Events
Visit Beaver Dam Year Round For A Variety of Events & Festivals
Beaver Dam is proud to host a variety of fun events and festivities year-round, from seasonal festivals like the Wisconsin Arts & Peony Festival, Fall Downtown Fest, Holiday Parade & Rotary Park Light Show to unique Beaver Dam events like the Taste of Wisconsin Beer & Cheese Festival, Best Dam Fest, and Pepper Fest. We also organize adult-only events including our Boozy Brunch Walk and Wine Tour.
Visit us for fresh produce every Tuesday and Saturday at our Farmer’s Market, spend the day birding, hiking the nature trails, or paddling at the Horicon Marsh (just minutes away), or add an exciting waterski show to your visit. Visit our Arts & Culture page to learn more about our community theatre performances, orchestra and community band concerts, murals and mosaics, and more!
If listening to live music and the nightlife scene is more your speed, you’ll be delighted to see that we offer many indoor and outdoor live music events. Visit our Live Music page – you’ll find many concerts and music performances hosted at a variety of different indoor and outdoor venues, parks, restaurants, and bars. Many of them are free!
We invite you to join us for any of our family-friendly and adult-only events. We love visitors!
Farmers Market
The Beaver Dam Farmers’ Market exists to provide an open-air, outdoor market in downtown Beaver Dam for consumers to purchase a variety of fresh food and produce and locally crafted products directly from farmers, producers, crafters, and artisans.
How about some fresh veggies or yummy baked goods? Shopping for farm-fresh meats or farm-fresh eggs? Our crafts producers specialize in unique gifts for your home or garden, and our plant growers always have seasonal offerings from cut bouquets to nursery stock.
2023 Season Begins May through October
Saturdays: 8 AM – Noon
Tuesdays: 4 pm – 7 PM
Horicon Marsh
Horicon Marsh is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States and only minutes away from Beaver Dam. It is home to two Visitor Centers, the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and Marsh Haven Nature Center.
The Friends of the Horicon Marsh works collaboratively with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), providing educational programming throughout the year and an Education & Visitor Center which is equipped with rentals to better enjoy the marsh as well as the Explorium, a narrated, interactive exhibit that takes visitors on a journey through time. View their Calendar of Events for 2023 here!
Beaverland Must-Skis
The Beaverland Must-Skis were founded in 1994 by a small group of people that were interested in starting a show ski team on Beaver Dam Lake. It all started with just 10 people, but membership slowly grew to 42 members by the end of the 1995 season. During the winter they practice indoors at the YMCA where they learn how to climb pyramids in the pool. During the summer they perform exhibitions at Tahoe Park and practice across the bay at a personal residence.
Today they have about 90-100 members and typically perform 14 free shows a year at Tahoe Park in Beaver Dam. In addition, they sponsor a learn-to ski clinic during Best Dam Fest, with the team donating their time, boats, gas and equipment to assist young skiers to learn or advance in the sport.
Beaver Dam Corn Roast
Welcome to Beaver Dam Corn Roast, with all you care to eat & drink corn, brats, beer, and soda! You’ll have ears of fun at this family-friendly event with activities for all ages: Live music, corn hole, volleyball, bowling, and more! Save the date for this corny event – Wednesday, August 30th!
Beaver Dam Pepper Festival
The Beaver Dam Pepper Festival on Saturday, September 9th celebrates the hungarian immigrant who, back in 1912, decided to bring a small piece of what reminded him of his home to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin – his favorite sweet and hot pepper seeds! At the festival you will find apple pepper pancakes, apple pepper pies, pepper beer, and-of course-the original Beaver Dam Pepper brat.
Live entertainment, a chili cook-off, the longest pepper contest, pancake breakfast served all day, pies by the slice, entertainment from Mr. Steve, and more await you!
Beaver Dam Wine Tour
The Beaver Dam Wine Tour on Friday, September 15th is an evening event that encourages attendees to choose their own path as they enjoy the downtown area while tasting a variety of wines from Wisconsin.
Explore the shops and businesses in Downtown Beaver Dam while walking between 12 “Sip Stops”. Registration includes a commemorative wine glass, wristband, wine samples, raffle ticket, and specials at a variety of the 12 “Sip Stops”.
Beaver Dam Fall Downtown Fest
Join us for a spooktacular all-day event on Saturday, October 28th that embraces everything we love about fall. Highlights include a bewitching Dead of the Night and Casket and Witch Parades, Witches Dance Fly-in, Thriller Dance, Halloween Bash with live music at Stormy’s Music Venue and Monster Bar Crawl.
Participate in our costume contest, scavenger hunt, fortune telling, psychic readings, arts and crafts, trick or treating and so much more!
Beaver Dam Holiday Events & Parade
Come to Beaver Dam for the holidays! We have several family-friendly events to celebrate with a Holiday Parade, Cocoa Walk, local shopping, and so much more!
Wisconsin Arts & Peony Festival | June 7th - 9th, 2024
Enjoy the sights and smells of Wisconsin’s largest stem cut peony farm with Floral And Art Workshops, a “Picnic in the Peonies,” and Live Music at the Ovan’s Peony Farm.
After (or before!) your farm visit, be sure to stop at the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, which will be featuring an Quilt Art Deco Challenge Exhibit sponsored by PBS and Nancy Zieman Productions at the Dodge County Center for the Arts.
Wind your way through our unique and delightful retail shops, numerous arts organizations and businesses, and have brunch at participating restaurants and bars downtown – stop at the Chamber of Commerce and pick up a Brunch & Blossoms Downtown Stroll map. Peruse the many different art vendors at our Art Market!
Listen to Live Music, grab a bite to eat at one of our many Food Trucks, and sign up for an Art and/or Sewing workshop! Plan a day or spend the weekend with us! You don’t want to miss out on this event!
Taste of Wisconsin Beer & Cheese Festival
The Original Taste of Wisconsin™ is always held the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend from Noon-4 pm downtown Beaver Dam.
This ever-popular Beer & Cheese tasting event is a favorite tradition of the locals, while also bringing in visitors from all around the state! You’re likely to find your new favorite Wisconsin cold brew and pair it with your newfound favorite Wisconsin cheese. It’s a Cheesehead paradise!
Two hundred feet of tent prevent exposure to weather extremes. Enjoy live music, games, raffles, and four hours of sampling Wisconsin Beer & Cheese!
Best Dam Fest
This family-friendly event features fantastic food and entertainment activities for people of all ages on Saturday, July 13th! Featured events are midway, carnival rides, pontoon rides, walleye tournament, Beaverland Must-skis Waterski Show, and fireworks!
Women's Affiliate Day in the Park Craft Fair
Support the Women’s Affiliate of Beaver Dam by attending the Day in the Park Craft Fair on Sunday, July 7th! Over 150 crafters from across the country gather to display their beautiful talents to our community.
