The village of Pepin, Wisconsin, sits quietly along the banks of Lake Pepin, a wide, glittering stretch of the Mississippi River. On most days, its main street is a study in small-town calm — a few boutiques, a winery, and the kind of unhurried pace that draws visitors seeking a slower rhythm. But on the second full weekend of every September, the village swells with thousands of visitors who come for something far more specific: a chance to step back into the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Days, known locally simply as Laura Days, returns to Pepin on September 12 and 13, 2026, for its 35th year. The free, family-friendly festival celebrates the life and literary legacy of the author who was born in a log cabin just north of the village, where her early adventures became the basis of her book, Little House in the Big Woods.
The festival's roots run deep in the community. Laura Days started in Pepin in 1991, organized by a group of volunteers. For more than three decades, the event has been supported through donations and grants, evolving each year while retaining its core mission: celebrating the writings and life of Wilder. Originally formed as a committee under the Village of Pepin, the organizing group recently made what its website charmingly describes as "the short trip to the Pepin Peppies Community Club," a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that became the festival's host organization.
The Pepin Peppies, whose mission is to mobilize volunteers to participate in projects, events and outreach activities that encourages community camaraderie and connects people of all ages, have brought fresh energy to the festival.
The weekend's schedule reads like a page torn from a pioneer-era almanac. Saturday opens with a 5K Run/Walk through the scenic hillsides, followed by a full day of traditional craft demonstrations, a reading marathon, and barrel train rides for children. The River Valley Raptors bring a golden eagle demonstration to the main stage, while the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum opens its doors for the weekend. Visitors can meet an actor portraying Mary Ingalls, Laura's older sister, throughout the day at the Depot.
Music is central to the festival's soul. Pa's Fiddle Showcase brings the tunes that shaped Laura's era to the main stage, and the evening closes with square dancing led by Myron Hollatz and a music jam in the Traditional Crafts Area. The fiddlers, the festival's organizers promise, will be back on stage to help relive the magic of the music that shaped Laura's era.
Sunday brings the much-anticipated Grand Parade, a pancake breakfast at the Pepin Schools cafeteria, and a slate of contests that test both pioneer skills and literary knowledge. The pie eating contest, tomahawk throwing contest, and flint and steel fire-starting contest offer hands-on connections to the past, while the spelling bee and the Laura Contest reward young readers who have immersed themselves in Wilder's books.
The festival's setting is inseparable from its story. Pepin's history is intertwined with Wilder's. The village was established in 1856 by the Pepin brothers, early French trappers enchanted by the area's natural beauty, and became a steamboat boomtown familiar to Mark Twain. But it was the Ingalls family's arrival that would give the village its enduring claim to fame. Laura was born in a log cabin just north of the village, and a reconstruction of the cabin built by Pa Ingalls sits at the birth site on County Road CC.
The museum in the heart of Pepin, at 306 Third Street, offers a deeper dive into Laura's early life and the village's pioneer history. Open daily from May 1 through October 31, the museum and gift shop offer visitors a chance to learn more about Laura's early life and the early history of Pepin.
For the village of Pepin, Laura Days is more than a celebration — it's a point of pride. The festival draws an estimated 3,000 visitors each year, drawn to the stage entertainment, music, contests, traditional crafts, food, and kids' activities set against the scenic hillsides.
As the 2026 festival approaches, the organizers' message is one of continuity and welcome. "Get ready for an unforgettable experience at Laura Days 2026," the festival's website reads. "The fiddlers will be back on stage to help us relive the magic of the music that shaped Laura's era. Our festival will also showcase the much-loved traditions, friendly faces, and the sense of community you've come to expect from us."
For the thousands who make the pilgrimage to Pepin each September, Laura Days offers something increasingly rare: a tangible connection to a beloved story and the place where it all began. It's a weekend where children can try their hand at flint and steel, where fiddles fill the air, and where a little girl born in a log cabin in the Big Woods is remembered.