Welcome To The Kool-Aid Days Festival

Join in on the fun and be a part of our events all weekend long! Show off your float in the Downtown Parade, become a food vendor at the main event or even sign up to run (or walk) the 5K Fun Run - we’ve got fun for every organization and member of the family!

Schedule of Events

August 16, 2025

10am: Kool-Aid Days Grand Parade

Our goal is to create a  colorful and interesting parade, which will not only celebrate Kool-Aid Days and the official arrival of  Kool-Aid Man, but will also showcase some of the other wonderful festivals, celebrations, and cultural  attractions in Nebraska. As well, we want to have all the elements of the parades many of us remember form our childhoods, with horse, fire engines, kids, clowns, and of course, representatives of all the  important civic organizations in our area.  

We are expecting thousands of people to attend Kool-Aid Days event this year. We are excited to  announce that this year we are teaming up with the Oregon Trail Rodeo and the two events will be held  together, this is a wonderful opportunity for your organization to not only show your support for Kool Aid Days, but to make thousands of visitors aware of your work.  

Please consider joining us for this exciting event. The joy of Kool-Aid Days can be shown in many ways,  but our old fashioned "Grand Parade" is an obvious expression of our philosophy of creating an affordable celebration for the whole family-"Kids of ALL Ages!"

August 17, 2025

9am: 5K Fun Run/1 Mile Walk

Join us at Lake Hastings on Sunday morning for some exercise around the lake. The majority of the route is on paved streets through residential and rural areas. Prizes for the top 3 overall winners. Race will happen rain or shine, can’t wait  to see you there!

Registration & Packet Pick-up begins at 8:00am

Click here for Registration

2pm: Kardboard Boat Races

The Kool-Aid Kardboard Boat Races are a featured event of Kool-Aid Days, and will be held on Lake Hastings Sunday afternoon during Kool-Aid Days.
Individuals will compete in 3 age categories:

Youth (ages 7-12)

Junior (ages 13 – 17)

Adult (age 18+)

Teams will compete in 2 categories:

Youth (ages 7 – 12)

Adult (age 13+)

Team category is determined by the age of oldest member of the team on race day.
Medals will be awarded to the fastest boats in each division and trophies will be given for the following: Best Kool-Aid Days Theme, Most Spectacular Sinking, People Choice and The Kool-Aid Cup. First place winners in each category and division compete for the Kool-Aid Cup in a separate race.
Here are a few hints an tips on cardboard boat construction:

During construction, consider how heavy the wet cardboard building materials will be. It’s better to design a boat that uses less cardboard.

Cardboard can be found at recycling centers, appliance stores, department stores, discount clubs, electronic stores, etc.

Care should be taken that construction does not include pointed objects and sharp edges that could injure anyone

Download Rules & Registraion

Date:
August 15-17, 2025

Location:
Adams County Fairgrounds, 947 South Baltimore Avenue, Hastings, NE 68901
Starts at Lake Hastings. Registration at Picnic Pavillion.
Lake Hastings

Click here for More Information