La Crosse punches well above its weight for events. A city of 52,000 that hosts one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the United States, a summer riverfront festival that draws tens of thousands, a professional symphony orchestra season, and a holiday light display that's among the most beloved in the Midwest — this is not the event calendar of a typical small city.
Thirty minutes south of Camp Everyday Winona on Highway 61, La Crosse is one of the best day-trip options from camp — and timing your stay around a La Crosse event elevates a camping trip from great to exceptional. Here's what's happening in 2026.
Spring Events
The La Crosse International Film Festival takes place in April and is one of the more unexpected cultural offerings in the region — a curated selection of independent and international films screened over several days, with filmmaker Q&As and programming that draws film enthusiasts from well beyond the La Crosse metro area. For a small city to sustain a film festival of this quality speaks to the cultural ambition of the community.
The Dogfish Dash trail run in spring brings runners to the bluffs above La Crosse for a serious trail race on terrain that's among the best in the Midwest for the discipline. The bluff course rewards both the effort and the views, and the event has built a loyal regional following.
Gallery openings and spring arts programming at the Pump House Regional Arts Center and UW-La Crosse venues fill the calendar through April and May as the city shakes off winter and the outdoor season opens.
Riverfest (Late June/Early July)
Riverfest is La Crosse's major Fourth of July celebration and one of the biggest outdoor events in the region. Held at Riverside Park on the Mississippi riverfront over several days bracketing the Fourth of July, Riverfest features:
- Live music across multiple stages throughout the festival days
- Fireworks over the Mississippi River — one of the best fireworks settings imaginable, with the river as a mirror and the bluffs as a backdrop
- Carnival rides and midway
- Food vendors
- Family programming
- A genuinely electric riverfront atmosphere
The event draws large crowds from across the region, and it's the kind of celebration that makes you feel good about being somewhere. If your Camp Everyday stay overlaps with Riverfest, make the 30-minute drive south for at least one evening. The fireworks alone are worth it.
Note: Riverfest weekend fills Camp Everyday fast. Book well in advance if this is your target.
Summer Events
The summer calendar in La Crosse is dense. Key highlights:
Taste of La Crosse: A downtown food festival that brings the city's restaurant community together for samplings, chef events, and a celebration of the local food scene. Good introduction to what the Pearl Street restaurant culture has to offer.
Pearl Street Music Series: Throughout the summer, outdoor concerts and live music events along La Crosse's main commercial street create an almost continuous thread of live music as a backdrop to the city's warm-season life.
La Crosse Symphony Orchestra Summer Series: The LSO's summer programming brings classical and pops concerts to outdoor and indoor venues throughout the season. For a city of its size, the quality of the orchestra is genuinely exceptional.
Oktoberfest USA (Late September/Early October)
This is the big one. Oktoberfest USA in La Crosse is one of the largest and most authentic Oktoberfest celebrations in the United States — a tradition that has run continuously since 1961 and now draws over 100,000 visitors across its multi-day celebration.
What makes La Crosse's Oktoberfest different from the ersatz beer festivals that have borrowed the name in other cities:
- The Festmaster ceremony and parade reflect genuine German-American cultural tradition
- The Torchlight Parade on Friday night is a spectacular riverside procession
- Traditional German food — bratwurst, schnitzel, pretzels, strudel — from vendors who take the cooking seriously
- German and domestic beer in the traditional festival format
- The Maple Leaf Parade closes out the Oktoberfest celebration
- A community that has organized and celebrated this event for over six decades and knows exactly how to do it
Oktoberfest typically runs the last weekend of September into early October. Exact 2026 dates will be announced on the Oktoberfest USA website — check and plan early.
If you want to attend Oktoberfest and stay at Camp Everyday, book your site months in advance. Oktoberfest weekends are among the most sought-after in the fall calendar, and the campground fills quickly for the best La Crosse events.
Fall Events
The fall calendar in La Crosse extends the outdoor season well into November:
Maple Leaf Parade: La Crosse's signature fall parade closes out the Oktoberfest celebration and is one of the largest parades in Wisconsin by spectator count. A genuine community event with floats, marching bands, and the particular energy of a fall celebration in a city that knows how to throw one.
Halloween programming: The city has a strong Halloween tradition, and community events, downtown trick-or-treating, and themed events at local venues keep the last week of October festive.
Fall foliage drives: The Highway 61 corridor between La Crosse and Winona is one of the best fall color routes in the Midwest during peak foliage — typically late September to mid-October. Driving it in either direction during peak color is something people come back for repeatedly.
Rotary Lights (November–January)
La Crosse's Rotary Lights is one of the most beloved holiday traditions in the upper Midwest. Riverside Park is transformed beginning in November into a massive walk-through holiday light display — over a million lights across the park grounds, with themed areas, animated displays, and the Mississippi River as a backdrop.
The display runs through January 1, and the atmosphere on a cold clear night with the lights reflecting on fresh snow is the kind of thing that people talk about for years. It's also free to walk through, which makes it accessible and explains why it draws visitors from several states.
If your camping extends into the late season or you're planning an off-season visit to the area, Rotary Lights is worth building a trip around. La Crosse is 30 minutes from camp in any weather.
Getting to La Crosse from Camp
Highway 61 south from Camp Everyday follows the Mississippi River the entire 26 miles to La Crosse. It's a scenic drive in any season — in fall foliage peak, it's one of the best drives in the Midwest. In summer, the river views and bluff terrain make the 30 minutes feel shorter than they are.
La Crosse is manageable as an evening excursion or a full-day trip depending on what you're attending. For major events like Oktoberfest and Riverfest, go for a full day. For a Shakespeare-equivalent evening or a concert, the 30-minute return drive is entirely reasonable.
Book Camp Early for Event Weekends
Oktoberfest and Riverfest weekends book months in advance at Camp Everyday. If you're planning your trip around a La Crosse event, start with the event dates and book camp immediately after. The window between "just announced" and "sold out" for peak weekends is shorter than most people expect.
Plan Your Stay
Ready to experience the bluffs for yourself? Book your site at Camp Everyday Winona.
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