Milwaukee is the City of Festivals, and between June and September, there are over 75 festivals in the Milwaukee area. There are lakefront festivals, state and county fairs, church festivals, ethnic festivals, art fairs, and more!
There are way too many to list and describe here, so I will focus on tips for seniors at Summerfest, suggest a few lesser-known festivals seniors may like, and share a comprehensive website resource.
There are two days at Summerfest (www.summerfest.com/admission-promotions/) that seniors may enjoy. The first is Thursday, June 29, which is Throwback Thursday; and Thursday, July 6 is Senior Day.
Throwback Thursday, presented by Pick n Save, June 29, features $5 admission from 12N to 6 p.m. for people of all ages and the afternoon features a collection of music throughout the decades that people of all ages will appreciate.
Summerfest’s Senior Day on July 6 is free for seniors 60 and older from 12 noon to 4 p.m. (with I.D.) and the music is geared to an older crowd. On several stages that afternoon, amateur seniors who participated in the Direct Supply’s “Golden Idol” talent contest will be singing and dancing their hearts out on the Briggs stage, the Direct Supply’s Expo Area at the South Gate and on the Rock and Brews stage. The day will also feature discount coupons and over 30 resource booths located at the south gate area that will offer information geared to and of interest to seniors.
The other feature on the Summerfest grounds that grandparents would be interested in is the Northwestern Mutal Community Park located on the Summerfest grounds near the mid gate entrance. The Northwestern Mutual Community Park (www.summerfest.com/northwestern-mutual-community-park/) offers one acre of inclusive and accessible play for children ages 2 to 12 years of age. The park is open to festival goers during the festivals, but it is also free and open to the public most days when there is not a festival or an event on the grounds. There is free parking in the lot near the mid-gate. You need to be sure to check the calendar at www.milwaukeeworldfestival.com/find-events/northwestern-mutual-community-park to check if the park is open or closed as the park is not open when the grounds have a special event or when snowy or slippery conditions exist. The day I visited there were quite a few groups of grandparents there with their grandchildren.
Summerfest is very proud of the upgrades it has made in accessibility on the grounds. A limited number of wheelchair rentals are available at the mid gate and south gate and accessible parking is located in lot H. A map of the parking lots can be found at www.summerfest.com/parking. The newly renovated American Family Amphitheater also features additional accessible features. A comprehensive list of accessibility features is at www.summerfest.com/accessibility.
The other well-known ethnic festivals take place throughout the summer at the Summerfest grounds. Some offer senior discounts, so be sure to check their websites as you plan your visit.
I’m sure everyone has their favorite community festival or county fair, but there are some festivals that you may not have heard about.
- Water Lantern Festival (www.waterlanternfestival.com/milwaukee.php) is an evening event at Veterans Park on the lakefront on June 10. It’s a great family event where grandparents, parents and kids can all enjoy an evening out together. It’s a little more pricey than some festivals, but your entrance ticket includes a floating lantern kit that you decorate yourself, then at dusk, everyone launches their LED light lit lanterns out on Lake Michigan. It’s a spectacular sight.
- Jazz in the Park at Cathedral Square (www.easttown.com/jazz-in-the-park/) presents free concerts that take place on some Thursday evenings in the Summer. In 2023, Jazz in the Park offered reserved picnic tables for 8 in advance for the concerts on the Jazz in the Park website. There was a fee for this, but the package also includes wine and snacks. And if this interests you for 2024, I would suggest you reserve one far in advance because they sold out quickly.
- The Lakefront Festival of Art (https://mam.org/events/lfoa/) is June 16 -18 and you can wander through outside tents featuring different types of art for sale on the grounds of our beautiful Art Museum. Tickets purchased in advance are discounted and your ticket is also valid for admission to the Museum. There is also a beer garden and a wine garden on the grounds.
- Bastille Days, (www.easttown.com/bastille-days/) which runs July 13-16, is a free festival at Cathedral Square Park. It may be good to keep in mind that Thursday, July 13, 9 p.m. is the Storm the Bastille Run and about 5000 people participate in this…
- Black Arts Fest MKE (https://blackartsfestmke.com/) is August 5 and celebrates the deep roots of African heritage and the creativity of Black cultural arts with programming featuring art, music, entertainment, dance, fashion, and more. The Fest offers a senior discount from $20 to $15.
When you are boasting about Milwaukee and its festivals, impress your out-of-town friends by mentioning that Milwaukee has QWERTYFEST MKE (there are numerous websites that mention this, please google!). QWERTYFEST MKE celebrates the fact that the typewriter was invented in Milwaukee in 1868. The festival has numerous events throughout the weekend of June 23 to 25 that not only celebrate the invention of the typewriter, but showcases local writers, musicians, and artists. Do you know why it’s called QWERTYFEST? QWERTY are the first 6 keys on the top row of a typewriter or keyboard!
The other festival that caught my eye is Crusherfest (www.crusherfest.org) in South Milwaukee. Crusherfest celebrates the late wrestler, Reggie Lisowkski, better known as “The Crusher” who was commonly introduced in the wrestling ring as the “wrestler who made Milwaukee famous!”
A great resource for seniors – or in fact for anyone – to check before planning a visit to one of Milwaukee’s summer festivals is Visit Milwaukee’s website. It’s visitmilwaukee.org, then click on events, then festivals, or www.visitmilwaukee.org/articles/unique-unites/city-of-festivals/. There is a comprehensive list of the big and small festivals, civic events, neighborhood fairs, etc. Each event listed is linked to the event’s website so you can easily find the info you need. Have a fun and safe summer!
[Dates referenced in this article are 2023 dates.]