Strawberry Fest to return to Main Street

WAUPACA – After a brief hiatus from downtown it is looking like the iconic Strawberry Fest will finally be returning to its original home, Main Street in Waupaca.
At the March 3 city council meeting, a preliminary vote took place to allow street closures for the 2026 Strawberry Fest set to take place on June 20.
Plans to close the streets have not been formally voted on or confirmed but, Jeff Anderson, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau, said he is looking forward to returning the Waupaca festival to Main Street.
The festival moved to Trinity Lutheran church during the Main Street construction in 2021. Anderson said he is often asked why the festival has not returned to downtown, being the construction is finished and the downtown area has grown.
Anderson said this year he is working to relocate the festival back to the downtown area.

“The reason for that is as a chamber our goal is to showcase our community and in particular … we have a beautiful downtown,” he said. “[Downtown] has been heavily invested in by the community that we want to show off. We want to support local business and create any opportunities we can to provide awareness and recognition in business for those downtown businesses.”
Anderson said one of the goals of Strawberry Fest is will be to work closely with local organizations, finding a way for them to benefit from the festival as well.
One example is that of Trinity Lutheran Church which have agreed to be the strawberry shortcake vendor for the afternoon.
Anderson said the event will look similar to Halloween on Main, as they are looking for similar street closings as well as using side streets off of Main Street for more vendors and food trucks and tents.
The event will also seek to line up the vendors back to back down the center line of Main Street so as to leave a clear path for the entrances of businesses located on Main Street.
The closures will be for Saturday only, with the exception of the Waupaca Public Library and City Hall parking lot, 111 South Main Street, being closed for Friday and Saturday for a carnival.
The Farmer’s Market vendors will be invited to join in the festival, pulling in another important aspect of the downtown area.
The plans for closures have not been confirmed, as Anderson said he will continue to talk to downtown businesses to make a formal plan for the event, working to figure out what the best layout for the day will be.
Anderson said he hopes to have the final plans ready by mid-April so the city council can vote on the exact road closures needed for the event.