COLLINSVILLE – The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Festival is back and coming to Uptown Collinsville on Saturday, July 8, 2023. The new location is Herald Square Collinsville at 119 East Clay Street.
After a five-year hiatus, organizers decided to start pouring it on again. “We were presented with an opportunity to partner with the team at Old Herald,” said chairman Mike “The Big Tomato” Gassmann. “It’s a great new community gathering space right here in our historic business district.”
Derik Reiser, owner of Old Herald Brewery and Herald Square, said, “We’re really excited. This is going to be a whole lot of fun.” He also said he knows this will create interest and a lot of foot traffic to help promote the entire uptown Collinsville area.
Events and activities include the Princess Tomato and Sir Catsup Contest, old-fashion party games, tater-tots and hot dogs smothered in ketchup eating contests, and a ketchup tasting booth.
NEW this year is the Mascot Madness Dance-off featuring Louie from the St. Louis Blues and other professional and collegiate sports mascots.
For more details visit www.catsupbottlefestival.com
The first Catsup Bottle Festival was held in 1999 to celebrate the roadside attraction’s 50th birthday. The world’s Largest Catsup Bottle was built as a water tower for the Brooks catsup factory in 1949. It was saved from demolition in 1995 thanks to the Catsup Bottle Preservation Group and a nationwide fundraising campaign. The historic landmark is a member of the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Old Herald Brewery & Distillery at 115 East Clay was opened in 2019 in the newly restored historic Collinsville Herald newspaper building. A family-friendly full service restaurant featuring craft beer and distilled spirits all made in house on site. Herald Square is an adjacent outdoor concert and event space opened in 2022.
