Bayfield Winter Festival

Come to Bayfield, WI for a weekend of wild and crazy winter fun!  Celebrate winter with ice golf, dogsled rides, broomball, night sledding, tubing, skiing and other snowy activities.  Release your cabin fever in the 4 mile Run on Water, human powered dogsled race, cannonball and bellyflop contest (in our indoor pool) and the Mt. Ashwabay Winterfest Bash on Saturday night.  The Polar Bear Plunge is always a great show, or get inspired and take a dunk in Lake Superior yourself.  There’s something for everyone at the Bayfield Winter Festival.

HISTORY: The Bayfield Winter Festival began as a fundraiser for the Bayfield Area Recreation Center.  Known as “Manypenny Madness,” referring to the avenue that was closed for sledding decades ago, it included sledding, ice skating, broomball, a pizza buffet at Maggie’s, and the now famous “Polar Bear Plunge”.  Brave participants collected pledges and jumped through a hole in the ice of Lake Superior to raise money for the Rec Center.  Prizes were given for the most pledges raised, as well as best costume, oldest, youngest, and best plunge.

As the event has grown in size, it was renamed “Bayfield Winter Festival.”  It now covers most of the downtown area of Bayfield, as well as events at nearby Mount Ashwabay,  and Madeline Island.   New events have been added, included the Run on Water to Madeline Island and back, the Winter Dash obstacle course, dogsled rides, a bellyflop and a deck party at the Bayfield Inn, snow kites, ice golf, ice fishing and the Mt. Ashwabay Bash on Saturday night.

Some of the current Winter Festival events are fundraisers for non-profit organizations in our area.  Last year’s event raised $14,000 to support the Rec Center  and $10,000 to support the Mt. Ashwabay ski hill.  We hope you have fun, and thank you for supporting our community.