Winter Festival of Prairie Cultures

Go back in time this holiday season to see a beautiful tapestry of winter traditions of those who lived on the Great Plains at the beginning of the Homestead Era. The Homestead Act of 1862 served as an invitation for immigrants to seek free 160-acre homesteads in the United States, resulting in the arrival of a variety of cultural and ethnic traditions to the United States. The Winter Festival of Prairie Cultures remembers this rich heritage and celebrates some of these cultural traditions.

The Winter Festival of Prairie Cultures occurs yearly, beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving and continuing through the end of the year. It features demonstrators, performers, decorated trees, and tabletop displays that reflect the spirit of hope, humor, traditions, and generosity which characterized winter celebrations on the Great Plains.