Living - Events - Festivals - Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Milwaukee is known as the City of Festivals; many ethnic and cultural festivals are held annually in Milwaukee; some of these festivals are the largest of their kind; most (but not all--see Web sites) are held at Milwaukee's Maier Festival Grounds (known as Summerfest grounds because of its largest and most famous annual festival) located on 30 hectares at the Lake Michigan shoreline just north of the mouth of the Milwaukee river; all of these festivals depend on thousands of volunteers and staff; see the periodic events section for information on recurring concert series and other non-festival events

• African World: African World Festival; educates about African life and rituals through a cultural village and opening ceremonies; celebrates the African-American experience; music includes gospel, blues, hip hop, and R & B
• Arab World: Arab World Fest; celebration of the food, music and rich cultural heritage of the Arab people
• Arts Lakefront: Lakefront Festival of Arts; put on by the Milwaukee Art Museum, offers unique works of art in a variety of media, demonstrations by artists, food, and music
• Asian: Silver City's Asian Festival; Silver City Main Street puts on an Asian Festival; Silver City is the area along West National Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 31st Street to Miller Park Way; named for the silver dollars workers from the nearby Menomonee Valley would spend there
• Bastille: Bastille Days; organized by Milwaukee's East Town Association; celebrates music, food, and culture loosely organized around a French theme; held in the Cathedral Square area of Milwaukee's East Town
• Book: Wisconsin Book Festival; annual October celebration of reading, writing, and the written word; events in Madison, Milwaukee, and throughout the state; a year-round, statewide series of public programs about reading, writing, and literacy
• Comedy: Milwaukee Comedy; Milwaukee Comedy Festival and milwaukeecomedy.com; lists comedy events including sketch comedy, improv, stand-up, open mic nights, special events and more in and around the Greater Milwaukee area
• Community: Community and Parish Festival Directory; this is a directory of the many community, church, fair, and other small festival and fairs held throughout the Milwaukee area; CFC = Council of Festival Committees
• Film: Milwaukee International Film Festival; features an international slate of films
• Folkfair: Holiday Folk Fair International; produced by the International Institute of Wisconsin, an organization dedicated to racial, cultural, and ethnic understanding
• GatheringWaters: urban park festival; at Lakeshore State Park
• German: German Fest; features musicians and dance troupes from around the world, costumes, contests, a live Glockenspiel, and other family activities
• Indian Summer: Native American; celebrates the diversity of both traditional and contemporary Native American culture
• Irish: Milwaukee Irish Fest; celebrates Irish culture, music, and food at the lakefront annually and also works on promoting Irish culture and traditions throughout the year
• Italiana: Festa Italiana; music, food, boccee, artifacts from the Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Church, gondola rides, fireworks
• Locust St: Locust Street Festival; music, food, vendors, beer run/walk; in Riverwest (west bank of the Milwaukee River)
• Mexican: Mexican Fiesta Internacional; the sound, culture and taste of Mexico
• Polish: Polish Fest; food, music, Chopin Piano competition; site includes information about Wisconsin's Polish Community
• Pride: PrideFest; celebrates diversity, the accomplishments, contributions and history of the LGBT community
• RiverSplash: Festival along the Milwaukee River; food, music, entertainment in by the banks of the Milwaukee river downtown, on Water Street on the east bank and Old World Third Street on the west
• South Shore Frolics: South Shore Water Frolics; in South Shore Park in Bay View, food, crafts, fireworks, parade
• Summerfest: Summerfest; Milwaukee's largest and most famous summer festival; world's largest outdoor music festival; "The Big Gig;" eleven days, twelve hours a day, thirteen stages, hundreds of performers, food, hundreds of thousands of folks, and fun; even native Milwaukeans, who are obsessively self-deprecating, occasionally call this festival "great"
• Train: Trainfest; presents operating model train layouts along with manufacturers, historical societies, displays, artists, hobby shops, demonstrations, and locomotive testing; put on by the Wisconsin Southeastern Division, Inc. of the Midwest Region of the National Model Railroad Association

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