Cranberry festivals are held in several states in New England and southern Canada to celebrate the history of the fruit, which is native to North America. Wisconsin has the most successful cranberry industry and hosts the largest festival with over 100,000 attendees. Other states and Canadian provinces also hold festivals with various activities such as parades, crafts, and tours of the swamps.
In several states in New England and southern Canada, the cranberry is king. In the swamps along the banks of many rivers and lakes, cranberries grow until the fields are flooded for the autumn harvest. This is the time for a cranberry festival in a dozen or more cities, a time to partake in cranberry-centric recipes, take a swamp tour, or just be merry with the community.
More than anything else, a cranberry festival is held to celebrate the history. Officially called Vaccinium macrocarpon, this fruit is one of the few native plants grown in North America when settlers from Europe arrived and is still widely eaten as of 2011, along with corn, grapes, plums, and blueberries. According to the Cranberry Institute, the first commercial cranberry operation was started by Henry Hall in Dennis, Massachusetts in 1816. The American Cranberry Growers Association in New Jersey, however, believes his state grew the first cranberry crops reds, about two decades later. As of 2011, about 40,000 acres of cranberry plants are growing, mainly used for juice production.
The state of Wisconsin is credited with having, by far, the most successful cranberry industry. This state is responsible for about half of all blueberries harvested in the United States. According to the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, this is what led to a cranberry festival held annually in at least five cities: Eagle River, Stone Lake, Manitowish Waters, Warrens and Wisconsin Rapids. Every city has a website dedicated to the cranberry festival. Activities vary for each, from hockey to huge.
In its 39th year, perhaps the largest cranberry festival is in Warrens, Wisconsin. As many as 1,250 booths, spanning three miles, are planned for the festival which takes place over the weekend of September 23, 2011. Various contests, from biggest berry and best scarecrow to most stunning photography and fastest cranberry eater , will help keep this festival’s 100,000-plus annual attendees engaged whenever they’re not trolling for food, perusing crafts, watching the parade, or touring the marshes.
Trailing Wisconsin in cranberry production are the U.S. states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine, Washington, and Oregon, as well as several Canadian provinces, each with its own scattered grower associations and harvest festivals. In New Jersey, the cities of Chatsworth and Bordentown organize festivals with parades, crafts and tours of the swamps. In Massachusetts, a national cranberry festival in Edaville competes for credibility with the largest cranberry festival in Wisconsin. Edaville is also home to the headquarters of Ocean Spray®, the largest cranberry juice producer in the world, as well as a Cranberry World Museum.
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