Plover native organizes holiday music festival at Lake Pacawa

By Brandi Makuski

PLOVER — A last-minute Fourth of July weekend event is bringing live DJs, food trucks, and a large-scale light show to Lake Pacawa next week.

Freedom Fest 2026 is scheduled for Friday, July 3, from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Lake Pacawa bandshell. Admission is free, and organizers say the family-friendly event will feature a lineup of DJs from around Wisconsin, along with food trucks and an elaborate production that includes lasers, lighting effects, fog and cold spark displays.

The event is being organized by 20-year-old Zach Patten, a Plover native who now lives in the Wausau area and works as an engineer for Kwik Trip.

Patten said the idea came together quickly after friends and community members encouraged him to host an event over the holiday weekend.

“Over the last two weeks, we had a lot of people reach out to me asking to host something,” Patten said. “A lot of people from Plover, because that’s where I grew up for the first 18 years, wanted me to come back.”

Patten said he contacted local sponsors and fellow DJs to help make the event happen. Sponsors include Culver’s of Plover and Phelps Dairy, which helped cover costs associated with permits and use of the bandshell.

He said DJs from Madison, Wausau and other parts of the state are expected to perform.

Unlike traditional Fourth of July celebrations, Freedom Fest will not include fireworks. At least, this year.

Patten said organizers explored the possibility but were unable to secure the necessary arrangements in time. Instead, the event will feature cold spark effects and an extensive light show.

“We’re going to have one of the best laser shows and light shows and fog and effects you’ll ever see around at least the Wisconsin area,” he said.

The evening will begin with country and patriotic music before transitioning into pop and electronic dance music later in the night.

Patten said organizers intend to keep the event family-friendly, with radio-edited music played for most of the evening.

According to promotional materials, the show will feature more than 200 lighting and laser effects throughout the event.

While the event shares a name with a former community celebration, organizers say Freedom Fest 2026 is a new event and is not affiliated with Celebrate Plover.

Lake Pacawa has hosted major community festivals for decades. During the 1970s and 1980s, the park was home to the Golden Sands Festival, a three-day community celebration organized by the Plover Whiting Lions Club. The event later evolved through several name changes, including Downtown Plover Days and Freedom Fest, before becoming today’s Celebrate Plover festival, which is held annually at the end of July.

Patten said he only recently learned about the former Freedom Fest while promoting the July 3 event.

“I actually didn’t know anything about that,” he said. “But it’s really cool that we’re bringing back a very different version, but also kind of the same idea.”

Celebrate Plover continues as the village’s annual summer festival and is scheduled to take place later in July.

While only food trucks have been confirmed so far, Patten said organizers remain open to adding vendors or other participants before the event.

Freedom Fest 2026 will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. July 3 at the Lake Pacawa bandshell. Admission is free.