Freedom Festival Buttons:
A Tradition since 1988!
1988 through 2025
The Button Beginning:
The Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival has a long history of producing unique, and one-of-a-kind buttons! The tradition started in 1988 where the first button was introduced and was on sale for $1. The concept was that buttons were encouraged to be worn each June/July to show your support of the Freedom Festival, a sense of pride in our community, and also act as a fundraiser to help pay for the events during that year’s festival.
Through the Years:
Over time, the button grew into a collectible with many long-time festival-goers collecting buttons from different years. The design process itself became a community event with an annual button design contest open to artists of all experience. The winning entry becomes the official button for that year. The contest helps the button remain fresh, creative, and meaningful to the community. Throughout the years, the contest has allowed community artist to share their talent with the festival and see their design all around town throughout the summer!
The Button Today:
As the festival has expanded from a one-day event into a multi-day, city-wide celebration with dozens of events, the button’s meaning has grown. Today, the button isn’t just a ticket, it’s nostalgic, symbolic, and something many locals collect to mark years of memories at the Freedom Festival celebrations. Now for just $10.00, you can gain access to a week full of events!
The Freedom Festival button remains a staple in the community each summer! As originally intended, the button remains the “ticket” or “entry pass” to many of the festival’s events. In recent years, the button allows entry to events including:
Drone Show
DockDogs
Yoga on the Island
Celebration of Freedom
AND a discount at the Pancake Breakfast!
The button has become more than just a ticket. Over the decades, it has turned into:
A symbol of community and pride: wearing it shows the support for the festival’s mission of community celebration
A keepsake & collectible: many people purchase a new one each year simple to build a collection
A fundraising backbone: button sales remain a major source of funding, helping cover expenses for each festival
A bridge between festival and local businesses: thanks to partnerships, our buttons now come with coupon books to local businesses!
