Annual Gingerbread Festival
28th Annual Gingerbread Festival
Beginning November 29 and through December 30, Waelderhaus, the historic “house in the woods” in Kohler will host the 28th Annual Gingerbread Festival. Dozens of creations will be on display and weekends feature holiday music. The Gingerbread Festival is open to the public, free of charge.
Gingerbread Festival Hours
November 29 – December 30, 2024
Sunday through Friday: 1–5 pm
Saturday: 10 am–5 pm
Saturday and Sunday musical performances begin at 2:00 p.m.
Daily tours of the Waelderhaus are offered at 2:00PM, 3:00PM, and 4:00PM (closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day). There are no tours at 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays or Sundays during live performances. Group visits and tours are available by appointment for weekday mornings. Email jen.balge@kohler.com to arrange a visit for your group. (Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day). Walk-ins are welcome for daily tours. Reservations are not required to visit the Gingerbread Festival. There will be a wheelchair accessible ramp at the Waelderhaus from December 10 through December 23.
Musical Performances – 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
Please note there are no tours during performances.
Nov. 30 Golden Chordaliers
Dec. 1 North High Holidays Strings
Dec. 7 Concordia Singing Society
Dec. 8 Plymouth High School Junge Kameraden
Dec. 14 Cedar Grove-Belgium Rocket Choir
Dec. 15 Kohler High School Madrigal Singers
Dec. 21 Random Lake Chamber Singers
Dec. 22 Max Becker on piano
Dec. 28 Katherine Ray on harp
Dec. 29 Lake Effect barbershop quartet
Waelderhaus is closed from December 31 to January 12.
Interested in submitting a gingerbread house in 2024?
Entry forms must be complete by November 11.
Read the full guidelines and submit an entry form here.
Not sure where to start?
Take a look at our Gingerbread Festival Resources here.
2023 Gingerbread Festival Winners
The Kohler Foundation has tallied the votes, revealing the big winners. 50 entries were viewed and voted on by more than 4,600 visitors to the historic Waelderhaus. Securing the title of the festival's highest vote-getter is “Little House in the Big Woods” created by Viki Grunewald’s kindergarten class from Lake Country Academy in Sheboygan. The class drew inspiration from the classic work Little House in the Big Woods; written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Prizes, based on tallied votes, are being awarded in seven categories.
The first-place winners in each category were awarded $500. They include:
Pre-school: St. John the Baptist Catholic School “Church: It Takes a Village”
Grades K-2: Lake Country Academy “Little House in the Big Woods”
Grades 3-5: St. John Lutheran School (Mrs. Konz) “Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf”
Grades 6-8: St. John Lutheran School (Mrs. MacGillis) “Ski Resort”
Grades 9-12: Cedar Grove Belgium High School “Taco Bell”
Community Groups: Christ Child Academy (Mrs. Mutsch) “Candy Land”
Open: Nourish Farms “Nourish Barn”
Second-place winners earned a $250 cash prize. They include:
Pre-school: John Michael Kohler Arts Center Preschool “Jolly Ranch House”
Grades K-2: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth (Miss Murphy) “2nd Grade Castle”
Grades 3-5: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth (Mrs. MacGillis) “The Farm”
Grades 6-8: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth (Mrs. MacGillis) “The Red Farm”
Grades 9-12: Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah High School “Barnyard Pals”
Community Groups: RCS Empowers “Butterfly Dreams”
Open: Jake’s, A Lakeland Community “Jake’s, A Lakeland Community”
Third-place honorees and recipients of a $100 award are:
Pre-school: Kohler Elementary Junior Kindergarten “Barbie’s Holiday Dream House”
Grades K-2: St. John Lutheran School Plymouth (Miss Meyer) “Jesus is Born”
Grades 3-5: St. John the Baptist Catholic School “Santa’s Reindeer Barn”
Grades 6-8: Christ Child Academy (Mrs. Meyer) “Reindeer Games at Lambeau Field”
Grades 9-12: AFS Intercultural Exchange Program “Christmas in our Piece of the World”
Community Groups: Hub City 4H Club (Lori Schmid) “Dr. Seuss Christmas”
Open: Willing Workers 4H Club (Margo Howard) “Welcome to Whoville”
Everyone at Waelderhaus extends their biggest thanks to everyone who joined for the 27th year! Mark your calendars for the 28th Annual Gingerbread Festival, happening from November 29 to December 30, 2024.
