Music Festival Grounds Now Available for Weddings, Other Special Events

Tom Giffey

Would you like to tie the knot where Slipknot rocked? How about renewing your vows on the stage where Sugarland played? If so, it should be music to your ears to learn that such opportunities (and more!) are now available on the Country Fest/Rock Fest grounds near Cadott. This spring, Chippewa Valley Music Festivals launched Fest Valley Events, a new business offshoot that is promoting the 320-acre grounds as a rentable venue for weddings, receptions, and other events.

“Music and live shows give people once-in-a-lifetime memories,” says Fest Valley Events promoter Wade Asher. “A meaningful moment like a wedding has that same once-in-a-lifetime emotion that the couple won’t forget. We’re excited to help people make more of those special memories.”

Over the past decade, the main festival stage has been the setting for large-scale corporate events, fundraisers, and the like – in addition, of course, to playing host to rock and country music hitmakers each summer. As requests for using the stage and grounds for weddings and other special events added up, Fest Valley Events was created. “We want other people to experience the magic that our music festival fans all love so much,” Asher says.

And while the site may hold special appeal for music lovers thrilled to share the same space as their idols, “The great thing is that the space is versatile enough that anyone can enjoy the natural beauty of our space and make it their own,” Asher adds.

Asher describes the festival grounds – which are framed by rolling farmland about 30 miles northeast of Eau Claire – as “our little slice of heaven.” Several portions of the grounds will be available for rent. The main stage offers indoor and outdoor space that can seat as many as 350 people as well as room for dining, drinking, dancing, and more. “You can choose to have the stage door open and enjoy the beautiful landscape and sunsets we regularly see out here, or you can have the stage door closed for a more modern look,” Asher says.

For those interested in a more intimate, natural setting, an area dubbed The Woods is also available. Asher describes it as “an intimate trail in the woods with log benches, outdoor lighting, a small stream with a beautiful wooden bridge, and unique natural touches.” The Woods can accommodate about 100 people.

In addition to the venues, Fest Valley Events is able to offer a full-service bar with bartenders plus access to recommended vendors such as florists and caterers. And guests who don’t want to drive home after their celebrations have the option of taking advantage of a retreat package that gives them access to on-site camping (with electrical access).

Fest Valley Events is looking forward to hosting its first-ever wedding in a few weeks, and other events are already on the books for later in the summer and fall. In between, of course, the grounds will host thousands of music fans for Country Fest on June 27-29 and Rock Fest on July 18-20. “It’s going to be busy inaugural year!” Asher says.

Plans are already being made for the future: Events have been scheduled for 2020 and 2021, and additional buildings on the grounds are being considered for rental for small events such as wedding rehearsal dinners or bachelor/bachelorette parties, Asher says.

“Fest Valley Events is a turn-key venue,” he says. “Our main goal is to make sure the wedding couple and their families have zero worries so they can just enjoy their day. … We have the space and the capability to really do anything.”

To learn more, visit festvalleyevents.com or call (715) 313-0000.

Summer Occasions is sponsored by:

Briggs Tent & Party Rental
3350 Horlacher Lane
Eau Claire, WI

Summer Occasions is sponsored by:

Briggs Tent & Party Rental
3350 Horlacher Lane
Eau Claire, WI