Winona, Minnesota, is such a vibrant city—so it is no surprise we have a variety of festivals that celebrate our artistic and communal spirit. It could be theater enthusiasts from far and wide enjoying high-caliber performances in an enchanting riverside setting during Great River Shakespeare Festival or classical music concerts featuring renowned musicians and ensembles at Minnesota Beethoven Festival. For those who love film, the Frozen River Film Festival showcases independent films from around the globe, fostering a community of filmmakers and cinephiles. Additionally, Mid West Music Fest and Boats & Bluegrass bring together a diverse array of musical acts, creating a lively atmosphere that resonates through the town. These are only just a few that highlight the fun and creative pulse of Winona. It’s time to check out the rest now!
BaseCamp
Big Muddy Brew ‘N Que
Bluff Country Studio Art Tour
Visit artists studios throughout Winona and southeast Minnesota. The Bluff Country Studio Art Tour will feature many places celebrating art and vibrant community during its annual tour.
Boats & Bluegrass Festival
“Boats and…!!!” Find your roots here. For a knee slapping, boot-scooting good time, Winona’s legendary Boats and Bluegrass Festival – held along the shores of the Mighty Mississippi – has no rival.
Dixieland Jazz Festival
Find Dixieland tradition. Dixieland Jazz Festival is monthly jazz band performances, and even our own Mardi Gras celebration keeps the toe-tapping music alive here year-round.
Frozen River Film Festival
Great River Shakespeare Festival
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. Great River Shakespeare Festival is a nationally recognized festival that draws audiences from across the Midwest and professional actors from across the country.
Holiday Family Festival
Each December, the Winona County Historical Society hosts a holiday fundraiser, the House Tour on even years and the Family Festival on odd numbered. There are lots of festive activities for the whole family!
Honeycrisp Hootenany
Honk if you’re Hooty! The Honeycrisp Hootenany is 2 days of bands and 40 tap lines of beers and hard ciders plus food trucks and lots of fun fall activities at Ecker’s Apple Farm every year.
Mid West Music Fest
Where music and community meet. Each spring, music lovers of all ages and bands of all genres collide in a city-wide celebration of music at Mid West Music Fest that rocks for two days and rolls from every venue in town.
Minnesota Beethoven Festival
The bluffs are alive…with the sound of sonatas. The Minnesota Beethoven Festival fills indoor venues and a majestic outdoor band shell with the delicate refrains of history’s most important classical works.
Reggae Fest
When it’s festival season, it’s Reggae Fest time at Trempealeau Hotel. Caribbean sounds usher in longer days and warmer nights plus you’ll find art and craft vendors, massages, face painting, and food trucks. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy!
Sandbar Storytelling Festival
Share your story. A three-day storytelling event with food, workshops, competitions, concerts, Sandbar Storytelling Festival provides exciting performances and compelling chronicles. Come celebrate and preserve the power and pleasure of our varied cultural traditions and human experiences. Promoting the art of storytelling for all ages.
Smaczne Jabłka Apple Fest
You don’t need to know how to pronounce it to have a good time! The Smaczne Jablka Apple Fest is two days of jazz concerts, Polish beer & sausages, food trucks, axe throwing, human foosball, folk dancers and more, all hosted by Winona’s Kashubian Cultural Institute & Polish Museum. Come for the apple desserts and stay for the fun!
Trinona
Experience one of the Midwest’s most scenic race courses. Swim beneath the Sugar Loaf peak in Lake Winona, then head out for some country cycling, finishing with a flat, fast run along beautiful Lake Winona and ending at the historic Lake Park bandshell. Trinona is ”the World’s Biggest Little Triathlon” bringing lots of people from all over to our city to compete.
Winona Craft Beer Tour
Summer calls for having a couple cold ones. And there is no better place than the beautiful Levee Park! Get to Winona Craft Beer Tour and you’ll be wearing pretzel necklaces sampling so many different breweries and cideries.
Winona Dakota Gathering
Honor history together. Winonans and members of the Great Dakota Nation pay homage to the Native American history of this land during the annual Winona Dakota Gathering celebration.
Winona Ice Fest
Climb to new heights this winter. The first-ever Winona Ice Fest in 2024 was a huge success, featuring exclusive climbing clinics, equipment demos, socials with live music downtown, and more!
Winona Steamboat Days
The pride of Winona, A highlight of summer here is Winona Steamboat Days – 5 days chock full of fun that culminate with a Grand Parade and aah-inspiring fireworks.
Winona Zombie Crawl
Winona Zombie Crawl is the longest running zombie bar crawl in the world! What started out in 2006 as 30 college kids dressed as zombies scaring people on 3rd Street has grown into an underground Winona tradition that’s not for the faint of heart, but for those that like brrraaaiiinnnsszsz!?!