Wisconsin State Fair Unveils Its 2026 Best New Food, Drink Finalists
If there is one thing Wisconsin does just as well as anywhere, it's turning a summer fair into a full-blown food adventure, and every year, the Wisconsin State Fair kicks off the countdown with its most mouth-watering tradition: the Sporkies.
For anyone who has never made the trip down to West Allis, the Sporkies are the Fair's new-food competition, launched in 2013 to challenge vendors to dream up the most over-the-top, Instagram-worthy creations. Its beverage counterpart, the Drinkies, does the same for next-level drinks.
This year, in honor of the Wisconsin State Fair's 175th anniversary, vendors went bigger than ever, with eight Sporkies finalists chosen from 29 food entries and four Drinkies finalists from 24 drinks.
How It Works
Each year, a panel of celebrity judges samples every finalist and crowns the Golden Spork and Golden Cup winners. This year's winners will be announced on Tuesday, August 4.
The champions earn statewide bragging rights and get to serve their creation to hundreds of thousands of fairgoers across the Fair's 11-day run. Finalist stands are easy to spot, too, each marked by a towering 13-foot spork statue.
Last year, Lumpia City took the Golden Spork for its Ube Butter Banana French Toast Lumpia, while Rock & Roll Beer Garden won the Golden Cup with its glittering Purple Rain Refresher.
WürstBar and Charlie's Pizza both landed on the 2025 podium, and however you feel about their odds, both are back swinging again this year.
So who are the finalists for 2026? Take a look at the full lineup below.
The 2026 Sporkies Finalists (Food)
Bayou Crunch Cup — Exotic Meat Grill. A towering cup of sidewinder fries, Cajun slaw and alligator nuggets, plus crawfish bites and comeback sauce, topped with pickled okra and a whole crawfish.
Cream City Cone — WürstBar. A warm pretzel cone dipped in dill pickle mustard and packed with bratwurst, onions, mushrooms, cheddar, and a breaded white cheddar cheese curd. Yes, it is a brat in a cone.
Tinga Tango Chicharrones — Blue Moon Tavern at the Park. Crispy honey-habanero pork rinds stacked with chicken tinga, pickled onions, queso fresco, cotija, candied jalapeños and cilantro-lime crema.
Porky Puff — Bud Pavilion. Flaky puff pastry filled with pulled pork, zesty peach filling and garlic-herb cheese, finished with hot honey and mustard seeds.
Deep-Fried Horchata Balls — Badger Bites. Cinnamon-sugar fried bites drizzled with dulce de leche and chocolate, then piled with coconut, plantain chips and mini chocolate chips.
Sweet Lemon Berry Cheese Curds — Saz's BBQ. Fried Ellsworth white cheddar curds tossed in cinnamon sugar, topped with raspberry sauce and a sweet lemon-zest whipped cream.
Al Pastor Pizza ��� Charlie's Pizza. A crisp-crust pizza loaded with marinated al pastor pork, pineapple, mozzarella, cilantro, onion, lime and a signature sauce.
Birria Flamin' Bombs — Fiesta Grill & Cantina. Crispy breaded bombs stuffed with slow-cooked beef birria and mozzarella, served with consommé and chipotle aioli for dipping.
The 2026 Drinkies Finalists (Beverages)
Hot Honey Chicken Lemonade — Deep-Fried Mashed Potatoes On-a-Stick. Fresh-squeezed lemonade sweetened with hot honey and garnished with honey-battered chicken nuggets and popping juice pearls.
Tilt-a-Spritz — Old Fashioned Sipper Club. A ruby grapefruit and key lime spritz with ginger beer, sealed in a smoke box with hickory and torched rosemary for a dramatic cloud when you open it.
Color-Changing Swamp Juice — All Things Jerky. Blue raspberry lemonade you transform with an injected "swamp potion," complete with gummy gators and a Pop Rocks rim.
Cookie Butter Coffee Float — Fluffy's Hand-Cut Donuts. Cookie butter-infused iced coffee blended with vanilla ice cream and topped with a Biscoff crumble.
Every Sporkies and Drinkies entry, not just the finalists, will be for sale when the Wisconsin State Fair returns to State Fair Park in West Allis, from August 6th to the 16th.
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Now for the fun part: which of these would you stand in line for, and which one sounds gloriously out of control? Debating that is the real Sporkies and Drinkies tradition.
2026 Wisconsin State Fair Main Stage Performers
Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth