World's Largest Brat Fest, Madison, Wisconsin, Memorial Day Weekend, May 28-31, 2010

 

Mission: HISTORY

In
1983, in an effort to thank the customers of his family-owned and
operated grocery store, Tom Metcalfe (1935 – 2006) created a
modest brat fry with a table, three chairs and a Weber grill. He cooked
up brats and sold them for 50¢ with a FREE Pepsi; people soon
flocked to the store on Memorial Day weekend for a taste of the
Wisconsin staple.



As word of mouth about the Memorial Day event
at Hilldale grew, so did people’s appetites, eventually creating
so much demand for the juicy bratwursts that Tom Metcalfe needed to
find help – and then came the volunteers. With a strong
foundation and belief in community, Tom decided to donate the proceeds
to the organizations whose members helped serve up the mouth-watering
sausages.



Johnsonville came on board as a major sponsor in 2000,
donating 150,000 brats, and then Tom, along with his two sons, Tim and
Kevin, began to count. Each year, they kept counting, and in 2004, when
the Metcalfes sold a whopping 189,432 brats in that parking lot, it
became the World’s Largest Brat Fest. Good thing they found more
chairs!



As the years went by, it became even more popular, and
in 2005 the World’s Largest Brat Fest moved to Willow Island at
the Alliant Energy Center to better accommodate the growing crowds
eager to continue the tradition. Willow Island proved to be a great
fit, and the World’s Largest Brat Fest was voted “Best
Outdoor Festival” by Madison.com readers in 2008.



Thanks
to Tom Metcalfe who started Brat Fest 27 years ago in an effort to
cele”brat”e and thank his customers and the City of
Madison’s declaration, Madison is now known as the Brat Capital
of the World! Since 1983 - 2,634,255 brats have been devoured,
including a World Record of 208,752 brats in 2009. All of this eating
has raised $855,723 for local charities!



To spread the love all
year long, Tim & Kevin Metcalfe established Brat Fest Community
Fund, Inc., a foundation that continues Brat Fest’s community
involvement with organizations and community projects that align with
Brat Fest’s mission. The Brat Fest Bike Team also carries on that
tradition of community and raises money for the Boys & Girls Club
of Dane County. The 2009 team consisted of 47 riders that raised a
total of $36,958, making a whopping to date contribution of $99,506 to
the Boys & Girls Club since the team’s inception!



Who knew bratwursts could do so much? Products: WHAT'S IN THE BUN?

- Johnsonville Brat: $1.50

- Double Johnny [ 2 Juicy Brats in 1 Bun!]: $3.00

- Oscar Mayer Hot Dog: $1.50

- Yves Brats [vegetarian]: $1.50



COOL CONDIMENTS! [FREE]

- Relish

- Ketchup

- Frank's Sauerkraut

- Chopped Onions

- Brat Fest Mustards [ Dusseldorf Brown, Italian Herb, Honey Mustard, World Record, Garlic & Horseradish, Chipotle]



ICE COLD BEVERAGES - non alcoholic: $1.50

- Bottle Water

- Diet Pepsi

- Mountain Dew

- Sprite

- Tropicana Lemonade

- Ice Tea



ICE COLD BREWS: $5.00

- Capital Amber [14 oz]

- Capital Island Wheat [14 oz]

- Budweiser [16 oz]

- Bud Light [16 oz]



FAMILY FUN

- Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

- Full Carnival

- Rutabaga Kayak Rides

- Boulder's Climbing Wall



WORLD'S LARGEST BRAT FEST STATS!

CURRENT WORLD RECORD: 208,752

SET ON: MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2009

- Johnsonville Brats Consumed in lbs: 41,550 lbs. (that’s over 20 tons!)

- Brats consumed [stacked end-to-end]: 19.77 miles

- BCM: Brats Consumed per Minute: 94.03

- Average Number of Brats Eaten Per Person: Not

sure – But It’s A Lot!

- Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Consumed: 22,160

- Boca Brats Consumed: 10,176

- Village Hearth Buns Consumed: 220,020

- 20 oz Pepsi Bottles Consumed: 53,568

- Amount of Onions Consumed: 1,640 lbs.

- Amount of Mustard Consumed: 176 Gallons

- Amount of Ketchup Consumed: 300 Gallons

- Amount of Relish Consumed: 172 Gallons

- Amount of Sauerkraut Consumed: 3,978 lbs.

- Number of 5 ft. Grills to cook brats: 24

- Amount of Grilling Capacity: 14,400 BPH (brats per hour)

- Number of FREE Live Bands: 50

- Hours of FREE Music: 80

- Number of Volunteers: 3,960

- Number of Volunteer Hours: 12,192

- Number of Participating Charities: 78

- Brat Man: There’s only 1 Brat Man!

- Population of Madison, WI: 223,389

- Brats Eaten Per Madisonian: .934 per person

- Money Raised for Charities since 1983: $855,723

- Brats Sold since 1983: 263.4 Tons

- Largest Elephant Ever Recorded: 13.5 Tons

- Miles to Sheboygan, WI: 141.7 Miles

- Number of Celebrity Cashiers: 63

- Marriage Proposals: 1 Accepted

- Brat Capital of the World: Madison, WI