Czech festival tradition continues in Iowa in spite of changes

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Members of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church continued their longtime tradition of Czech Goulash Day, even as the parish was one of many in Iowa undergoing monumental changes this year.

Rain stayed at bay for the annual festival held Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, on the church grounds at 1224 Fifth St. SE, in Cedar Rapids.

Related: Rural Iowa parish suspends century-old festival

Annual parish fundraisers at St. Wenceslaus date back to 1894, then known as the Bazaar. The Bazaar was suspended during World War I, but the parish fundraisers resumed in 1922, and the festival marked 100 years in 2022.

This year’s event included raffles, a Kids Zone, live entertainment by the Iowa Accordion Club, Barefoot Becky & the Ivanhoe Dutchmen and more. The festival features its namesake goulash — a type of beef stew — along with popular Czech kolaches handmade by volunteers.

Volunteers also gave tours inside the 1904-built church, while lines stretched outside for the food, eaten under a “big top” tent.

In 2024, St. Wenceslaus celebrated 150 years since its founding by Bohemian immigrants in 1874.

In July of this year, under the “Journey in Faith” plan, the Archdiocese of Dubuque limited St. Wenceslaus to holding Mass only at 8:30 a.m. Saturdays, and in Latin at 8:30 a.m. Sundays, part of widespread changes to its 160 Eastern Iowa parishes. Weddings and funerals can still be held in the church.

While parishioners continued with the annual Czech Goulash Day festival, the outcome differed at other parishes, such as St. Joseph’s in Chelsea, Iowa, which canceled its annual Fall Festival this year after no longer being allowed to offer weekend Masses. Services are held at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesdays in Chelsea, and like its counterpart in Cedar Rapids, funerals and weddings can continue to be celebrated there.

See photos from last year’s Czech Goulash Day and more from the 2026 festival, below: