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A Berry Good Time

The Eagle River area celebrates the fall cranberry harvest the only way it knows how the first weekend in October every year – Cranberry Fest! The entire city and surrounding area goes cranberry crazy as it praises the Wisconsin state fruit with locals and tourists alike.

More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the annual festival spanning from cranberry marsh tours beginning Thursday, September 30 through a full schedule of events that run through Sunday, October 3. Food and drink sampling, arts and crafts vendors, a live auction, and so much more make this event worthy of a fall pilgrimage.

Check out the complete schedule of Cranberry Festival events. And if you need help getting to all of the festival activities, be sure to read the Cranberry Festival map. Cranberry Fest Information Headquarters located in the Vilas County Fairgrounds can assist with any needs you might have.

Eating and Drinking Cranberries

This is the main reason we all come together, right?! More than 8,000 pounds (that’s 4 TONS!!!) of cranberries will be sold during the festival. Cranberry Fest will have cranberry soup, cranberry brats, and cranberry baked goods to go with char-broiled chicken sandwiches and other tasty treats.

Raw cranberries are for the purists, but we like to bake with them, use them as a relish, garnish other foods with them, and add them to other favorite dishes. Get inspired by some of our favorite cranberry recipes.

Some of our vendors will also be whipping up some of their favorite cranberry drinks, too. The Cranberry Wine and Beer Garden is a fun stop for visitors 21 years of age and older. From cranberry juice to cranberry wines and other libations, chances are there will be a cranberry beverage made to your liking.

The Marsh Tour

We invite all of our Cranberry Fest-goers to see how cranberries are harvested by taking a marsh tour at Lake Nokomis. While cranberries aren’t grown in water, it sure is fun to see them gathered up in flooded fields. Some say it’s even more fun to see this practiced while sampling cranberry wine, which is available on the tour.

Shuttles leave from the Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center from Thursday through Sunday. Reservations are not required, but are strongly encouraged to guarantee a spot on the tour and place on the shuttle.

More Than Cranberries

While cranberries might be the main dish at Cranberry Fest, there are many side acts to check out during the weekend. There will be an arts and crafts fair, a farmer’s market, and family entertainment to provide a memorable experience for attendees.

Cranberry Fest October 2-3

Start the fall season off the right way by joining our successful harvest of cranberries in Eagle River! We’ve got the cranberries and places to stay. All we need is you to make this annual event the best one yet!

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