Battle on Bago, February 21-22
For one weekend every February anglers from all over the Midwest converge on Lake Winnebago for Battle on Bago, the largest ice fishing tournament in the country. Battle on Bago is a family-friendly event that is as much fun for young kids as it is for seasoned professionals. The winter edition of Battle on Bago awards more than $275,000 in cash and prizes and with the structure of how the prizes are awarded, anyone has a chance to go home a winner. Along with the fishing, attendees and participants can gather in the large, heated tent for great food, drinks, live music and raffle prizes.
Hops and Props, March 14
Beer tastes better in Oshkosh – especially at Hops and Props! EAA’s annual premier beer-tasting event is back and bigger than ever. Tickets include unlimited samples of some of the finest beverages in the world, access to delicious food stations, live musical entertainment that will keep you on your feet all night long and a commemorative tasting glass. Representatives from the breweries you love are on hand to answer any and all questions you have about their craft.
Hops and Props also features a beer dinner like no other. For an additional cost, you can enjoy a gourmet, five-course meal with food and beer pairings selected exclusively for VIP guests with a featured brewery. The full-service dinner includes early access to the general admission event. Tickets are extremely limited. All funds support free-of-charge community events such as Christmas in the Air and EAA Skiplane Fly-In.
Oshkosh Half Marathon, Relay, & 5k, April 26
Lace up your shoes and get ready for the Fox Valley’s most scenic marathon. Experience the serenity and beauty of the Wiouwash Trail and enjoy the trail’s softer surface, which gives your body a break from the pavement. Check out the full event schedule here. The mission is to bring fitness into the lives of all ages and abilities while raising money for local charities. To date, the Oshkosh Marathon has raised over $200,000 for the Oshkosh Boys and Girls Club, Christine Ann Center, the Oshkosh Area Humane Society and various school athletic programs.
Festival of Spring, May 16
Festival of Spring is a free, outdoor event featuring the Paine’s annual spring plant sale and more than 100 vendors of original art, fine crafts, plants and garden supplies. As a great source for a wide selection of perennials, the Paine’s spring plant sale offers thousands of tried-and-true plants as well as new and hard-to-find varieties. The festival also includes fair food and live entertainment.
Paine Members receive early admittance to the spring plant sale at 8:00 am. The general public is welcome from 9 am to 4 pm. The Paine mansion and gardens are open for free during the festival. Inside, the Paine features the exhibition Maker & Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry, and outdoors, the gardens feature 15,000 blooming tulips and spring flowers. Check out The Paine website for more information.
Country USA, June 25-27
Release your inner cowboy or cowgirl and head over to Ford Festival Park for Country USA. The three-day music and camping festival offers some of the best Country acts from yesterday and today. Situated on 280 acres, CUSA offers hundreds of campsites, numerous food and drink vendors and plenty of live music. 2020 headliners will be announced soon. Check out the rest of the lineup and get your tickets.
LifeFest, July 9-12
A party with a purpose! Lifest is one of the largest Christian music festivals in the country with more than 150 acts on 7 different stages. The family-friendly festival, located at the Sunnyview Expo Center grounds, features camping, a market place, food vendors, a kidzone and numerous other activities. Headliners for 2020 will be announced soon. Reserve your tickets or check out some of the other performers.
Waupaca Boatride Tournament, July 10-12
The Waupaca Boatride/US Open Grass Volleyball Tournament is held on the second Saturday of July each year in Oshkosh and has become one of the largest grass volleyball tournaments in the country. The tournament, which features men’s, women’s and co-ed divisions, has grown into a 4-day volleyball event, with a juniors clinic and other adult and juniors tournaments on the days before and after the main tournament. Camping, live music and plenty of food and drink vendors create an enjoyable, festival-like atmosphere. You can click here for more information about signing up, location, schedules and amenities. General admission is free.
Rock USA, July 16-18
Rock USA is three days of non-stop, world-class entertainment, featuring rock music’s biggest and hottest musicians. Located at Ford Festival Park, the festival grounds feature hundreds of campsites and numerous food and drink vendors to keep the party going all day. 2020 headliners will be announced soon. Check out the full schedule and buy tickets today.
EAA AirVenture, July 20-26
EAA AirVenture, the world’s greatest aviation celebration, is marking the 50th consecutive year of its annual fly-in convention in Oshkosh this year. The event, which was first held in Milwaukee made its way to Oshkosh in 1969 and has not left since. The 2019 air show will feature F-16 Viper and F-22 Raptor demonstration teams, heritage flights, daily air shows (including spectacular night air shows on select nights), live music, twilight flight fest, youth and young adult activities and much, much more. Keep up with the latest news and find tickets on the AirVenture website.
ARC Gus Macker, August 22-23
Lace up your sneakers and hit the court because the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball festival of family fun is coming back to Oshkosh. The 2019 tournament will once again be held at the Menominee Nation Arena parking lot, with championship games being played inside the arena on the home court of the Wisconsin Herd. Teams will receive at least three scheduled games in the double-elimination tournament and those who lose their first two games receive a bid into the illustrious “Toilet Bowl” consolation bracket. All of the tournament games are officiated by registered officials. Learn more about the Oshkosh tournament here.
