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Summer Festival Guide

Shepherd Express Summer Festival Guide 2023

MAY

Thursday Bike Night Concert Series
  • Thursdays through September 28, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
  • Harley-Davidson Museum
  • 400 West Canal Street, Milwaukee
  • harley-davidson.com

All bikes are welcome on the campus of the Harley-Davidson Museum for free live music, food and drinks.

Milwaukee Makers Market
Milwaukee Makers Market

Photo courtesy Milwaukee Makers Market

50+ Local Small Businesses rotate the Markets throughout the season from April thru Dec at venues such as Discovery World, The Ivy House, & The Starling with pop-ups this Summer inside the Deer District.

Event hours are 10:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m. at The Ivy House and Discovery World. See website for location details.

Budweiser Wednesday Night Live

Wednesday Night Live is a free weekly summer concert series held at the Budweiser Pavilion on the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds.

The Depot Beer Garden–Old Falls Village
  • Saturdays May 13–October 14, 3:00 - 9:00 p.m.
  • Old Falls Village, Pilgrim Road and Hwy. Q, Menomonee Falls
  • oldfallsvillage.com

The historical museum's grounds feature antique farming equipment and steam engines, hands-on pioneer activities, old-fashioned children's games, country market food vendors and live music. The beer garden is open Saturdays.

Casa Guadalupe 11th Annual Fiesta Latina
‘Merica on Brady Street

JUNE

Summer Sounds at Cedar Creek Park
PrideFest
Jazz in the Park
  • Thursdays, June 1–July 6 and July 27–August 31
  • Cathedral Square Park
  • easttown.com

The popular evening music series returns to Cathedral Square.

Paint Cedarburg

A Plein Air Painting Event

Milwaukee Highland Games

Bappipers, Scottish athletics including the caber toss, sheep herding dogs, Highland dancing, and more.

Chill on the Hill

Live music by local musicians in an idyllic South Side setting.

Cedarburg Art Museum Summer Beer Garden
Music & More Concert Series
Bayshore Art and Music Festivals
Art 64

A live performance bracket-style painting tournament.

Polish Fest
Green Lake Festival of Music
Sister Water Beer Garden
Sister Water Beer Garden

Photo courtesy School Sisters of St. Francis

  • June 10
  • 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
  • St. Joseph Center, 29th St. at Orchard St., Milwaukee
  • sssf.org

The School Sisters of St. Francis support earth-friendly ministries with a beer garden offering craft beer, root beer and more.

Brookfield Arts, Crafts, and Drafts
Locust Street Festival of Music & Art
Lakefront Festival of Art

A weekend of art, food, music, and activities for all ages at the Milwaukee Art Museum with paintings, ceramics, fiber, metalwork, and jewelry from more than 120 artists from across the country.

Metro Jam
  • June 16–17
  • Washington Park, S. 12th and Washington streets, Manitowoc
  • 414-852-5718
  • metrojam.org

Metro Jam is an annual two-day festival of free music featuring national, regional and local acts including original and classic rock, Americana, alt-country, roots, folk, blues, jazz, reggae, ska, bluegrass, indie, alternative, and pop.

Brady Street Art Walk

Artists will line the sidewalks of Brady Street creating and selling their art. Grab a drink or a meal and enjoy walking Brady Street.

Summer Soulstice Music Festival
Juneteenth Jubilee Parade & Street Festival
  • June 19
  • juneteenthmilwaukee.com
  • Starting at 14th Street & Atkinson Avenue and ending at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Locust Street.
Summerfest
Summerfest

Photo courtesy Summerfest

  • June 22-24, June 29-July 1 and July 6-8
  • Henry Maier Festival Park
  • 200 N. Harbor Drive
  • summerfest.com

The Big Gig returns with its three three-day weekends format this year. Headliners include Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow, Odesza, A Big Wit Da Hoodie, Imagine Dragons, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Earth Wind & Fire, and the Avett Brothers.

Wild Ones: Vintage Motorcycle Rally

A vintage 1940s-style motorcycle rally with an antique motorcycle ride-in show and motorcycle field games.

Strawberry Festival

Everything strawberry, from strawberry shortcake to strawberry wine, Art on the Avenue, contests, festival foods, shopping, and live music.

JULY

Iola Car Show
Bristol Renaissance Faire
Whitefish Bay Art Fest
Riverwest Secret Garden Tour

Stroll through Riverwest visiting gardens that offer the joy of seeing, touching, and smelling the beauty of nature.

Lake Park Music in the Park
Skyline Music Series
  • July 11–August 22, Tuesdays
  • 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
  • Selig-Joseph-Folz Amphitheater in Kadish Park
  • coa-yfc.org/skyline
Bastille Days

Storm the Bastille 5K Run/Walk on July 13 at 9:00 p.m.

Harley-Davidson Homecoming™ Festival

Celebrating 120 years of Harley-Davidson. Concerts at Veterans Park with headliners Green Day (July 14) and Foo Fighters (July 15), plus many other events.

Gathering on the Green
  • July 15–16
  • Rotary Park, Mequon
  • Performances by Cain, Ann Wilson, Starship, and Franki Moscato
  • gatheringonthegreen.org
Midsummer Festival of the Arts

Free admission with 100 artist booths, live music, exhibitions, demonstrations, art making, and food trucks

Armenian Fest
Armenian Fest><p class=

Photo by Don Rask

  • July 16
  • St. John the Baptist Armenian Orthodox Church
  • 7825 W. Layton Ave.
  • 414-282-1670
  • armenianfest.com

What began in the 1930s as a summer picnic for Milwaukee's Armenian community has grown into a popular attraction for Milwaukee festival with live music and food including kabobs, bureks, and unique Armenian dishes and flavors.

Waukesha County Fair
Scenic Shore Ride for a Cure

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society sponsor a two-day, 150-mile, fully supported cycling event open to riders of all ages and abilities along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline. The goal is a cure for blood cancer; please visit the website to register.

Milwaukee Air and Water Show
Washington Park Wednesdays

Early evening event with live music in the bandshell and local food trucks.

Midwest Fire Fest

A demonstration-heavy celebration of all things created with fire, heat, and smoke including but not limited to clay, metal arts, welding, forging, hot glass, food, and performance.

Port Fish Day
Granville Blues Fest

Granville's annual event is evolving into a local mecca for the original American artform that is the blues with a lineup of top acts along with food, drink and a vendor market.

South Milwaukee Heritage Days
EAA Airventure

Travel to Oshkosh for an international gathering of some 800,000+ aviation enthusiasts. Attend a workshop or catch a lecture from a notable flight pro, then take in the daily afternoon air show with top-flight pilots dazzling onlookers with aerial acrobatics.

Washington County Fair
Taste of Wisconsin
  • July 27-29
  • Celebration Place at Kenosha’s Harbor
  • 54th Street and 1st Avenue (east of the museums), Kenosha
  • tasteofwi.com
Prairie Dog Blues Fest
German Fest
Brady Street Festival
Milwaukee Brewfest

AUGUST

Peninsula Music Festival
  • August 1–19
  • Door Community Auditorium, Fish Creek
  • Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
  • musicfestival.com

The 71st Peninsula Music Festival features symphonic concerts of major classical pieces.

Ozaukee County Fair

Begun in 1859 and billed as one of the last free fairs in the Midwest, it has all you'd hope for in a county fair, including a full midway, fair food, multiple stages of live entertainment, magic and kids' shows, animal judging, truck and tractor pulls, lumberjack show, demolition derby and fireworks.

Wisconsin State Fair
Slide at Wisconsin State Fair

Photo courtesy Wisconsin State Fair

Our great Wisconsin State Fair boasts 30 entertainment stages featuring local and national acts, a host of exhibits and enough food and shopping to keep you busy for days. Did we mention the cream puffs? Almost anything on a stick!?

Racine Starving Artist Fair

This juried fair features the work of over 120 artists from Racine County and all over the Midwest.

MKE Black Theatre Festival

Black Arts MKE presents a three-week-long celebration of Black arts and culture features ticketed and free events including two full-productions, play development workshop, audition masterclass, Black Nativity by Langston Hughes auditions, reflections on Black History with Everett Marshburn and more!

Luxembourg Fest
Waukesha Rotary Bluesfest

Headliners include Southern Avenue and Maria Muldaur.

Center Street Daze Festival
Morning Glory Art Fair
Morning Glory Art Fair

Photo courtesy Milwaukee Craft

Milwaukee’s free and fine juried art and craft show and sale brings together 130+ outstanding artists from around the country.

Hank Aaron State Trail 5K Run/Walk
Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon boat races, Chinese culture and traditions including dance performances, folk music, bartial Arts and hands-on opportunities for the young and young-at-heart to make opera masks and lanterns, play traditional games, participate in a dragon parade, and even learn to speak and write Chinese.

Milwaukee Irish Fest
Milwaukee Irish Fest

Photo courtesy Milwaukee Irish Fest

The world's largest Irish festival features nonstop Celtic music from traditional to rock, Irish dance, cultural area, theater performances, food, drink and more.

Milwaukee Fringe Festival
  • August 18–19
  • Marcus Center for the Performing Arts
  • mkefringe.com

Following the rich tradition of Fringe Festivals, the Milwaukee Fringe Festival is a showcase of a diverse collection of artists from theatrical actors to painters, musicians to tap dancers, performance artists to playwrights.

Mineral Point Blues & Roots Fest
MOWA Art and Chalk Fest

A free live arts weekend featuring artists from the Wisconsin arts community.

Mexican Fiesta

Mexican Fiesta is much more than three days of tamales, Mariachi music and dancing. It's an education in Mexico's rich culture and history encouraging people of all backgrounds to share in the beauty of Mexico's culture.

Country in the Burg

Two-day country music festival in Cedarburg.

SEPTEMBER

Wisconsin Highland Games
  • Labor Day Weekend: September 1–3
  • Waukesha Expo Center, Waukesha

Opening Ceremonies Friday night, followed by two days of competitions in bagpiping, heavy athletics, Highland dance, and more, plus the Clans Area, Celtic Canines, Pub Tent with live music, and more.

Third Ward Art Festival

Showcasing work 130 juried artists in a variety of mediums, including ceramics, fiber, glass jewelry, sculpture, mixed media, paintings, drawings, photography, printmaking, wood and furniture.

Walk for Wishes

Proceeds from the 5K or one-mile run/walk will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin and grant the wishes of children with critical illnesses.

Tosafest

Tosafest is a community festival with live music, art, food and children's activities including pony rides, a petting zoo and face painting. All proceeds go to area charities.

Wine and Harvest Festival

This festival fills the historic town. Sample food and wine, much of it locally made, as you enjoy many family activities and live musical performances.

Doors Open Milwaukee

More than 150 buildings open their doors in this annual citywide celebration of history, architecture and neighborhoods organized by Historic Milwaukee. Expect performing arts events and children's activities.

Fromm Petfest
  • September 23 at Henry Maier Festival Park, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  • petfestmke.com
Potawatomi E-Lectrify Your Drive Aug.-Sept
Potawatomi E-Lectrify Your Drive Aug.-Sept.