Annual Gingerbread Festival
Gingerbread Festival Hours
November 27 – December 30, 2026
Sunday through Friday: 1–5 pm
Saturday: 10 am–5 pm
Saturday and Sunday musical performances begin at 2:00 p.m.
Closed December 24 and 25.
Admission is free and no reservations are required. A wheelchair-accessible ramp will be available throughout the festival.
Guided tours of the Waelderhaus are offered free of charge, daily at 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m., except on holidays and during performances.
Join in the 30th year of the Gingerbread Festival at Waelderhaus!
Celebrate 30 years of holiday joy at the Waelderhaus Gingerbread Festival, featuring imaginative gingerbread creations, live music, and free family-friendly fun.
From November 27 through December 30, the historic Waelderhaus, known as the "house in the woods" in Kohler, will host its 30th Annual Gingerbread Festival. Dozens of creative gingerbread displays will be featured throughout the season, with live holiday music performances offered on select weekends. Admission is free and open to the public.
Visitors can enjoy extended holiday hours, weekly musical performances, and the opportunity to vote for their favorite handmade gingerbread creations crafted by local schools, community groups, and families. Entries receiving the most votes will be awarded prizes that may be donated to a school or eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Guided tours of the Waelderhaus are offered daily at 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. The Waelderhaus is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. Please note that the 2:00 p.m. tour is not available on Saturdays and Sundays during scheduled live performances.
Group visits and guided tours are available by appointment on weekday mornings. A wheelchair-accessible ramp will be available throughout the duration of the festival.
Waelderhaus – 1100 West Riverside Drive, Kohler, Wis.
November 27 through December 30, 2026
Sunday through Friday – 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday – 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Live Music Performances
All performances begin at 2:00 p.m. and are open to the public, free of charge.
November 28
Golden Chordaliers
November 29
VOX: Vocal Harmony
December 5
Concordia Singing Society
December 6
Plymouth High School Junge Kameraden
December 12
South High School Singers
December 13
Kohler High School Madrigals
December 19
Oostburg High School Jazz Band
December 20
Random Lake High School Chamber Singers
December 26
Holiday Sing-A-Long with Lakeshore Chorale
December 27
Max Becker on Piano
Interested in submitting a gingerbread creation?
Please review the guidelines here!
Interest forms are due by November 13.
Entry information is due by creation drop off on Monday, November 23.
Not sure where to start? Looking for inspiration?
Take a look at our Gingerbread Festival Resources here.
2025 Gingerbread Festival Winners
Exciting news from the 29th Annual Gingerbread Festival! The Kohler Foundation has tallied the votes, revealing the winners of this year’s festival. 49 entries were viewed and voted on by more than 4,000 visitors to the Waelderhaus. Securing the title of the festival's highest vote-getter is “Two by Two” inspired by Noah’s Ark and created by Suzette Schermacher’s 3K class from St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Plymouth.
Prizes, based on tallied votes, have been awarded in seven categories.
The first-place winners in each category were awarded $500. They include:
Pre-school: St. John the Baptist Catholic School “Two by Two”
Grades K-2: Lake Country Academy “Snowmen at Night Play Reindeer Games”
Grades 3-5: Sheboygan Christian School “Evergreen Lodge”
Grades 6-8: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth “Candyland”
Grades 9-12: Cedar Grove-Belgium High School “Elsa’s Ice Castle”
Community Groups: Comfort Dogs “Biscuit Bay Retirement Island for Service Dogs”
Open: Lindstrom Family “The Frozen Tundra in Frosting”
Second-place winners earned a $250 cash prize. They include:
Pre-school: John Michael Kohler Arts Center Preschool “Sweet Dreams”
Grades K-2: Girl Scout Troop 9662 “Daisy Garden Cottage”
Grades 3-5: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth “Riot at the Colosseum”
Grades 6-8: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth “Circus”
Grades 9-12: AFS Intercultural Exchange Sheboygan “Cultures of the World Holiday Train”
Community Groups: RCS Empowers “Dairy Queen Winter Wonderland”
Open: Watershed Hotel “Peppermint Point Lighthouse”
Third-place honorees and recipients of a $100 award are:
Grades K-2: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth – 1st Grade “Winter Wonderland”
Grades 3-5: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth - 4th Grade “Donut Lake Hideaway”
Grades 6-8: St. John Lutheran School “Snow Hill”
Grades 9-12: Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah High School “Lambeau Field”
Community Groups: Willing Workers 4H Club “Christmas Tree Farm”
Open: AFS Cultural Exchange Plymouth & Elkhart Lake “Santa Delivers Around the World”
