Soak up summer’s beauty at these family-friendly celebrations across the Cornhusker State.
If Nebraska’s hot and humid summer days have you down in the dumps, why not plan a bit of magic for your weekend? Across the Cornhusker State, annual summer celebrations combine the best in live music, spectator rodeo, and stargazing, not to mention the eccentricities that make Nebraska so special. Kool-Aid drinking contest or chicken clucking competition, anyone?
Read on to learn more about Nebraska’s most beloved and unique summer festivals.
1. NEBRASKAland DAYS
When the third week of June rolls around each summer, Nebraskans know it’s time to make the trek to North Platte for the Cornhusker State’s official celebration: NEBRASKAland DAYS. Held at the Wild West Arena just across the street from Buffalo Bill Historic State Park, NEBRASKAland Days combines time-honored rodeo traditions with top names in musical entertainment, among other family-friendly offerings.
This Jun. 17 to 27, the NEBRASKAland Summer Jam Concert Series includes performances from country singer-songwriter Zach Top, Nashville ensemble Diamond Rio, and bluegrass artist Spencer Hatcher, while the Buffalo Bill Rodeo returns for four nights of professional-level spectator rodeo. The Miss Rodeo Nebraska competition will see young women showcase their skills in horsemanship, speech, style, and scholarship, and the Cowboy Collective will present two days of curated shopping experiences with its collection of Western-inspired boutiques selling jewelry, boots, and home décor. Tickets for individual events and parking are available on the festival’s website.
2. The Wayne Chicken Show
On the second weekend in July, the city of Wayne fluffs its feathers in preparation for the annual Wayne Chicken Show, a family-friendly celebration of art, culture, and entertainment centered around the people’s favorite poultry.
This Jul. 10 to 12, expect a host of chicken-themed events beginning on Henoween, also known as All Hen’s Eve: guests will shake their tail feathers during a full schedule of live music, while a hot wing eating contest will separate the strongest-willed from the brood. The annual Chicken Show Parade will cluck all the way from 1st and Main streets to 10th, while the National Cluck-Off offers cash prizes to those with the best chicken impressions. Learn more information about this year’s offerings on the festival’s website.
3. Nebraska Star Party
Keep your gaze set on the heavens during the Nebraska Star Party, an annual tradition of stargazing and all-ages entertainment at Merritt Reservoir in Valentine. This Jul. 12 to 17, guests can spend their days indulging in swimming, boating, water skiing, and tubing along the reservoir’s sugar sand shores, while plenty of astronomy activities, including a Beginner’s Field School and an astrophotography contest, will keep guests busy after the sun sets. The Merritt Reservoir in the Nebraska Sand Hills is a designated International Dark Sky Park, meaning you’re sure to spot constellations galore, even with the naked eye.
Online registration is open now on the event website, and printed and mailed registrations are also accepted. Day-of registration paid by check or cash is accepted at Boardman’s Campground during select times.
4. Nebraska’s Big Rodeo
This Jul. 22 to 25, lasso up your loved ones and hop in the wagon for a trip to Burwell, the outdoor rodeo capital of Nebraska and home to Nebraska’s Big Rodeo and Garfield County Fair. Four days of live entertainment await, including the Little Miss Burwell Queen Contest, roping competitions, chuckwagon races, a 4-H horse show, the Garfield County sheep and goat show, and two days of Nebraska’s Big Rodeo performances, not to mention the beloved Dinner Bell Derby, in which young colts race to the finish line to meet their proud mommas.
The Bullpen Beer Garden offers cold refreshments and dancing for both young people and adults. General admission and box seats are available on the event website or on-site at the fairgrounds ticket office.
5. Old West Balloon Fest
Let your imagination carry your feet off the ground this Aug. 10 to 16 at the annual Old West Balloon Fest, held at Mitchell Airfield in western Nebraska. This all-ages celebration kicks off each morning with the simultaneous mass ascension of more than 50 hot air balloons. A full schedule of events includes the 2026 U.S. National Hot Air Ballooning Championships, as well as night glows showcasing the fiery fuel that powers each balloon, a vendor fair of local foods and creative crafts, a youth balloon camp pairing certified balloon pilots with young learners, and a wiener dog race benefitting a local animal charity.
Note that inclement weather conditions will affect the event schedule, so be sure to check the festival’s website for any changes.
An Old West Balloon Fest pass grants you access to all events held at Mitchell Airfield for the week. Tickets can be purchased online from the event website, as well as in-person at the gate, or at local Platte Valley Bank and First National Bank of Omaha branches.
6. Kool-Aid Days
Did you know that Kool-Aid was invented in Nebraska a century ago? Oh, yeah! In 1927, a Hastings-based businessman named Edwin Perkins created a fruit concentrate, then called Fruit Smack, in his mother’s sink. Fast forward 100 years, and the sugary drink still attracts thirsty fans who gather annually to celebrate its history at Kool-Aid Days, held this Aug. 14 to 16 at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Hastings.
This family-friendly event involves three days of live entertainment, nightly fireworks displays, bounce houses and activities for children, cardboard boat races, and of course, a Kool-Aid drinking competition. Be sure to stop by the event’s merchandise booth, where water bottles, trucker hats, beach towels, and plush toys pay homage to the birthplace of Kool-Aid.
7. Nebraska State Fair
Soak up the final heat of summer at the Nebraska State Fair, an annual tradition held this Aug. 28 through Sept. 7 in Grand Island. There’s no shortage of excitement in store for this year’s festivities: a truck and tractor pull will wow gearheads, while a rough stock rodeo will see cowboys attempt to keep a hold on bucking horses and bulls. This year’s musical guests include Florida’s most famous disco and funk act, KC and The Sunshine Band, and alternative rock band Shinedown, and a demolition derby will rouse crowds as drivers aggressively compete to be the last operational vehicle.
Admission to the Nebraska State Fair is $8.75 per person. Tickets for individual events are available on the fair website.
8. Fur Trade Days
For the last 50 years, history buffs from across the country have gathered each summer in the High Plains town of Chadron to explore the town’s role in the fur trade. Fur Trade Days is an annual celebration of the Indigenous Americans and European traders and buckskinners who spearheaded this time-honored industry.
Held this Jul. 9 to 12, Fur Trade Days includes the Bordeaux Creek Fur Trade and Muzzleloading Association’s Rendezvous, a primitive camping excursion filled with interactive activities like muzzleloading shoots, tomahawk and knife throwing contests, archery, and plenty of vendors selling fur, crafts, bead work, and other historical items. Young ones will also have plenty to enjoy at Mac’s Carnival, complete with a dozen rides and concession stands, and open each evening at 6 p.m.
