15 Things to Eat, Drink and Do at Cedarburg’s Strawberry Festival

Summer in southeast Wisconsin officially kicks off when historic downtown Cedarburg goes berry-crazy for two days each June. The Cedarburg Strawberry Festival returns June 27–28, 2026, drawing close to 100,000 people to a walkable downtown of barely 12,000 residents—all for the price of free admission. It sits just 25 minutes north of Milwaukee, which makes it an easy day trip from anywhere in the metro, whether you're coming from the North Shore, Waukesha, or up from Racine and Kenosha.

With more than 250 vendors, multiple music stages, and strawberry-everything packed along Washington Avenue, it's easy to wander aimlessly and miss the good stuff. So here's your game plan—the 15 things you genuinely shouldn't leave Cedarburg without trying, sipping, or doing.

(Want the full rundown on parking, hours, and history first? Start with our complete Cedarburg Strawberry Festival guide.)

1. Bite into the "Original" Strawberry Brat

This is the one item the whole festival is secretly built around. The "Original" Strawberry Brat is made exclusively for this event and sold at the festival food booth run by the Cedarburg High School robotics team, so your sweet-savory snack also funds a great local cause. Wisconsin took a brat, added strawberry, and somehow made it work. Trust the process.

2. Order the classic strawberry shortcake

If you do nothing else, do this. The strawberry shortcake is the festival's signature treat, sold at booths all over town, piled with fresh berries and whipped cream. It's the photo, the tradition, and the reason half the crowd showed up. Grab one early before the lines build.

3. Sip Cedar Creek Winery's Strawberry Blush

Cedarburg's own Cedar Creek Winery pours its award-winning Strawberry Blush by the glass on the festival grounds—and sells it by the bottle at the winery if you want to take the weekend home with you. It's light, sweet, and exactly the kind of thing you sip while people-watching on a sunny patio.

4. All-you-can-eat strawberry pancake breakfast

Set your alarm. On Sunday morning from 8 to 11 a.m., the merchants of Cedar Creek Settlement serve an all-you-can-eat strawberry pancake breakfast with live music playing outdoors along the creek. It's one of the most charming traditions of the whole weekend and the best way to beat the afternoon crowds.

5. Try strawberry crepes at Cedar Creek Settlement

Thin, warm, and folded over fresh berries, the strawberry crepes are a fan favorite tucked into the Cedar Creek Settlement area. They're a little more sit-down-and-savor than the grab-and-go shortcake, and well worth the detour off the main avenue.

6. Grab chocolate-covered strawberries

Sometimes the simplest version wins. Plump, fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate show up at vendors across the festival, and they're the perfect thing to share while you stroll—or not share, no judgment. Still hunting dessert after you leave? Greater Milwaukee takes its sweets seriously—see our ranking of the best frozen custard in the Milwaukee area.

7. Cool off with a strawberry slushie

When the June sun is doing its thing on Washington Avenue, a bright red strawberry slushie is the move. It's the kid-pleaser of the festival, but adults reach for them just as often. Easy, cheap, and instantly refreshing.

8. Hunt down the strawberry schaum torte

Here's the deep cut for true Wisconsinites. Schaum torte—a crisp, marshmallowy meringue dessert—gets the strawberry treatment here, and it's a regional specialty you won't find at most summer festivals. If you've never had one, this is your sign.

9. Take home fresh berries by the quart

Local growers sell freshly picked strawberries by the quart at the festival's official strawberry booths, so you can keep the celebration going at home. Stash a quart in a cooler in the car and you've got shortcake, smoothies, or jam for the week ahead. Want fresh berries all summer long? Our guide to Milwaukee-area farmers markets maps out where to find them, including the nearby Mequon farmers markets—home turf for several of the region's berry growers.

10. Settle into a craft beer garden

Strawberries aren't the only local product on tap. Look for the Foxtown Brewing beer garden, the Fermentorium's strawberry shandy and specialty beers, and Lakefront Brewery pours around the grounds. It's a genuinely strong showing of southeast Wisconsin breweries in one walkable stretch.

11. Browse Art on the Avenue

The festival doubles as one of the region's best outdoor art fairs. Art on the Avenue lines Washington Avenue with hundreds of artists from Wisconsin and beyond, spread across the Cedarburg Cultural Center Fine Art Fair, the Cedar Creek Settlement Arts Fair, and the Ozaukee Art Center showcase. This is where you find the handmade pottery, photography, and jewelry you'll actually keep.

12. Watch the Plein Air painting competition

One of the festival's coolest live spectacles: artists set up around the historic district and paint the scene in real time during the Plein Air competition, with both adult and youth divisions. The finished, juried pieces are available to buy during the festival—so you can watch a painting come to life and walk away owning it.

13. Let the kids loose at Cedar Creek Park

The dedicated Family Area at Cedar Creek Park is where parents catch their breath. Kids' activities, games, and family-oriented vendors keep little ones happily occupied for hours, and the whole downtown is stroller-friendly. It's a big reason this festival earns its family-favorite reputation across the Milwaukee area.

14. Catch (or enter) a strawberry contest

Lean into the silliness. The festival has hosted crowd favorites like the strawberry shortcake eating contest and the strawberry bubble gum blowing contest over the years—pure, ridiculous summer fun whether you compete or just cheer from the sidelines. Check the daily schedule when you arrive so you don't miss the action.

15. Wander historic downtown Cedarburg

Don't treat the festival as the whole story. Cedarburg's downtown sits on the National Register of Historic Places, with stone buildings, independent shops, galleries, and great restaurants and pubs that stay open all weekend. Cedarburg sits in Ozaukee County, which quietly punches above its weight on food—if you've got an appetite beyond strawberries, our ranking of the best burgers in Ozaukee County is a good place to start. Live music spills out of multiple stages, so the wandering between bites is half the fun. Save time to explore Cedar Creek Settlement, too. And if the live music hooks you, Cedarburg is just the start—our roundup of free outdoor live music across greater Milwaukee runs all summer.

Know before you go

The 2026 Cedarburg Strawberry Festival runs Saturday, June 27 (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) and Sunday, June 28 (10 a.m.–5 p.m.) along Washington Avenue in downtown Cedarburg, about 25 minutes north of Milwaukee. Admission is free. Arrive early for the best parking and the shortest shortcake lines, bring cash for the food and art booths, and pack sunscreen and a stroller if you've got little ones. For the latest schedules and parking details, check cedarburgfestivals.org before you head out.

Looking to fill the rest of your warm-weather calendar? Our complete guide to Milwaukee summer festivals in 2026 has you covered all season—and if you fall for Cedarburg, the Cedarburg Winter Carnival is reason enough to come back when the snow flies.

See you in the 'burg—shortcake in hand.