MEDIA

Fest Facts & Awards

Fest Facts

• Warrens is the "Cranberry Capital of Wisconsin," and hosts the world's largest cranberry festival.
• Attendance at the first Cranfest in 1973 was 3,500 with 75 booths. Since then it has grown from a small community festival to an international event with more than 100,000 visitors each year.
• The festival was started to raise funds for the community of Warrens.
• 14 people serve on the festival's board of directors and advisory board with more than 250 volunteers each year.
• The festival is a registered nonprofit organization and has given in excess of $2 million in donations in its 38 years of existence.
• The festival benefits all of Monroe County and surrounding countires by filling area hotels, bed & breakfasts, restaurants and gas stations. All told, Cranfest brings more than $3 million in revenue to the county annually.

Awards & Recognition

• Cranfest was recognized by O, The Oprah Magazine as one of the top food festivals in the nation in its September 2009 issue. This article can also be viewed online.
• In 2009, Cranfest was ranked 24th best arts & crafts show in the country by Sunshine Artist magazine. The festival has been ranked by the publication since 2000 on their "200 Best" list.
• Warrens Cranberry Festival won the 2008 People's Choice Award for "Best Wisconsin Town for a Weekend Festival" as the result of a poll by the Wisconsin Dept. of Tourism.
• The festival was awarded the 2004 Community Leadership award to acknowledge their dedication to community betterment and their new partnership with the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center.
• Discover Wisconsin radio & television program presented Cranfest the "Restaurant of the Month" award in September 2002.
• Cranfest was named among the top 100 events in the U.S. in 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2001 by the American Bus Association
• Warrens Cranberry Festival has been voted #1 community festival in Wisconsin numerous times by readers of Wisconsin Trails magazine.