Know Before You Go: The 2026 St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival

The annual St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival in Cedar Rapids is happening this weekend! Here's a rundown of everything you need to know if you're planning to attend the 3-day event in 2026:

St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival via Facebook

Corn Husking

With 18,000 ears of corn to prepare, St. Jude is depending on volunteers to help out! If you'd like to help shuck and clean corn, all you have to do is show up at the food canopy tent on the church grounds on Thursday, August 6th at 9 a.m.

Dates/Times

The 2026 St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival is happening this weekend, August 7th through 9th at St. Jude Catholic Church (50 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids). The official festival hours are:

• Friday, August 7th from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Saturday, August 8th from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sunday, August 9th from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission

Daily admission into the Sweet Corn Festival is $5 for ages 11 to 59. If you attend the festival on Friday or Saturday and plan to go back on Sunday, make sure you keep your wristband on for free Sunday admission!

Additionally, all pre-registered volunteers will receive free festival admission, and all children ages 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Security

The St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival website notes that there is a bag policy again this year, and that "all bags are subject to inspection at any time on church grounds." If a purse/bag is larger than 5” x 7”, it must be clear. Exceptions may be made for medical or family needs "after proper inspection."

Here are items that will NOT be allowed into the festival:

• No weapons, firearms, or knives
• No facemasks (unless medical grade)
• No pets (except for service animals)
• No bikes, scooters, or other motorized vehicles (except for medical necessity)
• No outside food or drink (sealed water bottles/empty reusable water bottles are allowed)

There is no smoking or vaping permitted on the festival grounds.

Parking

There is some parking available on the church grounds off the Edgewood Rd entrance and 1st Ave entrance, but there will also be off-site parking with free shuttle service. The shuttles are set to run continuously from the MidAmerican Aerospace parking lot at Williams Blvd SW and 16th Ave SW. The shuttle hours are:

• Friday, August 7th from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Saturday, August 8th from 12 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Sunday, August 9th from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The website notes that "shuttles may run later if necessary to get patrons back to their vehicles."

Handicap and motorcycle parking are available off the church's 1st Ave entrance. You can check out an official festival map HERE.

Food

As mentioned above, the St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival will have around 18,000 ears of hot, buttered, sweet corn for sale for $1 each. But, there are plenty of other food options, too! The festival will have several food tents with items burgers, hot dogs, roasted potatoes, walking tacos, funnel cakes, pie & ice cream, and their famous sloppy joes.

Credit/debit cards and cash are accepted throughout the fair. There will also be ATMs on site.

Entertainment

The festival will have two different stages for live entertainment: the Family Entertainment Stage and the Beverage Tent Stage. Here's the lineup for both stages:

• Family Entertainment Stage (all ages)
  • Friday, August 7th
    • 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Jasmine
    • 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. - Hayden Ostwinkle
  • Saturday, August 8th
    • 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. - Cherie's Dance Studio
    • 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Greg Helton
    • 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Ice Cream and the Cones
    • 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Relaxed Fit Band
  • ​Sunday, August 9th
    • 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. - Echoes of Mercy
    • 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Ship of Fools
• Beverage Tent Stage (ages 21+)
  • Friday, August 7th
    • 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Westwood
  • Saturday, August 8th
    • 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Jake Stack and the Cat Eyes
    • 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Gimikk
  • Sunday, August 9th
    • 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Dogs on Skis

The Raffle

As always, the St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival will be giving away a car at the end of the event on Sunday. The car raffle tickets are $10 each and can only be purchased with cash. They can be found at the Car Raffle Booth, which is located in the middle of the food tent. The winner will be chosen at 6 p.m. on Sunday, and you do not have to be present to win.

The grand prize in 2026 is your choice of a 2026 Chevy Trax or $20,000. There will also be five $1,000 prizes given away. You must be 18+ to win.

Other Activities

In addition to all the food, entertainment, and fun listed above, here are some of the other activities happening at the 2026 St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival:

• Bags Tournament
  • Saturday at 12 p.m. in the Beverage Tent
  • Teams are still needed - just show up on Saturday before noon
  • Must be age 21+

• BINGO
  • Bingo is 50-cents per card
  • Dates/Times
    • Friday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
    • Saturday from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
    • Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  • "Blackout 100% payout will be on Sunday, the very last game"
• Carnival Rides
  • Tickets for rides are sold inside the festival at designated ticket booths near the rides
  • Each ticket is $1, and each ride costs anywhere from 2 to 5 tickets
  • Ride ticket sales end one hour before closing each night of the festival

• Game Zone Tent
  • Dates/Times
    • Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
    • Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    • Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Features games for all ages and face painting
  • Tickets are 50-cents each, with games ranging from 1 to 8 tickets

For more information about the 2026 St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival, visit the official website HERE.

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READ MORE: A Huge List of August 2026 Fairs, Festivals, & Events Across Eastern Iowa