Midwest Pirate Festival
- Dates
- Expected August
- Status
- Expected
- Venue
- Bellevue Berry Farm & Pumpkin Ranch (11001 S 48th St, Papillion, NE 68133)
- Price
- Not announced
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 24, 2026
The experience
What's special
Nebraska's largest pirate festival takes over Bellevue Berry Farm in the Omaha metro for one late-August weekend, turning the pumpkin ranch into a pirate port with five stages of entertainment, dozens of pirate characters, mermaids and fairy folk, and 40-plus artisan vendors. The day is built around joining in: a daily $100 cash treasure hunt, interactive puzzles and skill games, on-stage competitions, a pet costume contest, a 2 pm parade, 21+ rum tastings, and black-powder cannon fire punctuating the day. Admission stays cheap ($16 adult in advance) and parking is free.
What people love
Attendees describe a light-hearted, all-ages day of pirate play - great costumes and cosplayers in the crowd, treasure to win, and a bawdy-but-family streak that runs from comedy shanty bands to a Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-meets-pro-wrestling stunt show. Locals weighing the metro's two pirate festivals credit this one as the bigger, more established event on its long-held late-August weekend.
Last time around
The 2026 festival made port August 22-23 with five stages of live entertainment, more than 40 artisan vendors, fencing, 21+ rum tastings, and the 2 pm parade with its cash treasure hunt. The stage bill paired the returning comedy shanty crew Captain Kane & the Freebooters and belly-dance troupe A Mirage Dance Company with fire, illusion, and sword-swallowing from Sammi Kat and Hoan, the Bawdy Buccaneers' stunt-combat show, and Merlyn's magic.
See it before you go
On the lanes & stages
Lineup
The next lineup not yet announced. Here is who played in 2026:
Costumes & what to wear
Do I need a costume?
No costume required: the festival's own line is 'wear your seafaring gear or come as you are', and costumes of every kind are welcomed, nautical creatures, fantasy takes, and dressed-up pets included (there's a pet costume contest). Most of the crowd leans pirate, from thrift-kit buccaneers to full cosplay
Costume rules
Wear your seafaring gear or come as you are, everyone is welcome
Joining in
On-stage competitions and interactive events run all day, alongside a pet costume contest, a daily $100 cash treasure hunt, interactive puzzles, skill games, and a 2 pm parade; the cast hosts contests in the lanes
Getting there
Nearest airport OMA.
How do I get to Midwest Pirate Festival?
By train 1
Omaha has a daily Amtrak stop on the California Zephyr (Chicago, Denver, San Francisco Bay) at 1003 S 9th St near the Old Market, a genuinely useful way into the host city, though no rail continues toward Papillion or the farm. Finish the last 13 miles by rideshare or rental car
Book / info →By bus 1
Intercity coaches share a terminal at 1601 Jackson St in downtown Omaha, about 14 miles from the farm. No local bus continues to the festival, finish by rideshare or rental car
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare 1
Bellevue Berry Farm sits on the rural southern edge of the Omaha metro, about 15 miles from Eppley Airfield. At OMA, the shared Ride App Pickup Area for Uber, Lyft, and taxis is on the ground floor of the South Garage (Section D3), reached via the terminal skywalks; ADA customers may use the commercial vehicle curbside. The farm is well outside the urban core, so book your return ride a few minutes before you want to leave
Book / info →🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost Free (general); $5 cash for premium parking near the entrance. General parking at the farm is free, with a premium paid lot closer to the entrance for $5, cash only
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at OMA
A rental car suits fly-in visitors well here: the farm is a 25-minute drive from Eppley Airfield with free parking on site and no transit alternative, and a car keeps the wider Omaha metro in easy reach
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Bellevue Berry Farm & Pumpkin Ranch (11001 S 48th St, Papillion, NE 68133)
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Midwest Pirate Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 1
Bellevue, NE, about 10 minutes' drive to the farm
≈ $75-105 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Mid-range hotels 1
3404 Samson Way, Bellevue, NE, about 8 minutes' drive to the farm
≈ $120-160 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Luxe hotels 1
3730 Raynor Parkway, Bellevue, NE, about 8 minutes' drive to the farm
≈ $130-180 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Bellevue and Papillion are family-suburb markets with a steady spread of whole-home rentals at gentler prices than downtown Omaha, and the festival's late-August weekend does not collide with a major citywide event, so availability is usually comfortable with reasonable notice
Search Airbnb →Louisville and Platte River state recreation areas, 20-30 minutes southwest of the farm along the Platte River, offer established tent and RV camping, and Hipcamp lists private-land sites in the surrounding Sarpy and Cass County countryside for a farm-stay take on the pirate weekend
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
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