Photo via Make Music Milwaukee - Facebook
Make Music Milwaukee - Make Music Day
Big Style Brass Band performs on Make Music Day in Milwaukee
“Make Music Milwaukee truly celebrates accessibility, spontaneity, and creativity in a way that feels different from the city's bigger festivals. It brings music into our everyday spaces, breathes life into public areas, and invites everyone—whether performing or just listening—to be a part of it. It adds a wonderful sense of vibrancy, visibility, and a shared feeling of celebration right across the city.”
Thus says Melissa Muller, the city administrator for Make Music Milwaukee, the local iteration of the annual of the international Make Music Day. The idea for the free, city-wide, multi-genre festivals this year being staged on Saturday June 21 originated in France in 1982. It took until 2007 for the idea to spread to the United States. Milwaukee came on board a few years later.
Muller says of the event's origin and growth in the city, “Milwaukee hopped on board the global Make Music Day celebration back in 2018. It all started with a small, passionate crew of local organizers and artists who truly believed in the magic of public music to bring neighborhoods together. They were inspired by the worldwide event and, with a nod from the Make Music Alliance, Milwaukee joined the party. We've been growing our participation ever since!”
Local Character
Photo via Make Music Milwaukee - Facebook
Make Music Milwaukee - Make Music Day Drummers
A group of drummers perform on Make Music Day in Milwaukee
As anyone with even the slightest interest in music and civic engagement might figure, each city participating in the worldwide Make Music Day can't help but exhibit its own local character. Such singularity is no less true for Milwaukee. “Milwaukee's Make Music Day is truly special because it's so deeply rooted in our community and incredibly collaborative. While some cities might go big with huge headline acts, Milwaukee shines with its neighborhood-level creativity. Think backyards, parks, sidewalks, and storefronts bursting with spontaneous, inclusive music. It's genuinely grassroots, full of joy and brimming with local pride,” Muller says of the 48 performers across 30 Milwaukee locations and selected suburbs. “It's our biggest, most vibrant year yet!” she emphasizes.
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Within that vibrancy is a great deal of variety. “This year’s lineup includes everything from classical and folk to hip hop, jazz, indie rock, punk, Latin, gospel, R&B and experimental sound. It's a true cross-section of Milwaukee’s musical identity and cultural diversity,” says Muller.
Neighborhood Events
As might be expected, some neighborhoods will have more going on than others. Muller is especially proud of the lineup that will grace Davidson Park, but, she adds, “Washington Park and the surrounding Near West Side neighborhoods are particularly buzzing this year, all thanks to some fantastic community partners and venues. But honestly, you'll find performances popping up all over the city—in Riverwest, Bay View, West Allis, Harambee and beyond! You will notice there are quite a few listings on the map that focus on West Allis.” The map Muller references may be found at makemusicday.org/milwaukee/%23listing
Make Music Milwaukee is the product of musicians, some of whom will be using amplification, donating their artistry to make their chosen areas more tuneful for one summer day. But no one is stopping anyone from showing appreciation with money either.
“Oh, tipping is absolutely encouraged!” Muller notes. “All our musicians are generously volunteering their time and talent, so tips are a fantastic way for audiences to show some love and directly support these amazing artists.”
Muller won't speak ill of other city music festivals, but she is quick to commend Make Music Milwaukee's uniqueness.
“Make Music Day is such a beautiful reminder that music truly belongs to everyone. Whether you're singing, playing, or just busking on a street corner, you're plugging into something so much bigger—a worldwide moment of connection and pure joy. Milwaukee's version is just beautifully local, and I'm incredibly proud to help make it happen.”
