Elkhorn hosts Wisconsin’s largest BBQ Festival with Ribfest, which take place on the Walworth County Fairgrounds July 15-19, 2026!
Check out FIVE days of unbelievably delicious, mouth-watering barbecue and entertainment on the beautiful Walworth County Fairgrounds. This event features world-renowned professional BBQ champions, great entertainment, backyard grillers, an artisan village, and a ton of great live entertainment. Not only will you experience some of the best grillers and BBQers in the country, but plenty of other fun including beer and live music with plenty of family fun, including carnival rides and other kids’ activities!
FREE Admission and parking! Even free Wi-Fi, courtesy of Edge Broadband.
Music headliners include (the list will be growing, too!):
Wednesday, July 15th:
Cherry Pie
Thursday, July 16th:
Bella Cain
Friday, July 17th:
Madison County
Saturday, July 18th:
Rival 5
Kashmir: The Led Zeppelin Show
Buster Daizy
Sunday, July 19th:
TBA
Ribfest Hours are 3 pm – 11pm Wednesday, 11 am – 11 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 11am – 9pm Sunday.
You’ll find the Walworth County Fairgrounds just east of downtown Elkhorn, the seat of Walworth County. The grounds can be accessed off Court Street (Highway 11) just west of the U.S. 12 freeway and just northwest of the U.S. 12/I-43 interchange. Highway 67 is just to the west.
Elkhorn Ribfest Address:
411 East Court Street (Highway 11)
Elkhorn, WI 53121
(262) 723-3228 Website
All over Kenosha’s beautiful harbor area, you’ll find the Taste of Wisconsin July 24th-26th this year. There’s plenty to eat, drink, and do with over 40 food vendors, four beverage gardens, 75+ musical artists playing across four different stages, and a Kid Zone. The Demonstration Center offers a look at all kinds of foods and products for making awesome culinary delights – or just quick, tasty meals – from a number of chefs and others who show you how to make magic in the kitchen… or on the grill, at the campsite – wherever you want to prepare food.
Admission is FREE for everybody! And while you can enjoy great food, music, and more, you can also explore the HarborPark area, the Kenosha Public Museum, the Civil War Museum, the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, the Southport Light Station & Museum, take rides on the Kenosha Trolley, and more! Taste of Wisconsin happens in Kenosha’s HarborPark area on the edge of downtown. You’ll find it just east of Highway 32 between the east ends of Highways 50 and 158. Enjoy!
Taste of Wisconsin covers a lot of ground in Kenosha’s HarborPark area, right downtown. They need a lot of room for all that food and music! Photo courtesy of the Kenosha News.
Taste of Wisconsin Address:
HarborPark
5400 6th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 496-9400 Website
Sheboygan is the “Bratwurst Capital of the World” so it’s only fitting that Brat Days is one of their biggest celebrations! Taking place the first Saturday of August, Brat Days dates back to 1953. It’s back again for 2026, and this year it’s back to a TWO-DAY festival! Admission is still free and the activities are plentiful.
Check out a wide variety of tasty brats served up in buns, on sticks, in tacos, on pizza, egg rolls, jambalaya, even as a corn dog. Dance or rock out with plenty of live music. The Brat Days Parade kicks off at 9am Saturday and runs through downtown Sheboygan. The famous Brat-Eating Contest, featured on channels like ESPN, takes place Saturday at 1pm. Games are available for adults and kids alike; kids’ activities include a petting zoo and carnival.
Brat Days is held in Kiwanis Park on the west bank of the Sheboygan River. The park is accessible just west of Highway 28 via New Jersey Avenue. You can also reach Kiwanis Park by heading south from the ends of Highways 23 and 42 via 17th Street. It’s all about three miles east of I-43.
For more details on bands, events, activities and more, check out the Brat Days website. Brat Days is sponsored by Johnsonville, which of course has its headquarters just west of town.
While in Sheboygan, check out the downtown area along 8th Street, theJohn Michael Kohler Arts Center, 3 Sheeps Brewing, City Green, South Pier with all of its activities, the World’s Tallest American Flagpole (along I-43 at Acuity Insurance headquarters), nearby Kohler, the marina and lovely lakefront, nearby Kohler-Andrae State Park, and more.
Brat Days Address:
Kiwanis Park
726 N. 17th Street
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 893-8980 Website
With Beef-A-Rama, the smell of beef fills the air and more than 12,000 people fill the streets of downtown Minocqua. For over 60 years now, Beef-a-Rama™ has been a premiere event drawing visitors back year after year to join in on the one-of-a kind fun you can only find in the Northwoods!
Roasters begin cooking their signature beefs before dawn. Herds of creative festival goers dressed in cow-themed costumes start packing downtown early for the 10K and 5K Rump Roast Run and Walk along Lake Minocqua, live music, & Prime Choice Craft Show featuring more than 70 vendors.
Mooo-ve on down to Torpy Park to grab a roast beef sandwich and watch the Beef Eating Contest, Cow Pie Plop, and of course the famous Roaster Parade down main street!
Listen for the top roasters at the Awards Ceremony at 3pm following the Parade. Check for the latest itinerary online.
Minocqua is along “Wisconsin’s Backbone,” U.S. 51, just south of Highways 47 and 70.
Beef-A-Rama Address:
Torpy Park
806 U.S. Highway 51
Minocqua, WI 54548
(715) 356-5266 Website
Calendar of Events
Upcoming Events › Food
July 15, 2026 – July 19, 2026
Elkhorn Ribfest
Check out FIVE days of unbelievably delicious, mouth-watering barbecue and entertainment on the beautiful Walworth County Fairgrounds. This event features world-renowned professional BBQ champions, great entertainment, backyard grillers, an artisan village, and a ton of great live entertainment. Not only will you experience some of the best grillers and BBQers in the country, but plenty of other fun including beer and live music with plenty of family fun, including carnival rides and other kids’ activities!
FREE Admission and parking! Even free Wi-Fi, courtesy of Edge Broadband.
Music headliners include (the list will be growing, too!):
Cherry Pie
Thursday, July 16th:
Bella Cain
Friday, July 17th:
Madison County
Saturday, July 18th:
Rival 5
Kashmir: The Led Zeppelin Show
Buster Daizy
Sunday, July 19th:
TBA
Ribfest Hours are 3 pm – 11pm Wednesday, 11 am – 11 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 11am – 9pm Sunday.
You’ll find the Walworth County Fairgrounds just east of downtown Elkhorn, the seat of Walworth County. The grounds can be accessed off Court Street (Highway 11) just west of the U.S. 12 freeway and just northwest of the U.S. 12/I-43 interchange. Highway 67 is just to the west.
411 East Court Street (Highway 11)
Elkhorn, WI 53121
(262) 723-3228
Website
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July 24, 2026 – July 26, 2026
Taste of Wisconsin
Admission is FREE for everybody! And while you can enjoy great food, music, and more, you can also explore the HarborPark area, the Kenosha Public Museum, the Civil War Museum, the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, the Southport Light Station & Museum, take rides on the Kenosha Trolley, and more! Taste of Wisconsin happens in Kenosha’s HarborPark area on the edge of downtown. You’ll find it just east of Highway 32 between the east ends of Highways 50 and 158. Enjoy!
Taste of Wisconsin Address:
HarborPark
5400 6th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 496-9400
Website
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
July 31, 2026 – August 1, 2026
Johnsonville Brat Days
Sheboygan is the “Bratwurst Capital of the World” so it’s only fitting that Brat Days is one of their biggest celebrations! Taking place the first Saturday of August, Brat Days dates back to 1953. It’s back again for 2026, and this year it’s back to a TWO-DAY festival! Admission is still free and the activities are plentiful.
Check out a wide variety of tasty brats served up in buns, on sticks, in tacos, on pizza, egg rolls, jambalaya, even as a corn dog. Dance or rock out with plenty of live music. The Brat Days Parade kicks off at 9am Saturday and runs through downtown Sheboygan. The famous Brat-Eating Contest, featured on channels like ESPN, takes place Saturday at 1pm. Games are available for adults and kids alike; kids’ activities include a petting zoo and carnival.
Bands this year include:
Friday, July 31st
TBA
Saturday, August 1st
Johnsonville Main Stage:
11:00am – 1:00 pm TBA
1:30pm – 4:00pm TBA
4:30pm – 5:45 pm TBA
6:15pm – 7:30pm TBA
8:00pm – 9:15pm TBA
9:45pm – 11:00 pm TBA
The Brat Eating Contest is at 1pm!
Entertainment stages are free!
Brat Days is held in Kiwanis Park on the west bank of the Sheboygan River. The park is accessible just west of Highway 28 via New Jersey Avenue. You can also reach Kiwanis Park by heading south from the ends of Highways 23 and 42 via 17th Street. It’s all about three miles east of I-43.
For more details on bands, events, activities and more, check out the Brat Days website. Brat Days is sponsored by Johnsonville, which of course has its headquarters just west of town.
While in Sheboygan, check out the downtown area along 8th Street, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 3 Sheeps Brewing, City Green, South Pier with all of its activities, the World’s Tallest American Flagpole (along I-43 at Acuity Insurance headquarters), nearby Kohler, the marina and lovely lakefront, nearby Kohler-Andrae State Park, and more.
Brat Days Address:
Kiwanis Park
726 N. 17th Street
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 893-8980
Website
And check out our State Trunk Tour Podcast about Sheboygan!
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
September 26, 2026 – September 27, 2026
Beef-A-Rama
With Beef-A-Rama, the smell of beef fills the air and more than 12,000 people fill the streets of downtown Minocqua. For over 60 years now, Beef-a-Rama™ has been a premiere event drawing visitors back year after year to join in on the one-of-a kind fun you can only find in the Northwoods!
Roasters begin cooking their signature beefs before dawn. Herds of creative festival goers dressed in cow-themed costumes start packing downtown early for the 10K and 5K Rump Roast Run and Walk along Lake Minocqua, live music, & Prime Choice Craft Show featuring more than 70 vendors.
Mooo-ve on down to Torpy Park to grab a roast beef sandwich and watch the Beef Eating Contest, Cow Pie Plop, and of course the famous Roaster Parade down main street!
Listen for the top roasters at the Awards Ceremony at 3pm following the Parade. Check for the latest itinerary online.
Minocqua is along “Wisconsin’s Backbone,” U.S. 51, just south of Highways 47 and 70.
Beef-A-Rama Address:
Torpy Park
806 U.S. Highway 51
Minocqua, WI 54548
(715) 356-5266
Website
Check out the Schedule of Events coming soon!
Beef-A-Rama Schedule of Events:
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