Tossing bikes at Fish Creek’s Winter Fest.
Jan. 31 – Feb. 2
Fish Creek’s longest-standing tradition is back, with Winterfest 2025 set for Jan. 31 – Feb. 2.
After starting out small on Friday night with a cosmic glow shoot at Peninsula Gun Club (6-8 pm), the festival kicks off in earnest on Saturday. That’s when the crowds will head to Clark Park and enjoy everything that makes Winterfest, Winterfest – the stumpf fiddlers, the food, the music, and of course, the oddball assortment of games.
Those games include a bike toss, toilet-seat toss, ice bowling and the wheel of meat, which attendees can spin to score sausages and bacon. Game booths and the heated main tent, where refreshments are served, both open at 10 am.
At the same time, All Things Chocolate – a bake sale and the Gibraltar Historical Association’s tastiest fundraiser – begin at the Old Gibraltar Town Hall.
More sweet treats will be on-hand for the Snowflake Cake Bake at the main tent (11 am – 1 pm). Competitors signed up to participate in the cake-decorating contest ahead of time, but anyone can admire their work and enter a raffle for a chance to take it home. This year’s theme is “winter warmup.”
Between 10 am and 12 pm on Saturday morning, participants in the town-wide Sasquatch Hunt that started Jan. 27 can bring the password to the main tent. Max, the sasquatch in question, moved around town throughout the week leading up to Winterfest, appearing with a new clue and part of a password each day.
To shuttle guests to and from the festivities, a trolley will go around town 11 am – 4 pm, making stops at Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery, Clark Park, Julie’s Park Cafe, Top of the Hill Shops and the town parking lot behind the community center at 4097 Main St.
For those in need of a break from the competition – and some cool new ink – Castle Art will offer free henna tattoos starting at 11 am. Back at Clark Park at 12:30 pm, the Gibraltar Fire Department will present an ice-rescue demonstration.
The afternoon brings more games – a cherry pit spit contest at Lautenbach’s at 1 pm, then the famous stumpf fiddle contest in the main tent at 2 pm. Two divisions of fiddlers – beginner and pro – will compete for the most applause from the audience, which determines the winner. More music will follow, with local psychedelic rockers Bacchus Lotus taking the stage 3-6 pm.
As night settles, Peninsula State Park will light it up with a candlelit ski/hike, 5-8 pm. The evening comes to a close with a fireworks show over the ice (6 pm) and live music by another local band, Ketchup, at Hill Street (9:30 pm).
But the Winterfest festivities (Winterfestivities?) aren’t over yet. On Sunday, Feb. 2 at 10:30 am, the Fruit Loop Fun Run will tear through downtown Fish Creek. The half-mile course is one of Door County’s least serious races; costumes are encouraged, and prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed runner.
Those who don’t get dolled up will still be rewarded with a bowl of Fruit Loops upon returning to the main tent. More refreshments will be served at Bayside Tavern, where racers are invited to celebrate with bloody Marys.
To register for the fun run or the stumpf fiddle contest, visit visitfishcreek.com/event/winterfest.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
All addresses listed are in Fish Creek
Friday, Jan. 31
6-8 pm. Cosmic glow shoot at Peninsula Gun Club, 3702 Juddville Road.
Saturday, Feb. 1
10 am – 6 pm. Main tent open at Clark Park, located at the corner of Maple St. and Spruce St.
10 am – 3 pm. Game booths open at Clark Park.
10 am – 3 pm. All Things Chocolate at the Old Gibraltar Town Hall, 4176 Maple St.
11 am – 4 pm. Trolley rides throughout the town.
11 am – 4 pm. Free henna tattoos at Castle Art, Unit A5 of Top of the Hill Shops, 9331 Spring Road.
11 am – 1 pm. Snowflake Cake Bake at the main tent.
12:30 pm. Ice rescue demonstration.
1 pm. Cherry pit spit contest at Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery and Market, 9197 state Highway 42.
2 pm: Stumpf-fiddle contest in the main tent.
3-6 pm: Live music by Bacchus Lotus in the main tent.
6 pm: Fireworks over the ice.
5-8 pm. Candlelit ski/hike at Peninsula State Park.
9:30 pm. Live music by Ketchup at Hill Street, 4149 state Highway 42.
Sunday, Feb. 210:30 am. Fruit Loop Run through downtown Fish Creek. Post-race party with bloody Marys at Bayside Tavern, 4160 Main St.
All Things Chocolate
Feb. 1, 10 am – 3 pm, Old Gibraltar Town Hall, 4176 Maple St.
All Things Chocolate puts the “fun” in “fundraiser.” Organized by the Gibraltar Historical Association, the yearly event on the Saturday of Winterfest transforms the Old Gibraltar Town Hall into a chocolate-lover’s paradise.
Attendees can choose from an array of chocolate treats, cakes, cheesecakes, truffles, cookies and brownies, and know that their money is supporting the preservation of local history.
This year, the Gibraltar Historical Association’s Alexander Noble House celebrates its 150th anniversary, and the organization has plans to commemorate the occasion. For updates and more information, follow facebook.com/gibraltarhistoricalassociation.
