May 24–26, 2013: Music Fest
New Glarus is the place to be for family fun, music and more this Memorial Day weekend! The fun begins on Saturday with a 5k run/walk, co-ed volleyball and a great day of music! Come back on Sunday for a kickball tournament, a 4H petting zoo and more great music starting at 11:30 am. Enjoy a variety of local musical talent on Monday and a "Furniture With Flair" auction in the park. Great food, beverages, games, face painting, music and more all weekend. Don’t miss a minute!
For a 2013 Music Fest band lineup, visit ngmusicfest.com
Running of the Swiss Kids' Run
Saturday May 25
Registration 8:00am
June 14–16, 2013: New Glarus Polka Fest and Beer, Bacon & Cheese Festival
Polkafest pays tribute to the late Roger Bright, local musician and bandleader who was well loved in the polka world. The event includes a variety of polka music, from regional polka to Bavarian style. On Saturday, June 15, the BBC Festival presents beer, bacon, sausage and cheeses that are made in Green County and the surrounding area. Booths will be set up around town featuring local products for sampling. You'll find lots of good music, food, beverages.
Saturday June 15th
10:00am - 11:00am Polka Lessons under the tent
12:00pm - 3:30pm: David Austin Band
3:30pm - 5:30pm: The Squeezetts
5:30pm - 7:30pm: Steve Meisner Band
7:30pm - 9:15pm: The Squeezetts
9:15pm - 11:00pm: Steve Meisner Band
Saturday Afternoon at Puempel's Olde Tavern
Polka music featuring Grant Kozera
Saturday Evening at the New Glarus Hotel
7:30pm - 10:30pm Zweifel Brothers Band
Sunday June 16th
12:00pm - 4:00pm Brian and the Mississippi valley Dutchmen
June 15, 2013: Beer, Bacon & Cheese!
1 – 5 PM | $30 | 30+ Vendors | Downtown New Glarus
Attention foodies and anyone else with a love for some of the greatest flavors known to man! Beer, Bacon & Cheese Fest (BBC) is back by popular demand. One $30 wristband entitles you to an afternoon of sampling some of the region’s most unforgettable flavors — craft beer, specialty meat and artisan cheese — while you wander the charming streets of historic New Glarus.
Make it a BBC and New Glarus Polka Fest weekend. There’s always lots to do in "America's Little Switzerland," but as an extra bonus, it also happens to be the New Glarus Polka Fest Weekend in our Swiss village. So stick around to hear some polka talent that will blow your mind and hopefully inspire you to kick up your heels at our “So You Think You Can Polka?” contest. Come and enjoy the BBC yum and all the polka fun!
June 28, 2013: Lions BBQ Village Park
June 28–30, 2013: Heidi Festival/Taste of New Glarus
Join us for our annual Heidi Festival and Taste of New Glarus! The last full weekend in June. Heidi Festival weekend is filled with great food, entertainment, music, and fun for the whole family. The Heidi events are complemented by the Taste of New Glarus. Downtown streets will be lined with food stands and colorful sidewalk sale displays.
Taste of New Glarus Saturday Only!
Taste of New Glarus is your opportunity to sample locally produced foods and beverages. Downtown merchants will feature special bargains for shoppers.
Craft Fair in the Village Park Saturday & Sunday
Heidi Festival Craft Sale Application
Heid Festival/New Glarus Mini Business Expo Application
Special Offer for Heidi Craft Fair Venders
Heidi Play
The weekend highlight is the presentation of Johanna Spyri's classic play, Heidi. It's the heartwarming story of the young girl with braids, Heidi, her gruff grandfather, and their love of the majestic Alps of Switzerland. Four performances are staged by local actors in a warm presentation that includes live goats and kittens on stage! Spend a weekend enjoying New Glarus. Come experience the ethnic spirit and the European flavor that residents have nurtured—and have loved to share—for over 150 years.
Heidi Play Tickets
12/over: $8.00
11/under: $6.00
Four performances are held in the air-conditioned New Glarus High School.
Friday, June 28: 7:30pm
Saturday, June 29: 1:30pm
Sunday, June 30: 1:30pm
Heidi Festival
PO BOX 861
New Glarus, WI 53574
August 3, 2013: Fire Department 111th Anniversary—Firefest
10:30–3:00 (All Activities Are FREE!)
- Firetruck Rides
- Fire Safety House
- Spray House
- Kids' Water Fights
- Inflatable Ride
- NGFD Merchandise Available Throughout The Day
- 50/50 Half Cash Raffles Throughout The Day
- Free Musical Entertainment
3:00–7:00 Live Music (Free)
4:00–7:00 Steak Fry (Hoesly's Best-Aged Beef)
8:00–Midnight Music By Cherry Pie
Noon–Midnight Concession Stands Open
- Hoesly's Meats, Bratwurst, Hotdogs and Other Delectable Sandwiches
- Beverage Stand Open All Day to Quench Any Thirst
August 2–4, 2013: Maxwell Street Days
A weekend for the bargain hunter in your family. Don't miss the sidewalk sales.
August 4, 2013: Swiss Volksfest (Swiss Independence Day)
We celebrate Swiss Independence Day with a program of traditional Swiss entertainment. The celebration is held at the Tell Shooting Park, 1/2 mile north of New Glarus on County Hwy O. The entertainment includes choral folklore music, yodeling, flag throwing, thalerschwingen, alphorn playing, and accordion music. The Volksfest program runs from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, followed by dancing from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. A modest admission fee is charged at the door.
August 4, 2013: Alphorn Man Sprint Triathlon
August 24, 2013: Second Annual New Glarus Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show
The perfect New Glarus outfitting for families and car enthusiasts! From street rods to hogs, you won't want to miss this fun day!
Downtown New Glarus
10:00–5:00
Call the Chamber for more information:
608-527-2095
800-527-6838
August 30–September 1, 2013: Wilhelm Tell Festival
Come and enjoy this unique ethnic presentation! Share with your family the story of Swiss independence, written by German playwright Friedrich Schiller. It's a live theater presentation with intricate costumes and a lively cast that includes goats, cows and horses. More than 200 local volunteers join to make each colorful performance come to life. Performances are staged in a beautiful outdoor setting, just a short distance from downtown New Glarus.
For a schedule of Wilhelm Tell Performance Times, Tickets and Festival Events, visit wilhelmtell.org
Wilhelm Tell Drama at the Tell Grounds on Hwy W, east of New Glarus
Saturday: 2:00pm Wilhelm Tell Pageant (English)
Sunday: 11:00am Wilhelm Tell Pageant (English) & 2:00pm Wilhelm Tell Pageant (German) Special Finale presentation of the German performance.
Wilhelm Tell Ticket Information
Advanced sale reserved seats all ages: $10.00
Day of the Performance (General Admission only) Adults: $10.00, Students (K-12): $5.00
Tent Camping: Tell Grounds Saturday, 5:00pm until Sunday 10:00am. No pets, please. $15/person camping fee is charged to cover costs. Family rates are available. To reserve a campsite, please send a check or money order to: Wilhelm Tell Community Guild, Box 456, New Glarus, WI 53574. Free parking and shuttle service are provided for your convenience at the Tell Grounds. No pets, please.
To order tickets for Tell Drama or to reserve a campsite, please send a check or money order to: Wilhelm Tell Community Guild, Box 456, New Glarus, WI 53574. Please specify the performance day, and the performance for which you wish to have tickets. Free parking and shuttle service are provided for your convenience at the Tell Grounds. No pets, please.
For a daily schedule of Wilhelm Tell Festival events, visit wilhelmtell.org
Tell Festival Opening Ceremony & Memorial Send-Off: Friday 6:30pm. Wilhelm Tell Shooting Park Schutzenhaus. CTH O, north edge of New Glarus
Children's Laternenzug (Lantern Parade): Friday 8:00 pm. Parade starts at the Wilhelm Tell Shooting Park and travels to downtown New Glarus. Parade is followed by a Kinderchor Concert.
Parade: Saturday 10:30am. Downtown New Glarus
Ethnic Fashion Show: Saturday 6:30pm at Fest Tent downtown New Glarus
Yodel Concert: Saturday 7:45pm at Fest Tent downtown New Glarus
Interfaith Worship: Sunday 9:15am at the Ruetli
Book Sale (Friends of the New Glarus Library): Sunday 9:00am to 5:00pm, New Glarus Village Hall
Outdoor Art Fair: 76th Annual Wilhelm Tell Festival Art in the Park. Sunday 9:00am to 4:00pm. Village Park.
Yodel Showcase: Sunday 7:00pm at Fest Tent in downtown New Glarus. Street Dance to follow.
Interested in participating in the 2012 Wilhelm Tell Festival Art in the Park? Download an application for details: Wilhelm Tell Festival Art in the Park Application
September 7, 2013: Schuetzen Fest
Schuetzen Fest is back! The traditional Swiss Schuetzen Fest is revived this year with small-bore (.22) shooting competition open to the public. The event begins at 7:30am on Saturday, September 10 at the Wilhelm Tell grounds. A picnic and prize ceremony will follow the competition at the Wilhelm Tell Shooting Park Barn. Three position shooting—standing, kneeling, and prone—will be the main event with trophies and prizes. Men, women and children are encouraged to compete. Both individual and team scores will be used so recruit your team and start practicing!
September 28, 2013: Kilby Supper
Our Kilby Supper, held at the Swiss United Church, offers visitors a taste of community life. The church Kilby Supper has roots in the traditional Swiss celebration of Kirchweihe. This church gathering, an annual event in Switzerland, presents a special meal to welcome church members back from their summer of farming in the high mountain meadows of the Alps.
September 27–29, 2013: Oktoberfest
Free Admission to the festival tent all weekend! Oktoberfest presents many activities and events in downtown New Glarus featuring live music, great food, big cheese fondue pot, wagon rides, chainsaw carving, plus plenty of family fun. Live music in festival tent all weekend!
Friday, September 27:
- TBA 3pm – 5pm
- Music by Pink Houses 8pm – midnight
- Tap of Wooden Keg – 9pm
Saturday, September 28
- 5K Run/Walk – 8am
- Music noon – 3pm
- Chainsaw Wood Carving noon – 4pm
- Music by 4pm – 7pm
- Music by Boogie and the Yo Yo'z 8pm – midnight
Sunday, September 29
- Antique Tractor Pull – 11am
- Music noon – 1pm
- Music 1pm – 5pm
- Big Cheese Fondue Pot serving free fondue starting at 2pm until it's gone
October 13, 2013: Harvest Fest at the Swiss Historical Village Museum
The Swiss Historical Village will present a live cheese making demonstration Sunday, October 13, beginning at 10 am in the Historical Village cheese factory. Cheese masters from around Wisconsin will make Swiss and other favorites in the antique copper cheese vats using production methods dating to the 1800s. For details of these events, call New Glarus Visitor Information at (800) 527-6838 or (608) 527-2095.
December 7, 2013: St. Nicholas Day
8:00am to 1:00pm: Christmas Cookie Walk held at the Swiss Church. Includes bratzeli, cookies, and candy. These delicious treats go fast, so shop early.
December 7, 2013: Lunch with Santa
Lunch with Santa held in the New Glarus High School commons area. Lunch, kids' crafts, and a visit with Santa. 11:30am to 1:30pm
