Cereal Fest
Battle Creek, Michigan
Indulge in a colorful, crispy bowl of cereal in Battle Creek on the second Saturday of June.
The National Cereal Fest is one of Michigan’s sweetest summer festivals. It has free breakfast, magic, music and bounce houses.
Why cereal?
Battle Creek is the town where the Kellogg brothers found a way to make breakfast quick and easy. In 1894, they accidentally discovered how to turn grain into flakes. That discovery eventually became Corn Flakes.
This is where C.W. Post started a business in a barn that became a worldwide corporation. He first termed the phrase “Road to Wellville,” and that road started here.
Cereal began as a health food, but Post and Kellogg made it fun, too. And we celebrate that every year in June.
World’s Longest Breakfast Table
The Battle Creek festival first made it into the Guiness Book of World Records in 1979, shortly after it became a regular event.
It was called the World’s Longest Breakfast Table because tables were set up end-to-end, creating one long table that stretched through downtown.
This tasty tradition is still the best part of the festival. While the long table no longer runs along Michigan Avenue, you can find space at tables set up along McCamly Avenue for the festival.
Volunteers pour bowls of cereal from Kellogg’s and Post. In case you didn’t grow up in Battle Creek, that includes: Fruity Pebbles, Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Golden Crisp and more. Prairie Farms Dairy, another local business, provides the milk.
Meet our celebrities
The Cereal Festival is on Saturday, but arrive a day early to catch the parade through downtown Battle Creek.
The parade is led by some familiar faces: Tony the Tiger and Sugar Bear, along with their friends.
They are usually around before the parade to give out hugs, but if you want to get a photo with our local celebrities then head to Festival Market Square during the Cereal Festival. Tony Tiger and Sugar Bear will be around to pose for pictures and accept high-fives.
Wait, there’s more!
Battle Creek has a lot of fun festivals going on in the summer. Cereal Fest is just the beginning.
Look to the skies for Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival at the end of June; there will be airplane stunts, hot air balloons, giant kites, circus performances and carnival rides.
Rock out at Leilapalooza in July; this all-day music festival has a unique venue, set among the monsters and wizards of Fantasy Forest at Leila Arboretum.
End the summer with Backyard Burgers & Brews at the end of August. Dozens of food vendors serve everything from curry to paella to Southern BBQ; it’s spread throughout the social district, so you can get a drink at local restaurants and take it with you while walking around.