The Midwest is home to many great music festivals, including Summerfest in Milwaukee – which touts the tagline “The World’s Largest Music Festival.” The first round of performers already came through last week, and today marks the starts of the second week of acts. With headliners including Linkin Park, Kendrick Lamar, Carrie Underwood, Ed Sheeran and more, I don’t think you could find a more diverse concert series.
Today my guest blogger is a Milwaukee native who’s no stranger to Summerfest. If you’re headed to the festival this week, follow the jump for his tips on how to have the best time ever.
Being from the ‘burbs of Mil-town, Summerfest holds a pretty special place in my heart. The music, the atmosphere, the people – it all makes summer real. And having been there 8 times now I have learned the “ins” and the “outs” of how to make the most of it. Allow me to pay it forward:
- Getting to & from the grounds: Taxis are great, but expensive; parking is a headache, and chances are you’re not staying anywhere close enough to mosey on over by foot (if you are, go ahead and skip this one – you’re golden). Otherwise, PARK & RIDE. Milwaukee County Transit has the whole “getting you to and from Summefest for cheap” thing down pat.
- Pack light: Ladies – leave the purses at home, and gentlemen – forget the backpacks. Not only do you have to stand in the “special line” to have them checked when you walk in, but lugging all that baggage around all day is more pain and frustration than it’s worth. Pocket the essentials (don’t forget sunscreen!) and leave the rest behind.
- Arrive early & stake it out: Summerfest is all about the free stage headliners (find yours here) – never lose sight of that – but there are tons of little nook & cranny stages and food joints all over as well. Get to the grounds early so you can walk around and take in all the sights, smells and sounds Summerfest has to offer. Then, mid-afternoon, find the stage where your headliner is set to play, take your seats on the closest bench to the stage that you can muster, and get ready to exercise some good old fashioned patience – you’ve got yourself prime real-estate! Don’t be the rookies stuck in the back standing on your tip-toes wondering why you can’t hear anything when your band takes the stage.
- Avoid the Amphitheater: This is a music festival – take advantage of it. The Marcus Amphitheater is overrated, often overpriced and leaves much to be desired in terms of being considered a legitimate “concert venue.” Save yourself the cash and the disappointment – go see Keith Urban somewhere else…if you really have to.
- For crying out loud, eat something!: The only thing that rivals the tunes at Summerfest is the grub – and you can’t really go wrong here. Pick something, that looks good and pig out, it’s really that simple. I hear that even some famous State-Fair-style foods will be making an appearance at Summerfest this year…
Above all, Summerfest is about having a good time with your crew. Soak up Milwaukee’s gorgeous lakefront and the world’s largest music festival with a few brews – just remember that, in terms of drinking, this thing is absolutely a marathon, NOT a sprint.
Jeremy Andereck is a 23 year old PR professional in Chicago who finds his outlet in music, sports and politics.