National Baby Food Festival

Annually held the third week of July. Family fun and a celebration of children are the key components in our one-of-a-kind National Baby Food Festival (NBFF).  The city of more than 4,000 is transformed for one week in July into the Family Fun Capital showcasing Fremont as a great place to LIVE, WORK, & PLAY! The Festival has been made possible through the generous support of sponsors such as Nestle Nutrition/Gerber Products Company, Gerber Life Insurance, and many more!  Well over 100 Newaygo County volunteer share their time and talents to ensure the National Baby Food Festival has a wide variety of well run activities for families to enjoy. 

What would a Baby Food Festival be without those baby-oriented activities?  Even for those without infants, the Baby Crawl is a very entertaining event. 

The Festival kicks off on Wednesday with a 4-H Children’s Petting Zoo and Kid’s Expo. The Kid’s Zone is open every day; Wednesday through Saturday, where children of all ages can participate in activities such as arts and crafts, games, and so much more!  The National Baby Food Festival is proud of the annual Special Kids Day event. This event is designed to provide festival access to kids with special needs who are 18 years of age or younger who may not otherwise be able to attend.

Do you remember the days of feeding the baby, when it seemed more food wound up on the baby’s face, chair, and the floor, than in the baby’s mouth?  The NBFF reminds us of those days with a Baby Food Eating Contest.  Participants work in pairs trying to feed a jar of baby food to their partner – while blindfolded! The famous Baby Food Cupcake Challenge is held on Saturday. This event showcases both adult’s and children’s culinary talents with using baby food in your cupcake recipes.  Give it a try and enter your recipe in the NBFF Baby Food Cupcake Challenge, you could be the winner of a prize and earn bragging rights!

Other festival activities include a wide variety of contests, musicians, clowns, and more. Children’s activities include frog jumping, turtle racing, bubble gum blowing and hula-hoop contests, obstacle course, bike race, and much more. Our Carnival, TJ Schmidt Carnival, runs Wednesday through Saturday, with many Pay-One-Price opportunities.

Do you like a friendly game of 3 on 3?  Then get your team together and be sure to participate in the NBFF 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Fremont Community Recreational Center offering brackets for all ages! Get your game on and come have fun!

Area businesses and community members can compete in the NBFF Team Olympics.  In this event, adult teams compete in offbeat activities like the Tricycle Race with adults racing on kid-sized trikes, baby food eating, and other contests.  The time is now to assemble your team of friends, family, and coworkers and begin spring training to compete in the annual Bed Race.

Everyone loves a parade, and we have two - a Children’s Parade and our signature Grand Parade, with over 100 entries. The legendary Car Show will be held on Saturday of festival! Owners of antique cars, muscle cars, trucks, Rat Rods, motorcycles, and more showcase their rides right down Main Street.  Check in for the car show at the corner of Main Street and Stewart.. A team of judges will be selecting award winners for a variety of classes. Make sure to stop by the Kids play area, and enjoy food from area vendors. This event will be held on Saturday immediately following the parade and concluding at 4 pm.

On the festival’s Main Stage, at the Veterans Memorial Park amphitheater will feature free entertainment all week long Friday night’s comedy show and Saturdays Mega Music Fest. Local entertainment will be the main attraction on the Community Stage which has been seated on the corner of Main Street and Division Avenue.

Don’t forget to visit the Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday before the National Baby Food Festival begins. Come enjoy the shade of Veterans Memorial Park where you will find a wide variety of vendors, there is sure to be something for everyone.

“Fremont draws over 50,000 people to Fremont each year for the Festival. The National Baby Food Festival has a reputation for providing good clean family fun, so come and join us for the Festival!

For event details, entry forms, or questions, call the NBFF office at 231-924-0770. Be sure to like the National Baby Food Festival on Facebook too!