I’ll be honest, when I first moved to Wisconsin I thought there would be nothing here, or at least nothing I was used to. Coming from Denton, TX, I was used to a bustling metropolitan center with a variety of things to do at any given time. I didn’t think I would find that here, but I was wrong. Not only does Wisconsin, and Oshkosh in particular, host a lot of events year-round, but they are some of the most fun things I’ve ever experienced.
Let’s start first with the one that’s the most unique: EAA Airventure. For those of you who don’t know EAA is the Experimental Aircraft Association, and Airventure is their yearly gathering. It brings an average of 500,000 people and 10,000 planes into Oshkosh from all over the world. The best comparison I can think of is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally that occurs in South Dakota every year. In many ways it’s the same sort of thing. It’s considered a rite of passage to bring your plane into Oshkosh much the same as it is to bring your bike into Sturgis after days on the road. The event, while great, can be a nightmare for local retail workers, as I can attest. That’s a small price to pay, however, for the chance to see more airplanes in one day than I’ve seen in the rest of my life put together.
Onto the more traditional types of festivals, Oshkosh hosts two large concert series throughout the year: Rock USA and Country USA. Both of these are genre variations on the same basic premise: 3-4 day festivals featuring a variety of artists from that festivals genre of choice. Both events bring in over 150,000 people to the Oshkosh area, where they regularly camp out for the duration of the events. Again, these events put a strain on local retail workers but generally the events are fun all around, when it doesn’t rain.
Now, without being too biased, let me state that this last festival is easily my favorite of the events offered by Oshkosh: Irish Fest. An event put on yearly towards the end of May to celebrate Irish heritage and culture, Irish Fest is typically held over four days and features a variety of events, displays, and cultural highlights. It’s a great opportunity to grab a Guinness (be wary of long lines) and check out the offerings of the festival. This year, as in years past, Gaelic Storm will be the headliner for the Friday and Saturday portions of the event. I’ve attended Irish Fest the past two years, and trust me, you don’t want to miss Gaelic Storm’s show, even if you’ve never heard their music.
These are the big events that go on in Oshkosh every year, but I’m sure there a lot of little ones that I don’t even know about. Are their any festivals/events that happen in your area that people look forward to all year? What about events unique to your area, any of those?
The World Around Us 