Category: Door County Festivals
2023 Door County Festivals
Door County festivals offer great opportunities to sample food from the area’s amazing restaurants, find beautiful arts and crafts, pick up fine artwork from more than 100 galleries, or just enjoy a day strolling with friends in the sun.
Door County Festival of Nature: May 26-28 
Join the Ridges Sanctuary for the 21st Annual Door County Festival of Nature May 26-28. Discover all Door County’s nature has to offer through guided field trips with titles ranging from Birding by Ear and The Sex Life of Plants.
Jacksonport Maifest: May 27 & 28
Celebrate the 5oth anniversary of Jacksonport Maifest May 27 and 28. The weekend kicks off with an art fair and parade Saturday morning, and will feature face-painting, games, and a memorial day ceremony. Fireworks on the beach and a performance by the Sevastopol Senior Choir end the day. Sunday, May 28, the festival opens with the 40th annual Maifest 10k run, and continues with more live music, and a horse stunt performance.
Door County Lighthouse Fest: June 9-11
Discover Door County’s 11 lighthouses by land, air, and boat June 9-11. Visitors will have access to unique excursions and exclusive access to lighthouses that aren’t typically open to the public, including Chambers Island, Plum Island and Sherwood Point lighthouses. A portion of proceeds will go to the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society.
Roofing of the Goats & Goat Fest: June 10
Welcome the famous goats back to the roof of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant with a parade! Saturday, June 10, watch the goat’s trip down Highway 42 and up onto the roof. This year’s Parade will be followed by the 6th Annual Goat Fest next store at Stabbur with live music and a Swedish Pancake-Eating Contest.
Fyr Bal Festival: June 17
Ephraim Fyr Bal festival is set for June 17 – but the celebration will kick off with three June 16 concerts at the Ephraim Moravian Church. Festivities will include a yoga class at Anderson Dock, a pancake breakfast at Ephraim Village Hall and a pet parade. The highlight of the festival is the chieftain ceremony, fireworks and the lighting of the Fyr Bal pyr.
Door County Beer Festival: June 17
Celebrate father’s day weekend with craft beer, culinary artisans, and live music on the shores of Baileys Harbor. Sample over 150 beers from dozens of Door County, Wisconsin, Michigan and Midwest breweries, enjoy food from some of the best restaurants on the peninsula, and enjoy live music at the Maxwelton Braes grounds. The Peninsula Century Spring Classic bike ride takes place in conjunction with the festival.
Door County Wine Fest: June 24
The Door County Wine Fest, located on the grounds of Maxwelton Braes, showcases the eight wineries on the Door County Wine Trail. Tickets include unlimited tasting of up to 58 different kinds of wine. There will be food trucks and live music throughout the event, from 12pm – 4pm.
Fourth of July Celebrations
Egg Harbor 4th of July Parade and Celebration: July 3 & 4
Enjoy live music (5-9pm), food & refreshments (4-9pm), and fireworks (dusk) on July 3. On the 4th, come watch the Parade, which runs south along Hwy 42 from the north end of Church Street to Hwy T at 1:30. Food and Refreshments all day.
Baileys Harbor Celebrates the 4th: July 4
Celebrate our country’s birthday the Baileys Harbor way! The day starts with a Fire Department pancake breakfast from 7:30 am – 10 am at 2404 Park Road. The Independence Day Parade starts at 10 am, and runs from Ridges Road to Summit Road on Hwy 42. Stick around for an arts and crafts fair, food, and music all day at Kendall Park. Enjoy fireworks, live music, beer and food vendors at Anclam Park at dusk to end the fun-filled day!
Sturgeon Bay Independence Day Celebration: July 4
Sturgeon Bay Celebrates presented with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding —Join the 4th of July fun and festivities at Sunset Park! Food and drinks available beginning at 5 pm along with live reggae music by Unity leading up to a spectacular firework display at dusk!
Gills Rock Celebrates: July 4
Celebrate the 4th with music, food & drink, a fish fry fundraiser for the Deaths Door Maritime Museum and of course FIREWORKS! The celebration begins around 5pm. The boat parade is typically about an hour or so before sunset and the fireworks begin at dusk.
Door County Plein Air Festival: July 23-29
Watch artists from across the country paint Door County from July 23 to 29. Artists will be on location 11am – 2pm at Edgewood Orchard Galleries, Fish Creek and The Hardy Gallery, Ephraim July 24, July 25 at Jacksonport Farmer’s Market, Downtown Jacksonport and Downtown Baileys Harbor, July 26 at Horseshoe Bay Farm, Egg Harbor and The Garden Door – UW Extension, Sturgeon Bay, and July 27 at Downtown Ellison Bay and Hidden Acres Farm, Beach Rd, Sister Bay. End the weekend with a quick paint from 9am – 11am in Fish Creek, and live auction at 12:30.
Door County Fair: August 9-13
The 151st Door County Fair is an experience the entire family will love, with old-school, small-town fun. Enjoy carnival rides, food stands, 40H animal barns, and grandstand events. Grandstand attractions include stock car races, a demolition derby, and motorcycle racing. Carnival rides, concession stands & exceptional bands fill the fair midway. Hundreds of art, crafts, and animal entries showcase the talents of Door County exhibitors.
Sturgeon Bay Maritime Week: August
The City of Sturgeon Bay honors its rich maritime heritage.
Attend the Door County Classic & Wooden Boat show August 5 & 6 at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay.
Celebrate Lake Michigan with the city of Algoma August 11 through 13. Enjoy live music Friday, August 11 from 4pm – 8pm, before the Shanty Days 5k run/walk Saturday, August 12. Enjoy a parade, car cruise and show, 150+ arts and crafts & street fair vendors, a beach volleyball tourney, fireworks, kid’s area, fishing contest, book sale and entertainment for the entire family all day Saturday and Sunday.
Sister Bay Marina Fest: September 2-4
Highlights of the Sister Bay Marina Fest are a vintage boat show and performance by Jerry Voelker and the Jolly Gents Saturday, September 2 at the Sister Bay Marina. This Labor Day celebration includes live music at the Marina, a kids carnival and boatbuilding, and a food court at the Sister Bay Village hall pavilion.
Sturgeon Bay Harvest Fest & Street Art Auction: September 16
Usher in the spirit of autumn on Third Avenue in Sturgeon Bay starting at 8 am. Features include a classic car show, craft show, food booths, in-store specials, the “Tapping of the Firkin” stein holding contest, and live entertainment. Preview the “Bass Around the Bay” Street Art Project at Martin Park before the virtual auction closes at 5 pm.
Baileys Harbor AutumnFest: September 23
Celebrate fall in Baileys Harbor with live music, food and drinks, and and arts and crafts fair. Highlights of Pin-Ups and Pistons day include a Classic Auto and Motorcycle Show and pin-up photoshoot, plus the Hey Hey 5k Run at Door County Brewing Co. Remember to bring your classic car or motorcycle to when you visit Autumnfest!
Autumn Lighthouse Festival: September 29-October 1
Discover Door County’s 11 lighthouses by land, air, and boat again this Columbus Day weekend. Visitors will have access to unique excursions and exclusive access to lighthouses that aren’t typically open to the public, including Chambers Island, Plum Island and Sherwood Point lighthouses. A portion of proceeds will go to the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society.
Egg Harbor Pumpkin Patch Festival: October 7 & 8
Egg Harbor celebrates fall with one of the year’s largest festivals. Fall food favorites, carnival rides, arts and crafts vendors, silent auction, live music, scarecrow and pumpkin displays, magicians, food, refreshments and more at the Kress Pavilion Lawn and Harbor View Park.
Sister Bay Fall Festival: October 13-15
Close out the season with Sister Bay’s annual fall bash! Featuring live music all over the village, a huge arts and crafts fair, games and activities for kids, and food, including the Lion’s Club Fish Boil and Pancake Breakfast. Join the Fall Fest Parade Saturday morning, and don’t miss Sunday’s annual Ping Pong Ball Drop and Derby Race.
Jack O’Lantern Days: October 28-30
This festival puts the “eek!” in Fish Creek! A true, hometown Halloween festival at Fish Creek’s Top of the Hill Shops, Jack O’ Lantern Days will entertain little witches and goblins of all ages. Highlights include a festive costume contest, town hall games, town-wide trick-or-treating, a costume parade, live owls, mask making and so much more! This festival is full of surprises and will give your family a Halloween filled with good memories they’ll remember forever.
Thrills and Chills: October 28
A day of festive Halloween fun for the entire family! Start the holiday with a Costume Parade begins at 10 am from the Old Bell Tower and concludes at Martin Park in Sturgeon Bay. Activities include making your own trick-or-treat bags, costume parade, haunted house, pumpkin carving, and trick-or-treating throughout downtown Sturgeon Bay from 10 am-3 pm.
Sturgeon Bay Christmas by the Bay: November 17-19
Unwrap Sturgeon Bay with Christmas by the Bay Weekend presented in partnership with Door County Daily News. Join in the community car parade as Sturgeon Bay stores “unwrap” their festive storefronts to kick off the holiday season followed by the annual tree lighting ceremony near the Old Bell Tower on Third Avenue on Friday, Nov. 17! The fun continues Saturday, with a parade and meet and greet with Santa. The weekend comes to a close during brunch with Santa at Stone Harbor Resort on Sunday.
Sister Bay Capture the Spirit Festival: November 24 & 25
Celebrate the season with a holiday arts and craft fair and cookie decorating at Sister Bay Village Hall, visit with Santa’s elves and reindeer. Watch Santa arrive to turn on the holiday lights and read a wintertime story on Friday, November 24. Create holiday craft projects at Sister Bay Library, Saturday November 25.
Egg Harbor Holly Days: November 24 & 25
Enjoy an old-fashioned winter weekend with children’s activities, horse-draw wagon rides, caroling, tree-lighting, and more. Meet Santa and Egg Harbor’s Therapy Dogs Friday, November 24 for tree lighting and caroling. Saturday, November 25, meet Santa for breakfast and Bingo with the Egg Harbor Historical Society at Kress Pavillion. Join One Barrel Brewing for a fun run, before an elf-hunt, hot chocolate bar, and photos with Santa, and live music.
Ephraim Christmas in the Village: December 2
Celebrate with Santa and his reindeer with holiday crafts and snacks at the Village Hall December 2 from 3-5:30. Take a horse-drawn wagon ride through the village and join Santa at Harborside Park with his elves and reindeer to light the Christmas tree. Visit Ephraim business’s open-houses all day.
Baileys Harbor Holiday & Tree Lighting: December 3
Meet Santa and his elves and reindeer at Baileys Harbor Town Hall. Taking place from 6 – 8 pm Saturday, December 3, enjoy crafts, family activities, and tree lighting all with hot chocolate and cookies.
Christkindlmarkt: November 24-26, December 1-3, December 8-10
Located at the Corner of the Past Museum in Sister Bay, shop local weavers, knitters, potters, photographers, jewelers, painters, woodworkers, glass blowers and more! At Door County’s traditional European Christmas market, enjoy a warm, spicy mug of Glühwein and delicious winter food. The Market is open from 11am – 7pm Friday and Saturday of weekend’s one and two, and 11am – 6pm weekend three. Hours Sunday’s during the season are 11am – 3pm.
Sister Bay New Year’s Eve Celebration: December 31
Sister Bay celebrates New Year’s Eve with shopping, ice skating, dining specials, fireworks, and a bonfire. The FM 106.9 The Lodge Cherry Drop hosts the evening, with music and fun. Leading up to midnight, watch the giant sparkling cherry cherry drop to welcome the new year!
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New Venue for Beer Fest, Wine Fest in 2024
Two big Door County food and drink festivals are moving to the farm. In 2024, the Door County Beer Festival and Door County Wine Festival will be held at About Thyme Farm in Baileys Harbor. “We’re excited to take these great events to a new venue that will provide an incredible atmosphere to celebrate Midwestern […]
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Harvest Fest In Sturgeon Bay Sept. 16
Destination Sturgeon Bay will welcome autumn during the city’s annual Harvest Fest on Sept. 16, but festivities will begin the evening before – on Friday, Sept. 15, 5:30 pm – with a classic car parade beginning at the Door County fairgrounds. Then on Saturday, Sept. 16, the festival will take over 3rd Avenue (which will be closed […]
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Sister Bay Marina Fest Celebrates Community on Labor Day Weekend
Sister Bay’s waterfront will be full of food, games, music and smiles on Labor Day weekend. Marina Fest is now a family-friendly weekend that features the Lions Club’s boat-building event for kids, a classic and wooden boat show at the marina, numerous bands, bounce houses and food. But at its roots, the festival celebrates a […]
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Kids Can Build a Boat at Marina Fest
The Sister Bay Lions Bill Steger Memorial Boat Building tent will open to give children ages pre-school to12 years old the chance to build their own wooden motorboat or sailboat as part of the Sister Bay Marina Fest celebration. The tent will be located on the lawn near the marina at Sister Bay Waterfront Park. […]
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Listen To Some Blues On The Bay
Door County’s only blues festival, Blues on the Bay, will return – rain or shine – to Ellison Bay Community Park on Aug. 26, 1-8 pm, to host performances by national and regional blues musicians. Food and drinks will be available, or take a picnic. Admission is free, but a suggested $20 donation will go to […]
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Valmy Thresheree Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Annual event shares the history of farming and fosters an appreciation for modern agriculture The Northeastern Wisconsin Antique Power Association is toasting 40 years of the annual Valmy Thresheree, a celebration of agricultural history Aug. 18-20. From tractor pulls to pig wrestling, the thresheree’s events memorialize an old-fashioned Wisconsin farm. For association member Ralph Bochek, […]
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Registration Open For Fall Fest Derby
The Derby is back at Fall Fest! Registration is open for the 2023 Fall Festival Derby Race on Oct. 15 on Highway 42 in downtown Sister Bay. Girls and boys ages 7-13 can build (with assistance from an adult) and then race in their gravity-powered cars. The weight limit for the car, driver, helmet and […]
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Open Door Pride and Stone Harbor Resort are co-hosting an August Fun Day Pride Mixer on Aug. 20, 2-5 pm, at the resort’s outdoor pool. The mixer features a Tea Dance. Tea dances were events organized on Sunday afternoons in the gay community, originating in New York in the 1950s-60s, when being served a drink […]
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Algoma’s Crescent Beach will be inundated with kites Aug. 19, 11 am – 4 pm, for the 9th Soar on the Shore Kite and Beach Festival. This event is presented by Friends of Crescent Beach and the Algoma Area Chamber of Commerce. The Wisconsin Kiters Club will provide stunt kites, giant display kites and a […]
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Belgian Kermiss At Heritage Center
The Belgian Heritage Center (BHC) is hosting its annual Belgian Kermiss on Aug. 20, 11 am – 4 pm. A kermiss is a traditional harvest festival that is open to the whole community featuring Belgian food, beer, raffles, music and camaraderie. Antique farm implement demonstrations will illustrate life on the farm in the past, while […]
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Maritime Week celebrates the U.S. Coast Guard When Sturgeon Bay celebrates Maritime Week Aug. 4-12, it will offer fun for families, kids, boat lovers and Bloody Mary connoisseurs, but those people are not at the heart of the celebration. As one of just 30 official U.S. Coast Guard Cities, Sturgeon Bay takes special pride in […]
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Food, Festivities and Fun at the 153rd Door County Fair
Door County Fair time is coming Aug. 9 -13 to the fairgrounds in Sturgeon Bay. The fair’s many attractions include carnival games and rides, live music, fair food, and grandstand events – all for a $10, one-day ticket; or $25 for the whole five-day run. For many people, county fairs and fried food go together, […]
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Lavender Fair At The Savory Spoon
Head to the Savory Spoon Cooking School, 12042 Hwy 42 in Ellison Bay, on July 22, 10 am – 2 pm, for a pop-up lavender fair featuring the florals of Tom and Bonnie Ansley of Door County Botanicals. During this outdoor, educational event, guests can learn from the lavender farmers and purchase their bouquets, sachets […]
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Sail Through The Avenues Sidewalk Sales
Sturgeon Bay’s annual Sail through the Avenues citywide sidewalk sales will be held July 27, 10 am – 6 pm. Don’t miss out on the deals on high-quality, discounted items such as textiles, artwork, jewelry, garden and household products, and more at shops and boutiques. Booths staffed by local businesses, food vendors and other vendors […]
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Sturgeon Bay Hosts Maritime Week Aug. 1-12
A celebration of maritime heritage kicks off in Sturgeon Bay on Aug. 1. As the only official U.S. Coast Guard city in Wisconsin, Sturgeon Bay celebrates its maritime history each year with more than a week of events, ceremonies, visiting ships and fun Aug. 1-12. Throughout this period, visiting U.S. Coast Guard and training ships […]
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Booyah! Brussels Gears Up Again for Belgian Days
Brussels is celebrating its Belgian heritage during its 62nd annual Belgian Days festival this weekend, July 7-9, at the Brussels Town Park. Penny Wautier – secretary of the Brussels Lions Club, which hosts Belgian Days – said the price of admission is only $2 for the weekend. “It’s a pretty family-oriented event,” she said. “We want […]
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Celebrate all things Root Beer during the Door County Historical Society’s Root Beer Festival on July 8, 10 am – 3 pm, at Heritage Village at Big Creek, next to Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan St. in Sturgeon Bay. This fun, family-centered festival features a special presentation in the schoolhouse about the history of root […]
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Sister Bay will host its second Kite Day event July 1, 10 am – 3 pm, at the Sister Bay Sports Complex, 2155 Autumn Court. Members of the Wisconsin Kiters Club will be on hand to paint the sky with large, colorful display kites and answer questions about kiting. The first 100 kids will receive […]
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Car Show At Horseshoe Bay Farms
Horseshoe Bay Farms, 7212 Horseshoe Bay Road in Egg Harbor, is hosting its first annual classic car show on July 1, 10 am – 4 pm. There will be food, music and activities for people of all ages. Awards will be given for best in classic, muscle, antique and truck. It is $10 to register […]
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Maritime Tradition In Baileys Harbor
Baileys Harbor will celebrate its rich maritime history with the Blessing of the Fleet – a tradition dating back centuries during which a priest or pastor offers a prayer of blessing for the safety of all those who fish and for a bountiful catch. The event is set for June 25, 9 am – 2 pm, with […]