Crosslake Days · Complete guide
Crosslake Days: the complete guide to Crosslake's fall festival.
Annual · late September · about 6 miles from the listing
The 2026 Crosslake Days has concluded: it ran Thursday, September 24 through Saturday, September 26, 2026. The festival is annual and returns each late September, so this guide is kept as an archive of the 2026 edition; the Crosslake Chamber posts the 2027 dates when they are set.
The short version
Crosslake's signature fall weekend, day by day.
Crosslake Days is the Crosslake Area Chamber of Commerce's annual fall festival, a free, all-ages "weekend of family fun" that takes over the town for three days in late September. The 2026 edition ran Thursday, September 24 through Saturday, September 26, and stacked the Lost Chili Pepper hunt, the Crosslake Days Chili Cook-off, a loon-calling contest, two big art fairs at the Log Church, and the candlelit Log Village tour into one long weekend.
This guide covers the 2026 schedule, the venues spread across town, and what is worth planning around, with the property at 16138 Zigmund Dr about six miles south of Crosslake on Mitchell Lake. Dates and times come from the chamber's 2026 listing, which notes they are subject to change; for the next edition, confirm anything you cannot afford to miss with the Crosslake Chamber.
Annual
Late September each year
Crosslake
~6 miles from 16138 Zigmund Dr
Free
Open to all ages
65+
Artisans at the Log Church fair
80+
Vendors at the outdoor crafts fair
2026
Edition wrapped September 26
What it is
A town-wide festival, not a single fairground.
Crosslake Days is the chamber's premier annual event, and its charm is that nothing is confined to one site. Artisans set up around the Log Church, the chili cook-off is scattered across the town's restaurants and shops, the hunt runs through Chamber member businesses, and the evenings land in bars, the campground, and the candlelit log village.
For lake-country buyers, that sprawl is the point: festival weekend is the fastest way to feel how Crosslake and the surrounding towns actually live, from the jokes at trivia night to the line for the 50/50 at the American Legion.
Official Crosslake Days pageDay by day
Three days, three different festivals.
Thursday is the hunt and the chili, Friday is the mellow middle for shopping and scouting, and Saturday is the big finale with two art fairs and the candlelit tour. Here is the shape of the 2026 edition, from the chamber's official listing, kept for reference for the next time the festival runs.
September 24, 2026
Thursday
Opening day: the hunt and the chili
9 a.m.
Lost Chili Pepper hunt, first clue
The first of three daily clues drops through the Crosslake App, chamber member businesses, and the Crosslake Chamber Welcome Center. Follow the clues each morning through Saturday and track down the Lost Chili Pepper.
Noon until gone
Crosslake Days Chili Cook-off
Chili served at locations across Crosslake, with voting through the Crosslake App by 3 p.m. It is a genuine town competition: last September's cook-off drew 537 votes, per the Pine and Lakes Echo Journal.
12-3 p.m.
Fun at the Campground
A bonfire and s'mores at the campground, an easy way to get the kids into the festival spirit on day one.
3 p.m.
7th Annual Loon Calling Contest
Put your best loon call on at the National Loon Center's Nest at 14303 Gould St. in Crosslake. Cue the wail, the yodel, and the laughs.
4:30-6 p.m.
Surf 'N Turf Raffle
Raffle tickets drawn at Andy's Bar & Grill, 35453 County Road 3, with bar food and a festival crowd to close the first afternoon.
8 p.m.
Trivia night
Teams gather at Moonlite Bay Family Restaurant & Bar, 37627 County Road 66, for lake-and-local trivia to cap opening day.
September 25, 2026
Friday
The mellow middle: shop, sip, scout
Morning
Lost Chili Pepper hunt, second clue
Clue number two lands through the same channels as Thursday's. Friday is the festival's rest day, which makes it the best day to linger.
All day
Shop Crosslake at a human pace
Browse Crosslake Town Square at 35770 Allen Ave, duck into coffee shops along County Road 66, and visit the National Loon Center's Nest. Chamber member specials pop up through the app and at participating businesses.
Whenever
Scout the weekend's venues
The Log Church at 37218 County Road 66 is where Saturday's art fair takes over the lawn. A Friday drive-by lines up your Saturday before the crowds do.
September 26, 2026
Saturday
Big day: two art fairs, bake sales, and candlelight
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Handcrafted Arts & Crafts Fair
The festival's centerpiece at the Log Church, 37218 County Road 66: 65-plus artisans with pottery, woodwork, quilts, and more, plus coffee and espresso, food vendors, live music, and a kids' playground. Arrive early for the best pickings.
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Crosslake Days Outdoor Arts & Crafts Fair
A companion fair with 80-plus vendors of original handcrafted pieces, running alongside the Log Church show, free and open to all.
Saturday
Jul Fest Craft & Bake Sale
Crosslake Lutheran Church's annual craft and bake sale is a favorite stop for festival shoppers with a sweet tooth.
Saturday
Family Fun Zone at Town Square
Games and activities for kids at Crosslake Town Square, 35770 Allen Ave, keeping the youngest festival-goers busy between the fair and the raffles.
Saturday
Meat raffle and 50/50
The Crosslake Fifty Lakes American Legion runs the weekend's meat raffle and 50/50 drawing, a classic lake-country fundraiser with a full room behind it.
Historically 7-9 p.m.
Cider & Candlelight Tour at the Log Village
At the Crosslake Historical Society's Log Village on County Road 3, hayrides and self-guided tours wind through the candlelit 1900s log village. Confirm the exact 2026 time on the chamber calendar.
This schedule reflects the Crosslake Chamber's 2026 listing, verified September 22, 2026, and is now archived since that edition has concluded. The chamber lists events as subject to change, and Friday especially runs lighter and looser, so check the chamber calendar for the next festival's schedule.
The evening show
Cider & Candlelight at the Log Village.
Saturday closes the festival with the Crosslake Historical Society's Cider & Candlelight Tour at the Log Village on County Road 3. Hayrides and self-guided walks take you through the candlelit 1900s log village, historically running 7-9 p.m., with cider and the season's dark evenings doing the atmosphere work.
It is the festival's closing tradition and an appetizer for the lakes' own fall calendar, and a reminder that late September is peak color season across the Brainerd Lakes.
The Log Church
37218 County Road 66
Saturday's Handcrafted Arts & Crafts Fair, the festival's heart.
Crosslake Town Square
35770 Allen Ave
Family Fun Zone, shops, and the National Loon Center's Nest is steps away.
Crosslake Historical Society Log Village
County Road 3
Cider & Candlelight Tour and the candlelit 1900s log village.
National Loon Center Nest
14303 Gould St
The 7th Annual Loon Calling Contest at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Andy's Bar & Grill
35453 County Road 3
Surf 'N Turf Raffle, Thursday 4:30-6 p.m.
Moonlite Bay Family Restaurant & Bar
37627 County Road 66
Trivia night Thursday at 8 p.m., and a reliable lake-view meal any day.
Crosslake sits about 15 minutes north of the listing by country road, with free street and lot parking around town during the festival. The chamber's official page and calendar are the authorities for the full venue list, day-of changes, and times that shift year to year, including the 2027 dates when they are announced.
Question & answer
The Crosslake Days questions visitors actually ask.
When is Crosslake Days?
The 2026 Crosslake Days ran Thursday, September 24 through Saturday, September 26, 2026, and that edition has now concluded. The Crosslake Area Chamber of Commerce holds the festival every year in late September; the 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions all landed on the last weekend of the month, and the 2027 dates will be announced by the chamber when set.
How much does Crosslake Days cost?
The festival is free and open to all ages; the chamber bills it as a weekend of family fun, and the art fairs, the hunt, the loon-calling contest, and the campground bonfire are all free. What costs money is what you choose to buy: chili tastings where they are sold, raffle tickets, bake-sale goods, and festival shopping at the vendor booths.
Where does Crosslake Days take place?
The festival is spread across town rather than confined to one fairground. The Log Church at 37218 County Road 66 hosts the big art fair on Saturday, Crosslake Town Square at 35770 Allen Ave hosts the Family Fun Zone, and restaurants and bars along County Roads 3 and 66, plus the National Loon Center's Nest at 14303 Gould St, carry the evening and midday events.
Is Crosslake Days family-friendly?
Yes, very much so. There is a kids' playground beside the Log Church art fair, a Family Fun Zone at Town Square, s'mores at the campground bonfire, a loon-calling contest that kids adore, and the annual Lost Chili Pepper hunt that turns the whole town into a game board for three days.
How far is Crosslake Days from 16138 Zigmund Dr?
Crosslake is about six miles south of the listing on Mitchell Lake, an easy country drive down county roads. During the 2026 festival weekend, visitors could pair the event with the property's own open house, which ran Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon; the home remains available to tour by appointment any day.
Lake weekend, any weekend
Festival days, lake evenings, six miles apart.
Crosslake Days is the rare festival you can work around a real lake day: during the 2026 weekend, festival-goers could hit the Log Church fair in the morning, stop by the open house at 16138 Zigmund Dr (Saturday, September 26 from 10 a.m. to noon), then end the day at the property's own lakeside firepit. That open house has now passed, and the home is available to tour by appointment any day.
The listing pairs 123 feet of private sandy beach, level elevation, five bedrooms, 3.33 acres, and a 30x60 shop, all six miles north of the festival. Noah will open the door, walk you to the water, and tell you which lake-country traditions anchor each season.
Plan the next one
Come for the festival whenever it returns, stay for the lake.
The 2026 Crosslake Days weekend ran September 24-26, and the open house at 16138 Zigmund Dr was Saturday morning of that weekend. The festival returns each late September, and the lake home is available to tour by appointment any day in between. Book a private tour and see what crosslake-country living feels like.