Join us at Thelma Sadoff center for the Arts to kickoff to Sturgeon Spectacular 2025, featuring complimentary games, prizes, and a magic show! Kids will love the annual opportunity to spear Jerry the Sturgeon and parents will love the complimentary adult beverages. The Kids Kickoff will be taking place inside THELMA in the first floor Fountain City from 4:30 pm to 6 pm.

Presented by:

The Sturgeon Spectacular kicks off at Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts on Friday night with a free concert and lots of cheer!

THELMA is bringing Live Music to help kick off the Sturgeon Spectacular weekend in style in the Grand Hall inside THELMA!  Enjoy music inside THELMA and warm up by dancing or enjoying a hot beverage! Plus watch ice and snow sculptors start on their pieces. Make sure to come back throughout the weekend to check their progress!

Come and join us for a scenic run throughout Downtown  Fond du Lac.  The course will circle through and tour Fond du Lac.  Registration will be open until the day of the run/walk.  Race day registration will begin at 9am on Saturday, February 8th Downtown at Thelma Sadolff Center for the Arts. The 1/2 mile Kids Fun Run for ages 12 and under is absolutely free and includes a shirt. (Picture shown is from 2024.  New T-shirt design will be posted soon!)  Early registration for the 5K Run/Walk will be available through midnight, Tuesday, January 21st.  You can still get a 2025 commemorative, long-sleeved T-shirt and registration for $25.  After Tuesday, January 21st, the price will be $20 and it will NOT include a Sturgeon Spectacular long-sleeve T-shirt.

Participants with strollers and/or dogs are asked to please line up in the back at the start.  Please stick around for other awesome Sturgeon Spectacular festivities within Downtown Fond du Lac.

On-site check-in:  9 am
1/2-Mile Kids Fun Run for ages 12 and under:  10 am
5K Run/Walk:  10:30 am

Presented by:

Special thanks to the Fond du Lac Running Club for their involvement.

Join us for the 7th Annual  Fond du Lac Outdoor Floor Curling Funspiel. This tournament is fun AND competitive.  Each match will last about 45 minutes. All curling equipment will be provided. The tournament is scheduled for Saturday, February 8th. Open to all ages and levels. Get your team of 3 – 6 people (at least 3 are required to compete in each match) together and sign up.  Top 2 teams will receive cash payouts ($250 for 1st / $100 for 2nd).  $40 entry fee per team.  Teams are guaranteed at least 2 matches in this double elimination tournament.  Registration will be capped at `16 teams.  Come out and cheer these curlers!

REGISTRATION COMING SOON!

If you have any questions reach out to Peter Wilke via email (director@fdlfest.com) or phone (920.923.6555).

Two floor curling rinks will be set up at THELMA on the plaza. Saturday, 9 am:  First Match (Schedule will be sent out Wednesday prior to the tournament)

Presented by:

With Support from:

New this year at Sturgeon Spectacular is the High School Team Snow Sculpting Competition! High school students from the greater Fond du Lac area will form teams of 3 to 5 and will carve a snow sculpture into their choice of design. Teams who compete will be representing their school in the competition and the winning team will take home customized matching sweatshirts and a traveling trophy to keep at their school until the next competition. Find more detailed competition information and applications at the links below…

Competition Information (CLICK HERE)

Application* – (CLICK HERE)

*Team Application due by Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025

Presented by:

Food Sponsor:

Tools Sponsor:

As part of the Sturgeon Spectacular Winter Festivities the weekend of February 7 – 9, 2025 Fond du Lac Festivals is teaming up with the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership to bring you a fun event for all ages… just in time for Valentine’s Day.  Open to all ages!

On the morning of the event bring your ticket to 131 S. Main Street to check-in. There you will receive your official Sweet Stroll map. Check in at this location from 9 am to 1 pm.

Join us for a walk around downtown and vote for the best sweets in town!

2025 Participating Locations

• Bird’s Eye View Optical
• CC’s Chocolates
• Craft City Bottle Shop & Taproom
• Fat Joe’s Burgers & Brew
• Fond du Lac Cyclery
• Fondy Axe Company
• Gallery & Frame Shop
• Lavish Coffee
• Lunar and Lake Book Market
• Main Street Fashion
• Noel’s Touch Esthetics
• Shea Avenue Boutique
• Sumerce Artisans
• The Bagelmeister
• Thrivent – Lakefront Group Fond du Lac
• Victoria’s Pet Nutrition
• Wonder

Only 200 tickets sold (while supplies last) – available online only! (Click green ticket link above)
Check-in at Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership (131 S. Main Street) from 9am – 1pm, day of

Horse-drawn wagon will be offering free rides through downtown Fond du Lac.  The horses will take you past all the festivities and downtown happenings.   Each trip will be approximately 15 minutes.  Young children can ride on parent/guardian’s lap.

Pick-up/Drop-off Location – 33 Sheboygan Street (Downtown Event Hub)

Running from 10 am – 5 pm (First come, first served)

Horse Team 1: 10 am – 1 pm

Horse Team 2: 1 pm – 5 pm

Presented by:

With support from Breezy Hill Campground & Cooper Carriages of Mt. Calvary

Feeling “chili” from all that time on the ice? Celebrate Sturgeon Spectacular with a walk in Downtown Fond du Lac for the 15th Annual Chili Crawl being held Saturday, February 8th, 2025 from 11am to 3pm.

For just $15, crawlers can taste different chili concoctions made by our downtown businesses. The downtown business voted into the top spot gets the bragging rights of being called the year’s best chili!

On the morning of the event bring your ticket to 131 S. Main Street to check-in. There you will receive your official chili crawl map and voting ballot. Check-in opens at 9am and ends at 1pm. Chili is available beginning at 11am

Ballots will be split to allow voting on best restaurant chili and best home-cooked chili. Feel free to choose your own route for each stop.

The last stop on the crawl is Hopper’s Silk Screening and All-Star Trophy where your completed ballot can be redeemed by 3pm

Downtown Fond du Lac shops and restaurants are open to the general public of all ages during this event. The Sweet Stroll will be held rain or shine.

Tips
• Avoid waiting in line by picking up your materials starting at 9am on February 8th.
• Wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing, since you’ll be walking outdoors between locations.
• Post photos to Instagram and Facebook using hashtag #downtownfdl.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to amy@downtownfdl.com or megan@downtownfdl.com

Tickets are transferable, but not refundable. Transferring a ticket to another individual is the responsibility of the ticket holder. The Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership will not facilitate exchanges.

2025 Participating Locations

• 18 Hands Ale Haus
• Beauty Republic & Co.
• Brick House
• Craft City Bottle Shop & Taproom
• Cujak’s Wine & Spirits
• Fat Joe’s Burgers & Brew
• Fondy Axe Company
• Korneli’s Bar
• Main Pub
• Table One
• Thrivent – Lakefront Group Fond du Lac
• Victoria’s Pet Nutrition

Only 200 tickets sold (while supplies last) – available online only! (Click green ticket link above)
Check-in at Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership (131 S. Main Street) from 10am – 12pm, day of

Presented by:

Pick up an event brochure at any of the participating locations and walk through beautiful downtown Fond du Lac to see these talented ice carvers create works of art right on the sidewalks of downtown.  Get your picture taken with each one.  And a special thanks to all the block sponsors for their support! 

See 2025 Ice Block Locations below:

1. Cujak’s Wine & Spirits Sara Cujak – 47 N. Main Street
2. Hotel Retlaw – 1 N. Main Street
3. 18 Hands Ale Haus & Biergarten – 18 E. Division Street
4. Fat Joe’s Burgers & Brew – 15 W. Division Street
5. Edith’s Bridals & Tuxedos – 9 S. Main Street
6. Bird’s Eye View Optical Angi Roloff – 19 S. Main Street
7. Lillians – 27 S. Main Street
8. Gallery & Frame Shop – 94 S. Main Street
9. Craft City Bottle Shop & Taproom – 103 S. Main Street
10. The Goldsmith – 177 S. Main Street

Presenting Sponsor:

Bring the whole family out to Sturgeon Spectacular.  Activities/attractions include carriage rides, Photo Ops,  Snow & Ice Castles, ice forts, ice bowling, broom ball, Hungry Hippos, street hockey, and other winter activities for the kids.  Horse-drawn carriage rides are free and first come, first served.  The carriage rides will do one loop around a downtown city block, taking in all the downtown festivities and decor. The kids will love it!  Pick up and drop off will be located at the Portland & Sheboygan Street intersection.

Activities located outside THELMA at the Portland/Sheboygan Intersection

Presented by:

Watch as inventor & time traveler Brock Barnabas visits the present time to recruit some adventurous kids to travel back to the Medieval times. They train to help deal with an overpopulation of dragons!  Kids are trained to both defend against and tame down dragons using Brock’s amazing science-based inventions and techniques.

Upon completion of the audience’s training, Brock Barnabas prepares to transport the kids to the past – but inadvertently draws a dragon right to your event!  Kids get to use their newly learned skills to deal with the dragon in the room!  All shows are set up with a post-show meet and greet with a baby dragon animatronic!  FUN!

Shows at 11am and 1pm

Shows in Fountain City inside THELMA

Paint your own sturgeon ornament THELMA during Sturgeon Spectacular’s 10th year! Choose a 30 minute time slot from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM on Saturday, February 8th. Kids will love this fun and casual workshop painting their own ceramic ornaments during Sturgeon Spectacular! Ready-to-Paint ceramic ornaments will be provided (one per ticket).

Reserve your timeslot now for $15 by January 21st by clicking the green ticket button.

Presented By:

For Sturgeon Spectacular’s 10th Anniversary, Guys On Ice returns to THELMA!  From their shanty, ice-fishing buddies Marvin and Lloyd sing about life, love, and the one that got away. This hilarious piece of Wisconsin anthropology will charm your wool socks off.

Beer, wine and other spirits will be available for purchase before, during, and after the show

Performance at 2 pm.  Bar opens at 1 pm

Click green ticket link above to purchase your tickets today!

Presented by:

For Sturgeon Spectacular’s 10th Anniversary, Guys On Ice returns to THELMA!  From their shanty, ice-fishing buddies Marvin and Lloyd sing about life, love, and the one that got away. This hilarious piece of Wisconsin anthropology will charm your wool socks off.

Beer, wine and other spirits will be available for purchase before, during, and after the show

Performance at 7 pm.  Bar opens at 6 pm

Click green ticket link above to purchase your tickets today!

Presented by:

Horse-drawn wagon will be offering free rides through downtown Fond du Lac.  The horses will take you past all the festivities and downtown happenings.   Each trip will be approximately 15 minutes.  Young children can ride on parent/guardian’s lap.

Pick-up/Drop-off Location  – 33 Sheboygan Street (Downtown Event Hub)

Running from 10am – 2pm (First come, first served)

Presented by:

Horses and carriage provided by Cooper Carriages of Mt. Calvary

Raise a toast to Sturgeon Spectacular 2025 with a one-of-a-kind Bloody Mary at THELMA on Sunday! The Art of the Bloody Mary contest will take place on the 1st Floor with bartenders going head-to-head to build the Ultimate Bloody Mary, Sunday morning before a panel of world-renowned Bloody Mary experts..

Sampling begins:  10:30 am

Drink Building: 11 am

Judging for People’s Choice and Most Creative/ Awards to immediately follow: 11:30 am

Live Music – 5 Card Studs:  12 pm – 3 pm

Presented by Destination Lake Winnebago Region:

Join us in celebrating all those that make Sturgeon Spectacular a weekend for all to enjoy.  Enjoy great hot & cold drinks and live music inside the THELMA Fountain City Room, or grab a drink and bring it outside to see the state snow sculptors put their finishing touches on some beautiful sculptures.

We will be announcing the winners of events throughout the weekend during the live music intermission inside Fountain City.

Live Music – Five Card Studs :   12pm – 3pm

Awards/Announcements:  1:30 – 2pm

• Downtown Chili Crawl – “Best” Awards
• Downtown Sweet Stroll – “Best” Awards
• Downtown Ice Sculpting Competition – 1st & 2nd place sculptures
• Art of the Bloody Mary – Top Competitors
• Outdoor Curling Funspiel – 1st, 2nd, 3rd place teams
• Wisconsin Snow Sculpting Championships will be announced at 2:00 pm
  • People’s Choice Winners
  • Artist’s Choice Winners
  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd place team finishers

Presented by: