FREE LIVE MUSIC, FANTASTIC WEATHER, and BRATS ON TAP MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
AT WORLD’S LARGEST BRAT FEST IN MADISON, WI

MADISON, WI (May, 2014)— All signs point to a record-breaking World’s Largest Brat Fest this Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-26, in Madison, Wisconsin!

The weather will be perfect, the big-name musical headliners are on their way, and a full schedule of fun for everyone has been booked. This could be the year!

“The record for most brats ever consumed at Brat Fest is 209,376, which we set in 2010,” says Tim Metcalfe, who organizes Brat Fest with his brother, Kevin. “We have so many more features this year, from on-site camping to expanded kids’ activities and sports events and a fifth free live music stage; I think we might just break that record.”

In fact, Brat Fest could break its first record only hours after the festival starts at 6 a.m. on Friday, May 23. That’s when the drive-through for Take Your Brat To Work Day opens. Last year, Brat Fest handed a total of 19,560 brats to eager commuters who hit the Brat Fest drive-through lane on their way to work. TYBTWD has a bike drive-through, too — and SARIS Cycling Group will pick up the cost of the first brat for every bicycle rider.

Here are some of the highlights scheduled for this year’s World’s Largest Brat Fest:

The 3rd Annual Brat Fest Run/Walk (The Tom Metcalfe Memorial Run) will take place on Saturday, May 24. NEW THIS YEAR, along with the 10K Run, 5K Run and 2M Walk, is a 1K Kids MUDstard Run for kids 10 and under!! Online registration for all run/walk events is open through May 20; walk-up registration will also be offered. Click for more information: http://bratfestrun.com.

Brat Fest Boot Camp – Join Hybrid Athletic Club Monday, May 26th at 9 a.m. for an hour of fitness before all the brats and funnel cakes. Open to all ages and fitness levels. Tickets must be purchased by May 25 through Eventbrite. Click for more information: /family-fun-activities/brat-fest-boot-camp/.

Other sports and activities, requiring no registration, also make this year’s Brat Fest the most active Brat Fest ever, including:

Wingra Boats ~ Brittingham Boats Paddle Sports, where kids can paddle canoes, kayaks or stand-up paddleboards. Take to the water on Friday, May 23 from 3-7 p.m., and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday-Monday, May 24-26. Click for more information: /activity/wingra-boats-brittingham-boats-paddle-sports-2/

KEVA Sports Kids Zone offers four days of soccer, flag football, a mascot race, and Fun Play Inflatables, as well as special appearances by Duke Otherwise – children’s entertainer and Noelle Tarrant animal educator from ZooZort.  Click for more information:/family-fun-activities/keva-sports-kids-zone/.

Steinhafels Art Zone presented by the Wisconsin Historical Museum will be filled with educational activities and fun! There will be four available activities and additional storytelling sessions and art demonstrations. Some of the activities include, Paul Bunyan Felt Beards, Brat Hats, Fabric Quilt Squares, Trade Bead Bracelets, Cave of the Mounds fossil prints and Clay Mythical Creatures just to name a few! Kids can complete art projects and leave them in the tent’s display area to pick up on their way home from Brat Fest. The atmosphere will be fun, informal, and very kid- and family-friendly with some staff in costume. Each family will be given the Wisconsin Historical Museum’s event calendar and family passes to visit the Museum over the summer!  Click here for more information:  /family-fun-activities/art-zone/

Camping is available for the first time at Brat Fest! Reserve a tent or RV camp site and enjoy a low-cost weekend loaded with free music, a carnival, paddle sports, fireworks, plenty of kid-designed activities and of course brats, beverages, corn, fresh fruit, ice cream. /plan-your-experience/camping/.

Visit bratfest.com for a complete list of all activities.

Along with brats, bands and a carnival that’s twice as big as last year’s, Brat Fest is offering more attractions, activities and events including more events for kids.

– Five stages and more than 200 hours of free music and free entertainment

– Grand Stage headliners presented by Don’s Home Furniture

– Brat Fest Walk/Run presented by Domain Apartments

– Bratteyball Volleyball Tournament presented by Johnsonville

– Metcalfe’s Farm Stand

– Kids Zone presented by KEVA Sports and Kids Art Zone presented by Steinhafels

– Kids MUDstard Run, Brittingham Boats Paddle Sports, Shade Tent by Harker Heating & Cooling

– Hometown Heroes Day to honor our public safety professionals on May 24

– Community Wide Worship Service on May 25

– Hometown Heroes Day (May 24) and Military Veterans Day (May 26), presented by Steinhafels

A special tribute to veterans and military personnel will be held at the World’s Largest Bratfest on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th. VFW Post 1318 will Present the Colors at 11:45 a.m. Complimentary Brat Bucks will be available for veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and Brat Fest attendees will have the chance to contribute to Operation Gratitude, which has donated more than one million care packages to U.S. military personnel. The remarkable work of Operation Gratitude is showcased in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BOXwV8GtBg&feature=channel_video_title.

About the World’s Largest Brat Fest
Brat Fest started in 1983, when the late Tom Metcalfe and his wife, Margaret, decided to grill brats in the Hilldale parking lot of Metcalfe’s Market to thank their customers. Tom’s sons, Tim and Kevin Metcalfe, have grown Brat Fest into what Madisonians and others from around the country know today as “The World’s Largest Brat Fest.” It still serves as a thank you to customers, and it also raises money for local charitable organizations.  Visit www.bratfest.com for more information.

About Metcalfe’s Market.
Metcalfe’s Market is a locally owned and operated grocery store with two locations in Madison (Hilldale and West Towne), and one in the heart of downtown Wauwatosa as well as a Metcalfe’s Local to Go retail location at the Dane County Regional Airport. In its 97-year history, Metcalfe’s has led the way in environmental practices. From creating a local food miles program featuring 3,000 local foods, to going to 100 percent green power, to their REUSE & CHOOSE program, Metcalfe’s Market is committed to a more sustainable Wisconsin. For more information on Metcalfe’s Market, call (608) 238-7612 or visit www.shopmetcalfes.com.