June
1. Locust Street Festival of Music and Art
JUNE 1 | EAST LOCUST STREET, RIVERWEST
The name of this neighborhood jamboree fits, with four stages and vendors aplenty, but the crown jewel is the Beer Run, where thirsty joggers make a 1.6-mile trek, stopping four times for Riverwest brews.
2. PrideFest
JUNE 5-7 | HENRY MAIER FESTIVAL PARK
Milwaukee’s biggest LGBTQ party takes over the lakefront with dancers, drag shows, carnival rides, a tattoo parlor and live music from Pabllo Vittar, Jordin Sparks and more. Then, on Sunday, June 8 at 2 p.m., keep the celebration going at the Milwaukee Pride Parade along Second Street in Walker’s Point.
Let your voice be heard about everything you love in Milwaukee, from food trucks to florists.
3. Art 64
JUNE 6-7 | TOSA VILLAGE
Sixty-four artists, one $20,000 prize. This bracket-style tournament pits them against each other in three rounds to create paintings based on a theme, and the crowd votes for the champion.
4. Tosa Greek Fest
JUNE 6-8 | STS CONSTANTINE & HELEN GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
Come for the food – hundreds of spit-roasted chickens along with different kinds of gyros, souvlaki and more – and stay for the live music and traditional dance.
5. T-Pain’s Back to Wiscansin Fest
JUNE 14 | THE RAVE/EAGLES CLUB The Rave/Eagles Club
By rhyming “mansion” with “Wiscansin” in 2008, T-Pain established an everlasting bond with the Badger State. His fourth Wiscansin Fest features plenty of R&B and rap artists, including GloRilla and Pusha T.
6. Lakefront Festival of the Arts
JUNE 13-15 | MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
It’s the 60th year of this sun-soaked, fan-favorite show on the Art Museum lawn. Browse artwork from 145 jury-selected booths, listen to local music and take part in art activities.
7. Summer Soulstice
JUNE 14 | BLACK CAT ALLEY
This raucous music festival packs a lot of bands in one block. More than 25 local acts, including Chicken Wire Empire and Emmitt James, will play across six stages, with artisan vendors, trivia and a rock-climbing wall in between.
8. Bloody Mary Festival
JUNE 21 | HARLEY DAVIDSON MUSEUM
Pickles? Of course. Curds? Yes, please. A paleta? Why not? Sample a bevy of bloody marys from local restaurants that keep it simple or zany and vote for your favorite cocktail concoction.
July
9. Dragon Boat Festival
JULY 12 | LAKESHORE STATE PARK
The highlight of this Chinese cultural celebration is the dragon boat race, where crews of 22 row on elegantly crafted vessels. You can also watch traditional performances and take part in opera mask-crafting and a dragon parade.
10. Armenian Fest
JULY 20 | ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST ARMENIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Milwaukee’s Armenian community has celebrated its heritage for nearly 100 years at this fest. Sample kebabs, lahmajoun and boregs while enjoying traditional music and learning about the culture.
11. Prost at German Fest
JULY 25-27 | HENRY MAIER FESTIVAL PARK
Schnitzel, sausage and pretzels are musts, of course. But this massive German bash also has a dachshund race (go Noodle!), a sheepshead tournament, and German and Austrian bands to rock the bock.
12. Riverwest 24
JULY 25-26 | RIVERWEST
The whole Riverwest neighborhood celebrates its quirks at this 24-hour race/party. Cyclists participate in unusual checkpoints like getting a haircut or Riverwest 24 tattoo.
13. Croatian Fest
JULY 19 | CROATIAN PARK
Loads of rotisserie lamb, pork and chicken are a highlight of this 91-year-old heritage festival, but it’s Croatian musician Ivan Heller who makes it a dance party.
14. Wisconsin State Fair
JULY 31-AUG. 10 | STATE FAIR PARK
Carnival rides and cream puffs lure over a million Wisconsinites from across the state for this fairest of fairs. See pig races, contests and concerts from acts including Boyz II Men and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
August
15. Black Arts Fest MKE
AUG. 2 | HENRY MAIER FESTIVAL PARK
This festival is all about celebrating African heritage and Black culture in Milwaukee. Enjoy a wide range of dance performances, musical acts, cuisines, and art demonstrations and workshops.
16. Sprecher Root Beer Bash
AUG. 2 | BAYSHORE
This sweet fest for kids and kids-at-heart is full of root beer floats from the homegrown soda maker. There’s also a dance party for little ones and a petting zoo.
17. Center Street Daze
AUG. 16 | CENTER STREET
The claim to fame for this vibrant neighborhood fest is its cart races, where competitors make a mad dash driving over-the-top creative displays. You can also expect a mannequin-dressing contest, an outdoor pool (as in billiards) tournament and plenty of games and grub.
18. Art and Chalk Fest
AUG. 16-17 | MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART
Talented chalk artists cover the sidewalks outside the Museum of Wisconsin of Art with breathtaking large-scale creations. Other art-centric activities include glass-blowing and pottery demonstrations.
19. Mexican Fiesta
AUG. 22-24 | HENRY MAIER FESTIVAL PARK
Mariachi, pan dulce and a car and bike show are among the many offerings at this fest celebrating Mexican culture and heritage. And ticket proceeds benefit scholarships for Milwaukee’s Hispanic community.
