8 Can't-Miss Chippewa Falls Events
get these gatherings on your calendar pronto
Emily Kinzel, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
In Chippewa Falls, the calendar is filled to the brim with annual events, celebrations, and more! Here’s a compilation of can’t-miss happenings for the next 12 months, including Leinie’s Family Reunion, Pure Water Days, and Oktoberfest. Through all four seasons, there are plenty of opportunities to eat, drink, and be merry in Chippewa Falls, so get these events on your calendar.
1. Northern Wisconsin State Fair
July 12-16 • Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, 225 Edward St. • nwsfa.com • (715) 723-2861 • When the summer heat arrives, head down to the fairgrounds for the state fair, where carnival rides, farm animals, and cotton candy are all a part of the experience. And this year, the main stage lineup includes Clint Black, the Beach Boys, and more!
2. Leinenkugel’s 150th Anniversary Celebration Event
Aug. 11-12 • Leinie Lodge & Brewery, 124 E. Elm St., 10am-8pm • Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, 225 Edward St., 10:30 am-midnight • gochippewafalls.com/events/leinenkugels150 • If you’re 21 years or older, join the Leinenkugel family for a party to celebrate 150 years of brewing heritage. Participate in dart, billiard, or video game tournaments, meet the Leinenkugels themselves, listen to a big lineup of local and national bands (including Collective Soul and Jerrod Niemann), and – of course – enjoy an ice cold Leinie’s!
3. Pure Water Days Parade and RiverFest
Aug. 12 • Downtown Chippewa Falls • Parade at 1pm, RiverFest at 2pm • chippewafallsmainst.org • Floats, fireworks, and food – need we say more? Enjoy a parade including more than 65 floats, fire trucks, and performers of all sorts during the Pure Water Days Parade. Food vendors, live music, and arts and crafts will provide fun for all ages.
4. 15th Annual Oktoberfest
Sept. 15-17 • Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, 225 Edward St. • gochippewafalls.com/events/oktoberfest • What’s autumn in Wisconsin without a brat in one hand and a glockenspiel in the other? Celebrate our state’s German heritage with a beer and some polka music all the while you’re wearing your favorite lederhosen. Viel Spaß!
5. Irvine Park Christmas Village
Nov. 23-Jan. 1 • Irvine Park, Bridgewater Avenue, Chippewa Falls • open 5-6:30pm Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving Day) for walk-through only • open daily 7am-9:30pm Nov. 24-Jan. 1 (lights turned on at 3:30 or 4pm) • Tens of thousands of lights create a Christmas fantasyland with larger-than-life scenes representing holiday tales and Chippewa Falls’ early history with a Victorian sensibility. Christmas Village has been dazzling park visitors for more than a quarter century.
6. Santa’s Arrival & Santa's House
Santa’s Arrival: 10am Friday, Nov. 24 • BMO Harris Bank parking lot, 411 N. Bridge St. • Santa’s House: Saturdays Nov. 25-Dec. 23 • Rutledge Charity Building, 404 N. Bridge St. • chippewafallsmainst.org • Get in the Christmas spirit with Mrs. Claus, Christmas elves, and St. Nick himself. Make sure you’re on the Nice List this year! Hot cocoa and a special ornament is available for the kiddies as they’re waiting for Santa, and don’t forget your Christmas list before he heads back to the North Pole to pack his sleigh.
7. Bridge to Wonderland Parade
Saturday, Dec. 2, 6pm • Downtown Chippewa Falls • chippewafallsmainst.org • Continue the Christmas tradition with the 28th Annual Bridge to Wonderland Parade. This year’s theme is “Christmas in Toyland.” The parade features more than 50 floats laced with lights, glitz, and glam for your enjoyment. Bundle up for the winter celebration as the night is illuminated with Christmas spirit!
8. SpringFest 2018
Late April • Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, 225 Edward St. • springfestchippewafalls.com • Held each year at the end of April, SpringFest helps visitors shake off the winter cobwebs with family fun, music, and events, including a kubb championship, the Springfest run/walk, a tractor pedal pull contest, and much more.
