Brat Fest

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The main serving tent at the 2007 Brat Fest.

Brat Fest, which bills itself as "World's Largest Brat Fest", is an annual fundraiser that is held in Madison, Wisconsin.

The event has been held every Memorial Day weekend since 1983, when it was launched by Tom Metcalfe, an area businessman who owned the Hilldale Mall location of Sentry Foods in Madison. The event was initially held in the parking lot in front of the Metcalfe's Sentry store. Bratwurst, hotdogs, soft drinks, and Boca brats are served at the festival. The event was initially intended as a customer appreciation event for people who shopped at Metcalfe's Sentry grocery, but soon evolved into a fundraiser raise money for local charities.^[1] Tom Metcalfe's sons, Tim and Kevin, are now coordinators for the event.

[edit] Overview

Many non-profit groups donate grillers and servers. Local celebrities and politicians volunteer their time as servers during the event. Past servers have included Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin.
189,432 brats were consumed during the 2004 festivities, which is believed to be a world record for single festival over a 4-day period.^[2]
In 2005, Brat Fest was relocated from its Hilldale Mall location, which had grown too small for the crowds, and relocated to Willow Island at the Alliant Energy Center. The festival now coincides with the finish and festivities centered around the Madison Marathon. [1]
For many years, the Brat Fest was held over both the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. After the move to the Willow Island site, organizers decided to hold the event on just the Memorial Day weekend, to minimize expenses.
In 2006, two filmmakers, Benjamin Lamb and Vernon Johnson, were brought in to create a documentary film honoring Brat Fest. It was released on July 15, 2006. The film contained interviews with Governor James Doyle, Brat Fest Organizer Tim Metcalfe, Kevin Metcalfe, and the wife of Tom Metcalfe. The trailer can be viewed here.