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; see the calendar of major festivals for a chronological run-down of the major festivals

• -Major CALENDAR-: Major Festivals Calendar; a brief run-down of the major festivals listed in chronological order with links to official Web sites and a brief description
• 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
  Major Festivals

  

  See the Major festivals calendar where I list the big festivals in chronological order for the year--useful to plan your summer!
• 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
• 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, bocce, artifacts from the Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Church, gondola rides, fireworks
• Jazz: Summer Sizzle; Jazz festival in the Historic Third Ward
• Kite: Frank Mots International Kite Festival; in Veterans Park
• Locust St: Locust Street Festival; music, food, vendors, beer run/walk; in Riverwest (west bank of the Milwaukee River)
• Mexican: Mexican Fiesta; 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
• 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;" music festival; eleven days, twelve hours a day, thirteen stages, hundreds of performers, food, hundreds of thousands of folks, and fun
• 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
• Verge: Verge Modern Rock and Alternative Festival; Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5, 2010; festival will feature Alternative and Modern Rock bands and will include a nonstop lineup of national and regional headliners; a brand new fest--leaving the name and branding up to YOU!

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