Monona Community Festival to Return in 2025

MONONA, Wis. – The Monona Community Festival may come back, after 2024 was expected to be its final year. 

The annual Independence Day celebration had been around for decades. It featured live music, family activities, and the Wisconsin Wife Carry Championship, which is exactly what it sounds like. 

Organizers announced that 2024 would be its last year. They said declining volunteers and higher costs have made it less feasible. 

Now, Mayor Mary O’Connor says her office is working with new festival leadership, and the festival will return in 2025. 

She called the initial discussions “very productive”. Organizers and city staff are supposed to finalize some festival agreements in January.