Heads up: Finalist vendors and dish descriptions are verified to the Wisconsin State Fair announcement (April 28, 2026). Exact booth locations on the fairgrounds are finalized closer to opening day — look for the 13-foot Spork or Drinkie statue at each finalist booth. Confirm with wistatefair.com the day you go.
Sporkies & Drinkies 2026 at a Glance
The fastest summary of the 2026 finalists, judging day, and the 11-day fair window where you can actually taste them.
Fair Dates
Aug 6–16, 2026 · 175th anniversary
Sporkies Finalists
8 dishes from 29 entries
Drinkies Finalists
4 drinks from 24 entries
Judging Day
Tuesday, Aug 4, 2026 (pre-fair)
Winners Announced
Day after judging — opening weekend
What Winners Get
Golden Spork & Golden Cup trophies
Find Finalists By
13-ft Spork or Drinkie statue at booth
Past Champ
Saz's took the 2024 Sporkies (Deep-Fried Lemonade Bites)
What the Sporkies & Drinkies Are
A short history of how Wisconsin's most-photographed fair food competition got started — and why every vendor pours their best new idea into the entry window every spring.
The Sporkies (since 2013)
The Wisconsin State Fair launched the Sporkies in 2013 as a way to spotlight the wildest, most-creative new dish on the fairgrounds each year. Vendors who already sell at the fair submit a single new menu item — historically anything from deep-fried lemonade bites to ube banana lumpia to brat rangoon. Staff pick eight finalists, a panel of celebrity judges tastes them in a single pre-fair session, and the winner takes home the Golden Spork. Now in its 13th year, the Sporkies has become one of the most-copied state fair food formats in the country.
The Drinkies (since 2023)
The Drinkies debuted in 2023 to mark the Sporkies' 10th anniversary — a four-finalist beverage competition with the same format and the same vendor pool. Winners take home the Golden Cup. Drinkies finalists trend toward spectacle: color-changing syringe potions, smoke-box spritzes, edible garnishes that clip onto the rim. 2026 is the Drinkies' fourth year, with 24 entries narrowed to four finalists.
The 8 Sporkies Finalists
Eight dishes, 29 entries, one Golden Spork on the line. Vendors and descriptions verified to the Wisconsin State Fair's official announcement.
The 4 Drinkies Finalists
Four drinks, 24 entries, one Golden Cup on the line. The 2026 Drinkies lean spectacle — syringes, smoke boxes, chicken nuggets on the rim of a lemonade.
Judging Day & How the Winners Are Picked
The Sporkies and Drinkies winners are actually crowned before the fair opens — by the time you walk in on Wednesday, the trophies are already won.
When Judging Happens
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 — two days before the fair opens. A panel of celebrity judges (revealed by the State Fair closer to the date) tastes every Sporkies dish and every Drinkies drink in a single pre-fair session at State Fair Park.
What Winners Get
The Golden Spork (food) and the Golden Cup (drink). Beyond the hardware, the winning vendors get to sell their item all 11 days of the fair with the title attached — and historically that translates to a season-defining sales bump.
When Winners Are Announced
Winners are revealed publicly just ahead of opening day on Wednesday, August 5 / Thursday, August 6, 2026, via the State Fair's press channels and on-site signage. By the time you walk through the Main Gate, the trophies are already won.
Is There a People's Choice?
The 2026 Sporkies and Drinkies competitions are judged by the celebrity panel — there is no public People's Choice ballot. (The State Fair runs separate People's Choice voting on its broader new-foods lineup; the Sporkies & Drinkies are judges-only.) The closest fan input is the lines that form at each booth all 11 days.
How a Booth Becomes a Finalist
Vendors who sell at the fair submit menu-item entries in the spring (29 Sporkies entries and 24 Drinkies entries this year). State Fair staff narrow the field to 8 Sporkies and 4 Drinkies finalists, announced in late April. Every entered vendor — finalist or not — gets a sticker at their booth so fairgoers can find them.
Where to Find Each Finalist on the Fairgrounds
A by-area summary of where the 12 finalist booths sit. Every finalist booth has a 13-foot Spork or Drinkie statue planted next to it as your visual landmark in 2026 — and a free tear-off map at any information kiosk plots every booth.
Central Mall
The dense middle of the fairgrounds — start here. Bayou Crunch Cup (Exotic Meat Grill), Porky Puff (Bud Pavilion), Al Pastor Pizza (Charlie's Pizza) and Hot Honey Chicken Lemonade (Deep-Fried Mashed Potatoes On-a-Stick) all sit in or right off Central Mall.
Main Street
The long north-south spine. Cream City Cone (WürstBar) and Cookie Butter Coffee Float (Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts) anchor this corridor. Easy walking from the Main Gate.
Grandstand Avenue
South-side stretch near the Grandstand. Deep-Fried Horchata Balls (Badger Bites) and Color-Changing Swamp Juice (All Things Jerky) are here — pair them as a sweet-spectacle one-two.
Main Gate Plaza
Blue Moon Tavern at the Park — home of the Tinga Tango Chicharrones — sits in the plaza near the Main Gate. First or last stop, depending on the day.
South Gate Area
Fiesta Grill & Cantina — Birria Flamin' Bombs — operates closer to the South Gate. Hit it on your way in or out from the south parking lots.
Carnival Midway
Old Fashioned Sipper Club — Tilt-A-Spritz — lives near the carnival rides. The smoke-box presentation is a built-for-Instagram stop before or after the Tilt-A-Whirl.
Multiple Stands — Saz's BBQ
Saz's BBQ runs more than one stand on the fairgrounds, so the Sweet Lemon Berry Cheese Curds are the easiest finalist to track down all day. If you only get one Sporkies stop in, this is the safe pick — and Saz's is the reigning 2024 Sporkies champ.
Iconic Past Winners
Short context for first-timers — the dishes and drinks that built the Sporkies' reputation and made Saz's the brand to beat.
2024
Sporkies: Deep-Fried Lemonade Bites — Saz's BBQ
Drinkies / Note: Slushie of the Year — Slushie Brothers (Drinkies)
2023
Sporkies: Brat Rangoon — On-A-Stick
Drinkies / Note: Inaugural Drinkies year — debuted to mark 10 years of Sporkies
Earlier
Sporkies: Past Sporkies winners include Ube Banana Lumpia, the OG Cheese Curd Tacos, and a long line of deep-fried dessert champions.
Drinkies / Note: Sporkies launched in 2013; the contest is one of the most copied fair-food formats in the country.
Tips for Fair-Going Foodies
The strategy locals use to taste the whole Sporkies + Drinkies bracket without blowing your budget or your stomach.
Go on a Weekday, Early
Sporkies finalist lines balloon after 4 p.m. on weekends. Tuesday–Thursday between noon and 3 p.m. is the cleanest run at the dishes — and gives you a couple of hours to sleep off the cheese curds before round two.
Split Everything
Eight Sporkies + four Drinkies is 12 items. Even at fair-sample portions that is too much for one person. Bring two or three people, split every order, and you actually get to taste the whole bracket.
Hit Saz's Last
Saz's BBQ has multiple stands on the grounds so the Sweet Lemon Berry Cheese Curds are the easiest finalist to track down all day. Save it for last — it'll be there when nothing else is.
Look for the 13-Foot Spork
A giant 13-foot Spork or Drinkie statue marks every finalist booth in 2026. If you can't find one, the State Fair's printed tear-off map (free at info kiosks) has every finalist plotted.
Pair a Drinkie With a Sporkie
Color-Changing Swamp Juice pairs surprisingly well with the Bayou Crunch Cup — both lean Cajun-coded. The Tilt-A-Spritz cuts through Birria Flamin' Bombs. Cookie Butter Coffee Float is the dessert closer with the Horchata Balls.
Cash a Little, Tap Mostly
State Fair vendors broadly accept tap-to-pay in 2026, but a few smaller booths still prefer cash. Carry $40 in small bills for tips and the corner-case stand.
Pace the Salt
The 2026 lineup leans savory — chicharrones, brats, alligator, birria. Drink water between finalists, not just Drinkies. The Main Gate and Central Mall have free water-bottle filling stations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tap a question to expand. Covers the 2026 finalists, judging, voting, where to find them and the contest's history.
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