8 Family-Friendly Festivals to Embrace Winter’s Chill
Celebrate Wisconsin’s snowy season with spirited events throughout the state. These fun and free outdoor family fests are sure to keep everyone in your group entertained.
Janboree - Waukesha
This city-wide festival in late January brings the area together for some frosty fun. Families will enjoy ice sculpting, performances, a firework show, 5K run/walk, crafts, penguin egg hunt and much more. With a whole week’s worth of fun, there’ll be plenty to keep the kids entertained.
Winter Fest - Wausau
Embrace the winter weather with tons of activities during this one-day winter festival in downtown Wausau. Sports enthusiasts will like ice skating and curling, and families will appreciate kids ice castle building, sled dog demonstrations and free cookies for everyone!
Schnee Days Winter Festival - Elkhart Lake
A weekend of winter fun activities for children, couples and families, including a 5K run/walk, annual chili cook-off, Great Lakes Distillery Tasting, disc golf tournament and childrens' games draw visitors and locals to celebrate snow!
Winter Festival - Fish Creek
Have your kids ever seen a minnow race, taken a dog sled ride or watched ice kickball? If not, they’re in luck—Fish Creek’s Winter Festival features all of those and gives a thumbs-up to winter fun. Partake in outdoor activities, or escape the chill in a heated tent overlooking Green Bay and nosh on food and play wacky games (toilet seat toss, anyone?).
Northwoods Blizzard Blast - Conover
Sporty types will appreciate this fest chock-full of active endeavors. Kids can try ice bowling, archery, a dog sled dash and snowshoe baseball. Not up for participating? Just sit back and relax and watch snow sculpting, enjoy a horse-drawn ride, check out the recliner race and cap off this fun-filled day by the bonfire.
Winter Festival - Cedarburg
Is it just us, or do freezing temps bring out the wacky in Wisconsin towns? Cedarburg’s two-day fest has barrel racing, an Ice-Burg Open Golf Tournament and even camel rides! Kids and adults will also enjoy ice-carving duels, dog-pulling contest, a chili cook-off, tractor-drawn hayrides and pancake breakfast.
Madison Winter Carnival - Madison
This annual celebration takes place at the Memorial Union, on and off the ice of Lake Mendota. The fest includes both indoor and outdoor winter-themed activities, including the appearance of the beloved carnival tradition: Lady Liberty on Lake Mendota.
Bayfield Winter Festival - Bayfield
With skiing, tubing, plunging into the frozen lake and much more, Bayfield (which gets more than 100 inches of snowfall annually) knows how to do winter festivals right. Locals celebrate the season with a whole weekend devoted to winter’s beauty. And if you really want to fit in? You might want to check out the whitefish liver eating contest—a “famous, local tradition.”
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