The Mad Hatter’s Fruitcake Party

We are all quite mad here.

The Independence Internationally Acclaimed Fruitcake Festival Saturday, December 20th at 5:30 PM

The eighteenth annual Fruitcake Festival is an opportunity to bake your prize-winning fruitcake, as well as dress in costume and participate in the costume contest.

This year, Sandy and the High Country will be playing!

You must bring a fruitcake or eggnog to go down the rabbit hole. Fruitcake judges will evaluate entries for the following categories: oldest, travelled the farthest, best of theme, most solids, and judges’ award. And, introduced last year, is the most popular fruitcake, as rated by fruitcake festivalgoers. Yes, YOU get to judge this category. For the other prizes, our fruitcake judges employ mechanical, empirical, and philosophical techniques to select winning fruitcakes in those categories.

Most people participate by wearing theme-oriented costumes. Not only do many people dress up their fruitcake, but they like to wear a costume as well. The Costume Contest is just the place to show off your creativity and the “Best Costume” prize is awarded to the person with the loudest applause.

This is the only “internationally” acclaimed Fruitcake Festival. Such venerable periodicals as the Washington Times, Country Living Magazine, and, of course, NPR, have written us up.

You bring a fruitcake or eggnog (with or without alcohol) to gain entrance to the Festival, and it is a family-friendly gathering. Homemade fruitcake or eggnog is preferred. The eggnog can be transported to the Festival in a milk jug. We have refrigeration on site. The eggnog is always served in elegant punch cups at the bar. It is worth the trip to Independence just for that fact alone.

Location: Legion Hall, Independence, CA Date/Time: December 20, 2025 at 5:30 pm