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Summer Festival Guide

The City of Festivals in 2022

MAY

Thursday Bike Night Concert Series

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

Fromm Petfest
  • May 14 at The Annex at Foxtown in Mequon
  •  Sept. 24 at Henry Maier Festival Park
  • petfestmke.com
Milwaukee Makers Market  

Event hours are 10 a.m-4 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 Fair.

Old Falls Village Days
  • May 29-Oct. 8
  • Old Falls Village Museum, 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. A beer garden is open Saturdays.

JUNE

Art 64

A live performance bracket-style painting tournament.

Milwaukee Highland Games

Bagpipes, Scottish athletics, kilts, sheepdogs, live music, clans, marketplace.

Fine Art Fair, Ballyhoo at the Zoo
  • June 4-5
  • Racine Zoo

Formerly the Monument Square Art Festival, the event is one of Wisconsin's oldest juried art fairs. Shop the artists' booths and visit the animals at the zoo.

Chill on the Hill
  • Tuesdays, June 7-Aug.30
  • Humboldt Park Chalet

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

Polish Fest
Bayshore Art and Music Festivals
Green Lake Festival of Music
Brookfield Arts, Crafts, and Drafts
  • June 11-12
  • Corners of Brookfield, 20111 W. Bluemound Road
Metro Jam
  • June 17-18
  • Washington Park, S. 12th and Washington streets, Manitowoc
  • 414-852-5718
  • metrojam.org

Bands at this free music festival include Jennie DeVoe, Fordney Bros., Funky Chemist, Suzie and The Detonators, B.J. Fisher and more.

Summer Sounds on Fridays
Summer Soulstice
  • June 18
  • Location TBA
Sister Water Beer Garden
  • June 18, 4-8 p.m.
  • St. Joseph Center, 29th St. at Orchard St.
  • sssf.org

The School Sisters of St. Francis support earth-friendly ministries with a beer garden offering craft beer, root beer and more.  Also, Oktoberfest, Sunday Sept. 11 with a pig roast, live polka music, and much more!

Summerfest

The Big Gig returns to its usual slot in late June-early July, but in three-day increments. Headliners include Rod Stewart, Jason Alden and Justin Bieber.

Wild Ones: Vintage Motorcycle Rally

JULY

Rainbow Summer
  • Marcus Performing Arts Center
  • Lineup TBA
Washington Park Wednesdays

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

Iola Car Show
Brady Street Art Walk
Bristol Renaissance Faire
Musical Mondays in Lake Park

Touring and local music acts at the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks.

Skyline Music Series
Bastille Days
  • July 14 - July 17
  • Cathedral Square Park, 520 E. Wells St.
  • easttown.com

Along with music and food, check out this year's Storm the Bastille 5K Run/Walk on July 14.

Gathering on the Green
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.

Sister Water Beer Garden
  • July 10
  • St. Joseph Center, 29th St. at Orchard St.
  • sssf.org

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

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.

Midsummer Festival of the Arts
  • July 17-18
  • John Michael Kohler Arts Center
  • jmkac.org

This family friendly event is the largest multi-arts festival in east-central Wisconsin. Visit artists' booths and enjoy live music, good food, art-making workshops and free admission to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

Armenian Fest
  • July 17
  • 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 goers seeking alternatives to hamburgers and bratwurst. Food includes kabobs, bureks, and unique Armenian dishes and flavors.

Waukesha County Fair
Summer Sounds Festival
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
  • July 20-25
  • Washington County Fair Park, 3000 Pleasant Valley Road, West Bend
  • wcfairpark.com
Jazz in the Park
  • July 21-Sept. 29, Thursdays
  • Cathedral Square Park
  • easttown.com

The popular evening music series returns to Cathedral Square.

Scenic Shore Ride for a Cure
  • July 23-24
  • Lake Michigan Shoreline from Mequon to Sturgeon Bay
  • pages.lls.org

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
Midwest Fire Fest
Prairie Dog Blues Fest
German Fest
Brady Street Festival
Milwaukee Brewfest

AUGUST

Peninsula Music Festival

The 70th Peninsula Music Festival features nine 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

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
Black Arts Fest MKE
Luxembourg Fest
  • Aug. 13
  • 548 Park St., Belgium, WI
Waukesha Rotary Bluesfest

Headliners include the Duke Robillard Band and Sue Foley. Milwaukee favorites Altered Five Blues Band perform on Saturday.

Center Street Daze Festival
Hank Aaron State Trail 5K Run/Walk
Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival
Mineral Point Historical Society Blues Fest
Morning Glory Art Fair
Irish Fest
MOWA Art and Chalk Fest
India Fest Milwaukee
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.

Kegel's Inn Oktoberfest
  • Aug. 26-28
  • War Memorial Beer Garden, 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive

Milwaukee's first Oktoberfest of the season.

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.

Wine and Vine, Etc.
Milwaukee Fringe Festival

Indoor shows to be held in Vogel Hall and outdoor shows in the Peck Pavilion.

SEPTEMBER

Third Ward Art Festival
  • Sept. 3-4
  • N. Broadway in the Third Ward

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.

Granville Car, Truck & Bike Spectacular
  • Sept. 18
  • 8301 N. 76th St

Join us in our 8th year celebrating antique cars, hotrods, classic sports cars, Corvettes, food vendors and a battle of the bands.

Laborfest
Oak Creek LionsFest
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.

Oktoberfest
  • Sept. 11
  • 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, pig roast and live polka music.

Silver City International Festival
  • Sept. 11
  • West National Avenue between 33rd and 35th streets
  • viadc.org

This family friendly festival celebrates the cultural diversity of the Silver City neighborhood. Stroll the street and enjoy the cuisine, music and art of countries spanning the globe, along with activities for kids.

Briggs and Al's Run and Walk for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
  • Sept. 17, 12th Street and Wisconsin Avenue to Henry Maier Festival Park
  • chwevents.org
Cedarburg 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.

OCTOBER

MAKER FAIRE MILWAUKEE

Part science fair, part county fair, Maker Faire entertains, informs and connects attendees in a family-friendly environment that celebrates technology, education, science, arts, crafts and sustainability.