The Summer’s Hottest Festival

Get ready for the hottest festival of the summer! Midwest Fire Fest is back for its sixth year, happening on July 22nd and 23rd at Westside Park in downtown Cambridge, WI, and admission is free.

The weekend offers two days of flaming fun for all ages that celebrates art created with fire. It will feature 25 fire-based artists from throughout the Midwest with beautiful work for sale, 11 live fire demonstrations, 6 incredible bands, 7 mouthwatering food carts, mesmerizing fire dancers, and craft beer and cider. Festgoers are encouraged to bring water bottles to refill at the many water stations.

The highlight of every Midwest Fire Fest is the dazzling reveal of a 7 ft. sculpture happening for just ten minutes beginning at 9 pm on July 23rd. Stoughton potter Ryan Myers  created this year’s sculpture, using over 1,000 pounds of clay. It is truly a one-of-a-kind sight to behold! The sculpture took 4 days to build, and 5 days to fire in a custom-made 12 foot kiln. On Sunday the 23rd at noon, the sculpture will be finished firing and permanently  opened up for all to see.

Live demonstrations will happen both days. Live music on Saturday, July 22nd will feature The Double Sharps (a finalist in Rockonsin, Wisconsin’s high school garage band competition), Wild Heathens, Christo’s Novelty Combo, Little Earthquakes, and Wurk, the Madison Area Music Awards 2022 band of the year. On Sunday, Val Sigal Power Polka from Milwaukee will entertain the masses.

Driftless Fire Tribe will perform exciting dances utilizing fire, the Madison Children’s Museum, Amazing Wonder Box and fire demonstrations from groups like the Upper Midwest Blacksmith Association will happen both days.

Sunday, July 23rd, will feature more demonstrations, fire dancers, a pottery pit fire opening, and the final Guns to Garden Tools demonstrations.

“Our event is really an economic development event for the village of Cambridge, disguised as an arts event,” says Cambridge Arts Council director and Midwest Fire Fest co-founder Laurie Struss. “These kinds of events are really important for smaller communities like ours in Jefferson County. We have a long history of art created with fire in our community, and we’re proud that this event brings thousands of people and important tourism dollars that boost local businesses while increasing awareness about all the wonderful things Cambridge has to offer.”

Struss and co-founder Mark Skudlarek of Cambridge Wood Fired Pottery have over 30 years of experience promoting arts events in Cambridge dating back to the days of the Pottery Olympics.

A huge thank you to the sponsors who make Midwest Fire Fest possible: Admundson Hoffmann Insurance, The Cambridge Foundation, Dancing Goat Distillery, General Beverage, Koshkonong Solar, Madison Children’s Museum, Mille’s Coffee & Eatery, Paoli Clay, and Ruby Rose Gallery.

Midwest Fire Fest is presented by the non-profit Cambridge Arts Council and The Clay Collective.

More information can be found here, and on the Midwest Fire Fest pages on Facebook and Instagram.

Be sure to save the date for Midwest Fire Fest 2024 – June 8th and 9th.

See you at the hottest festival of the summer!