others do the same at this annual longboat celebration on Barker’s Island. On the Web: lakesuperiordragons.com.
Good Neighbor Festival: Aug. 22-24, Middleton. “Onward Upward” is the theme for 2014 fest at Firemans Park. The big parade is noon on Sunday. On the Web: goodneighborfestival.com.
Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw: Aug. 29-30, Prairie du Sac. Thousands will throw — and aren’t they all winners? On the Web: wiscowchip.com.
Wilhelm Tell Festival: Aug. 29-31, New Glarus. Watch ‘em shoot that apple in the popular pageant. Also plenty of yodeling. On the Web: wilhelmtell.org.