Cedarburg Festivals 2026: The Complete Guide to All Five

Cedarburg runs five free festivals a year, produced by Festivals of Cedarburg, Inc., a non-profit that has organised Cedarburg's downtown events since 1973. Between them, the five festivals cover roughly ten weekends across the calendar and account for the highest visitor traffic Cedarburg sees outside the December holiday shopping season.

This guide covers the full 2026 Festivals of Cedarburg calendar: the two-day Winter Festival in February, the Strawberry Festival in late June, the Wine and Harvest Festival in September, Oktoberfest in early October, and A Cedarburg Christmas, which runs from mid-November through Christmas. For each event I've included the confirmed 2026 dates, what actually happens on the ground, where the festival footprint sits, parking and accommodation realities, and what to eat and drink.

Five festivals a year in a town of twelve thousand, all free to attend, all organised by the same NPO that has been doing it since 1973.

Festivals of Cedarburg 2026 calendar

All five 2026 festivals are free to attend. Individual vendors, food stalls, and drink tents charge for goods and services. Dates below reflect the confirmed 2026 calendar from Festivals of Cedarburg, Inc.

• Winter Festival: February 21 to 22, 2026.

• Strawberry Festival: June 27 to 28, 2026.

• Wine and Harvest Festival: September 19 to 20, 2026.

• Oktoberfest: October 3 to 4, 2026.

• A Cedarburg Christmas: mid-November through Christmas Day, 2026.

Cedarburg Strawberry Festival

The Strawberry Festival in late June (June 27–28, 2026) is Cedarburg's biggest event, drawing up to 100,000 people for strawberry everything, 300-plus artisans, live music, and a family area in Cedar Creek Park. Admission is free. It's the one festival where in-town lodging sells out earliest.

For the full guide — arrival timing, parking, going with kids, and where to eat and stay — see our complete Cedarburg Strawberry Festival guide.

Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival

The Wine & Harvest Festival (September 19–20, 2026) is the fall counterpart — local wine, harvest food, the Great Grape Stomp at Cedar Creek Winery, giant pumpkins, and 300-plus artisans along Washington Avenue. Free admission. It's the most food-and-drink-focused of the five.

For the full guide — the correct dates, the grape stomp times, parking (including 2026 construction notes), and where to stay — see our complete Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival guide.

Cedarburg Oktoberfest 2026

Cedarburg Oktoberfest runs Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Hours are 11 AM to 5 PM Saturday and 11 AM to 5 PM Sunday.
Admission is free.
The festival is anchored at the Cedarburg Community Center at W63 N643 Washington Avenue with additional footprint along downtown Washington Avenue.

Oktoberfest is smaller in scale than Strawberry or Wine and Harvest but heavier in food and drink density. Authentic Bavarian-style food dominates the menu: bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, potato pancakes, apple strudel, and other traditional German items. Multiple beer tents pour Bavarian imports and regional German-style craft beers, including selections from The Fermentorium and other Wisconsin breweries. Live traditional German music runs continuously across the festival hours: polka bands, brass ensembles, and accordion players. A dance floor near the main stage draws participants throughout the afternoon.

The Cedarburg Community Center's indoor and outdoor spaces host the primary programming, with additional vendors set up along Washington Avenue for a smaller street-fair component. The scale is manageable in a single afternoon: budget three to four hours to walk the full festival, eat a proper meal, and try a beer flight.

Weather cooperates reliably in early October, though the evening turns cool. Bring a light jacket for the outdoor beer garden. Parking follows the same downtown Cedarburg pattern: arrive by 11 AM for the free lots or plan to walk five minutes from the Interurban Trail lot.

Cedarburg Winter Festival 2026

Cedarburg Winter Festival runs Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22, 2026.
Hours are approximately 11 AM to 6 PM Saturday and 11 AM to 5 PM Sunday.
Admission is free.
The 2026 theme is Après Ski, and the festival is anchored at the Cedarburg Community Center Gym and Downtown Cedarburg.

Winter Festival is the two-day indoor-and-outdoor festival built around cold-weather activities. Programming spans local artisan markets, dog sled pulls, a soup contest, kids' crafts, ice sculpture demonstrations, and family activities across the community center and downtown. The Après Ski theme for 2026 emphasises cozy indoor programming: warm drinks, a fondue and hot chocolate focus, and mountain-lodge aesthetics through the vendor and food programming.

The dog sled pulls are the visual centrepiece and draw the biggest crowds each afternoon. The soup contest runs both days with local restaurants and home cooks competing across categories; tickets for the tasting portion are inexpensive and support Festivals of Cedarburg. Artisan markets inside the community center gym stay warm and comfortable throughout the day, and the downtown Washington Avenue storefronts extend the festival footprint outdoors for visitors who want to combine the community center programming with the historic downtown.

Weather is the wildcard. February in Wisconsin can be pleasant (30s and clear) or brutal (single digits with wind chill). Check the forecast the week before and dress accordingly. Indoor programming stays viable regardless of weather; outdoor activities may adjust based on conditions.

A Cedarburg Christmas 2026

A Cedarburg Christmas is not a single-weekend festival. It runs approximately six weeks from mid-November through Christmas Day, 2026, and covers a series of holiday-themed events, decorated storefronts, and shopping windows across downtown Cedarburg. The core dates and event schedule are published by Festivals of Cedarburg closer to the season.

What the six-week window includes. The downtown Cedarburg storefronts, particularly along Washington Avenue and inside Cedar Creek Settlement, decorate elaborately for the holiday season. Alpine Gift Haus inside the Settlement carries an extensive selection of Christmas gifts, ornaments, and decorations year-round and reaches peak visitor traffic in this window. Union House Cedarburg's festive-season interior decor is elaborate enough to be a draw on its own. Weekend events during the six-week window include tree lightings, holiday markets, children's programming with Santa, and evening events with lighting displays throughout the downtown historic district.

The window's spread across six weeks means A Cedarburg Christmas is less crowded on any individual day than Strawberry or Wine and Harvest Festival. Weekend visits build steadily from mid-November through the two weekends before Christmas, when weekend traffic peaks. Weekday visits during the December holiday windows are pleasant and easy for parking and shopping.

What to eat and drink during festivals

Festival weekend food options split into three categories: festival vendors, permanent Cedarburg restaurants, and Cedar Creek Winery's tasting room.

Festival vendors are the fastest option for a casual meal on the street. Menus rotate by festival: strawberry-themed items in June, harvest and pumpkin in September, Bavarian in October, warming winter comfort food in February. Prices are moderate and lines move quickly except during the peak lunch hour.

Permanent Cedarburg restaurants take reservations and offer sit-down meals during festival weekends. Union House Cedarburg and Stilt House Gastro Bar are the two most popular sit-down options and require reservations well in advance for festival weekends. Casual spots along the strip stay open with adjusted hours; expect 30- to 45-minute waits at PJ Piper Pancake House for breakfast, Cream and Crepe Cafe in the Settlement, Union House Cedarburg for lunch and dinner, Anvil Pub and Grille, and Hefner's Frozen Custard for casual weekend dining. The counter-serve options and coffee shops become the practical lunch strategy on the busiest days. For visitors wanting a broader look at Cedarburg's full restaurant scene outside festival mode, the dedicated restaurants guide covers what stays open, what books first, and what's walkable from the festival footprint.

Cedar Creek Winery's tasting room stays open with extended hours during Strawberry, Wine and Harvest, and Oktoberfest weekends. The winery's tasting flights and cheese boards work well as a light lunch, and the setting inside the historic mill is a natural festival stop. Beer gardens stay busy throughout, with Cedar Creek Winery serving as a natural anchor for visitors interested in a full food-and-drink Settlement day.

Parking, walkability, and accommodation

Accessibility during festivals

Downtown Cedarburg's festival footprint is broadly accessible. Washington Avenue is flat and paved end to end, with wide sidewalks that accommodate wheelchairs and strollers comfortably during closed-street festival hours. Curb cuts are present at all major intersections. The Cedarburg Community Center used for Oktoberfest and Winter Festival programming is fully accessible.

Cedar Creek Settlement is partially accessible; the main floor and lower-level winery are wheelchair-accessible via ramp, but the upper floors including Cream and Crepe Cafe require stairs. Cedar Creek Park is accessible via paved paths and gravel walkways in dry conditions.

Festival crowds can make navigation slower for visitors with mobility limitations. Arriving before 11 AM or after 3 PM gives more space to move; the peak crowd window is roughly 11:30 AM to 2 PM on both festival days.