Tour de Fat rides into Milwaukee

How do you feel about bikes? How about beer? Mmmhmm…and (wait for it ) giant costumed marching bands, flanked by hot punk cheerleaders?

A wondrous, glee-inducing circus is coming to town tomorrow, and if you feel warmly about any of the aforementioned, you’ll definitely not want to miss Tour de Fat as it wheels in all its glory through Milwaukee this Saturday, July 3rd.

If you’re near Humboldt park on Saturday, it will be hard to miss. Tour de Fat, a national tour of pro-bicycle spectacles, beer and some of the best rabble-rousing bands in the country is on its way to Milwaukee to woo men, women and children alike into a reverence of the bicycle and all it stands for.

Events will be taking place from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., and everything is free and open to the public. You may want to throw on some feathers, suspenders and a fedora and join the throng of costumed bikers in a parade of elaborately crafted bicycle-powered floats in a devilishly fun procession around a big dead (cardboard) car. While you watch it all go down, kick back in the grass and nurse a cool Fat Tire beer.

I dare you to stay seated once bands like Mucca Pazza and Dovekins start riling their instruments. Mucca Pazza, a thirty piece “punk circus marching band” from Chicago, will excite you with their vintage marching band garb, hilarious choreography and the ways they use their many instruments (including the sousaphone!) to create heart-pounding musical moments.

Dovekins come with their own kind of circusy sexiness; a seven-piece band that hails from Denver, this crew of tightly knit talent is like a gaggle of lost boys that has just wandered out of Neverland with feathers in their hair, accordian and banjo and upright bass, and angelic voices in tow. Their songs are like revelrous gospel sea shantys, and will warm and hypnotize the young and old.

Tour de Fat is not simply a non-Summerfest event for the heck of epic outdoor fun, but aims to incite a call to action all over the country. Sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company, the Tour is meant to raise money for an amalgamation of non-profit bike activism organizations including the Bike Federation of Wisconsin, whose goal is to promote bicycle transportation everywhere. You can even trade in your car for a fully loaded commuter bike, or if you’re not ready for such a hardcore transition just yet, you can find more information about urban cycling, bike clubs and the health and environmental benefits of cycling.

Come celebrate bike culture in Humboldt park! Bring your bikes, your family and friends (but not the four legged ones… sorry!) and revel in the merriment. For more information, check out the Tour de Fat website.