Sheboygan celebrates its title as the “Bratwurst Capital of the World” with creative bratwurst dishes, free live music, carnival rides, family activities and the famous Brat Eating Contest.
If there is one Wisconsin city qualified to throw an entire festival around bratwurst, it’s Sheboygan!
Johnsonville Brat Days returns to Kiwanis Park on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1, 2026, bringing two days of brats, bands, carnival rides, competitions and distinctly Wisconsin fun to the western bank of the Sheboygan River.
Admission to Brat Days—and all musical entertainment—is free.
Brat Days 2026 at a glance
When:
- Friday, July 31, 2026: 5:00–11:00 p.m.
- Saturday, August 1, 2026: 11:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.
Where: Kiwanis Park, 726 Kiwanis Park Road, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, just SW of the intersections of Highways 23, 28, and 42.
Admission: Free; food, beverages, carnival rides and certain activities cost extra
Main attractions: Bratwurst creations, free live music, the Brat Eating Contest, carnival rides, Family Area, Bike Playground, cornhole tournament, Marketplace and variety entertainment
The festival’s proceeds help the Sheboygan Jaycees support community programs, charitable organizations and scholarships. See the latest information on the official Brat Days website.
Come hungry: Visit Sheboygan for traditional brats and creative creations
A traditional Sheboygan brat is no ordinary sausage sandwich. It is typically browned over direct heat—locals call it “frying,” not grilling—and served on a round Sheboygan hard roll with chopped onion and brown mustard. A double brat puts two sausages on the same roll, because apparently one brat occasionally needs company.
Brat Days also gives visitors opportunities to try bratwurst in some less traditional forms. The festival’s Brat-Tastic food offerings have included brat jambalaya, corn dog brats and brats served on sticks, alongside hamburgers, French fries, grilled cheese and corn on the cob.
Food and beverages are purchased using festival tickets, sold in bundles of 10 for $5. Carnival rides operate separately and accept cash for their own ride tickets. Food choices, prices and availability remain subject to change. Check the official Brat-Tastic food information before your visit.
Brat Days 2026 music lineup
Brat Days offers free entertainment on its Main and Variety stages. Friday night includes three Main Stage performers and a Battle of the Bands competition. Saturday’s lineup ranges from polka and country to Lady Gaga and Foo Fighters tribute acts.
Friday, July 31
Main Stage
- 5:00–6:00 p.m. — The Lonely Sidekick
- 6:30–8:30 p.m. — Pat McCurdy
- 9:00–10:30 p.m. — Too Hype Crew
Variety Stage
- 5:00–9:00 p.m. — Battle of the Bands finalists
Saturday, August 1
Main Stage
- 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Ryan Kautzer Band
- 1:00–2:30 p.m. — The Dirty Martinis
- 3:00–4:30 p.m. — Bootjack Road
- 5:00–6:30 p.m. — Wet Possum
- 7:00–7:30 p.m. — Battle of the Bands winner
- 8:00–9:15 p.m. — Fame Monster, a Lady Gaga tribute
- 9:45–11:00 p.m. — Too Fighters, a Foo Fighters tribute
Variety Stage
- 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Mischief and Magic magician show
- 2:00–3:00 p.m. — Avian and reptile show presented by LARRS
- 3:15–4:15 p.m. — Mischief and Magic magician show
- 4:30–5:30 p.m. — Sword-fighting demonstration by the Sheboygan Fencing Club
- 6:00–8:00 p.m. — Karaoke Idol Contest warm-up
Performances and times can change, so consult the festival’s current daily entertainment lineup when planning your trip.
Brat Eating Contest returns Saturday
One of the festival’s signature spectacles begins at 1:00 p.m. Saturday in Kiwanis Park.
The Brat Eating Contest carries on a colorful competitive-eating tradition. In 2006, legendary competitor Takeru Kobayashi consumed 58 brats in 10 minutes during the event’s world-championship era. Today’s contest is geared toward amateur competitors—or “mere mortals,” as the festival calls them.
Pre-registered contestants must check in between noon and 12:30 p.m. Walk-up hopefuls can join a waiting list for any remaining openings.
Family activities, carnival rides and more
Brat Days is designed to offer plenty for children and adults beyond food and music.
The Sargento Family Area will be open Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. A $10 wristband provides unlimited access to bouncy houses, games and additional activities. Sheboygan County Cycling will also offer a free Bike Playground where young riders can test their skills.
Amusement rides operate during festival hours Friday and Saturday. The carnival accepts cash only, and its ride tickets are different from the tickets used for festival food and beverages.
Saturday’s Variety Stage adds several family-friendly performances, including two magic shows, an avian and reptile presentation, and a demonstration by the Sheboygan Fencing Club.
The Brat Days Marketplace will feature crafts, independent vendors and bargain shopping from 5:00–9:00 p.m. Friday and 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Saturday.
One important planning note: there will not be a Brat Days parade in 2026, according to the festival organizers.
Cornhole competition
Saturday’s doubles Cornhole Tournament begins with check-in at 11:00 a.m., followed by competition at noon. Teams will play a four-round round robin before separating into competitive and social double-elimination brackets. Registration costs $40 per team. Players can bring their own bags, although bags will also be available. There is no minimum age requirement, allowing younger and older players to compete together.
Why is Sheboygan the “Bratwurst Capital of the World?”
Sheboygan’s relationship with bratwurst dates to the German immigrants who settled in the area during the 19th century. They brought their sausage-making traditions with them, and bratwurst gradually became part of Sheboygan’s culinary and social identity.
Local meat markets, sausage makers, bakeries and backyard cooks developed a recognizable Sheboygan style: brats browned over a charcoal fire, placed on a round hard roll and usually topped with onion and brown mustard. The traditional brat fry became—and remains—a popular community fundraiser and social gathering.
The first Bratwurst Day was held on August 13, 1953, as part of Sheboygan’s centennial celebration. A. Matt Werner, editor of The Sheboygan Press, proposed the event as a way to publicize the city’s bratwurst heritage.
The inaugural celebration reportedly consumed approximately 7,000 pounds of bratwurst, 350 pounds of onions and 96 gallons of dill pickles. Activities included a brat-eating contest, parade, polka music, square dancing, fireworks and the crowning of a Bratwurst Queen. A time capsule buried in Fountain Park during that celebration is scheduled to be opened in 2053.
Sheboygan’s claim gained another layer of legend in 1970, when the city challenged Bucyrus, Ohio, over the right to use the title “Bratwurst Capital of the World.” Judge John Bolgert ruled in Sheboygan’s favor, citing the accomplishments of its sausage makers, bakers and backyard chefs. The story—and the title—has been proudly repeated ever since. Visit Sheboygan recounts the flavorful ruling here.
After evolving through several different community festivals, Brat Days returned to Kiwanis Park in 1978. Johnsonville became the title sponsor in 2004, helping the Sheboygan Jaycees expand the musical entertainment while preserving the event’s combination of food, community fundraising and delightfully quirky Wisconsin traditions.
Getting to Brat Days
Kiwanis Park sits along the Sheboygan River, a short distance west of downtown. State Trunk Tour travelers can reach Sheboygan using I-43, Highway 23, Highway 28 or Highway 42. From I-43, the festival grounds are approximately three miles east. Highway 28 passes just south of Kiwanis Park, while Highways 23 and 42 bring travelers into the city from the west and north.
On-site parking costs $5, including designated accessible and motorcycle parking. Space is limited. A free shuttle will operate Saturday from 2:00–10:00 p.m. between Prigge’s/Discovery Coach, 1139 Pennsylvania Avenue, and Kiwanis Park. Departures are scheduled every half-hour. There is no festival shuttle on Friday.
Visitors may bring folding chairs, subject to security inspection. Dogs are not permitted in Kiwanis Park, and public camping is not available on the festival grounds. Additional details are available through the festival’s trip-planning guide.
Whether you come for a traditional double brat, the evening tribute bands, the family activities or the sight of someone attempting to eat an alarming quantity of sausage, Brat Days offers an authentically Sheboygan way to celebrate summer in Wisconsin’s official—or at least judicially declared—Bratwurst Capital of the World (and the Malibu of the Midwest – brats and surfing!)
