Chislic Festival Story

We are beyond excited for the 5th Annual South Dakota Chislic Festival which will be held on Saturday, July 29 at Freeman’s 40-acre Prairie Arboretum from 10AM to 9PM.  The festival committees are busy preparing a chislic-day filled with food, beverages, activities, and entertainment for all ages.  The SDCF will again have its own booth serving chislic.  This year, we are excited the SDCF will be the provider of all alcohol at the festival, with proceeds directly supporting the festival infrastructure.  You do not want to miss this event.  See you there!

Our vision is to develop the South Dakota Chislic Festival into the region’s premier food festival by providing an exemplary experience in all facets of our festival.

The tradition of chislic comes not from cities, the wealthy or the privileged, but from the rural, hardworking farm tradition of the Germans from Russia people.  We thrive on the rural, while building the region through vibrant community.

The South Dakota Chislic Festival began into 2018 with a desire to promote Freeman and the greater Chislic Circle, building on the food and heritage of our region.  We were totally overwhelmed by the massive influx of people from all over the country.  The lines were long and slow.  Parking was crowded.  We listened to the feedback.  And the festival board regrouped, and so much more.

With 10 months of planning to get it right, the 2019 festival feedback proved we did just that….. We got it right.  The 2nd Annual festival was a resounding success.

Like many other events, the 2020 Chislic Festival was impacted by COVID-19. In April 2020, the Festival board voted to suspend their plans to host the 2020 Chislic Festival.The safety of everyone concerned was the primary reason for this decision.

The festivals in 2021 and 2022 were a resounding success. We hope to make the fifth annual festival on Saturday, July 29 the best experience yet. We hope to see you there!