A Weekend of Irish Culture

Photo courtesy of CelticMKE.

Festival season in Milwaukee isn’t over yet! Get ready for some corned beef sandwiches and traditional dance music at Milwaukee Irish Fest. For four days, Irish Fest will take over the Henry Maier Festival Park. It’s also the end of Downtown Employee Appreciation Week, which will conclude with Red Arrow Park transforming into a community roller rink. Gathering Place Brewing Company is celebrating its sixth birthday and the first-ever Wisconsin Vintage Fest will take place at Bayshore.

August 17-20: Milwaukee Irish Fest

Milwaukee Irish Fest will bring four days of Celtic music, culture and craic to the Henry Maier Festival park. The festival’s musical lineup includes acts such as 3 Pints Gone, Atlantic Wave and Blackthorn Folly, and groups like the Bellator Academy of Irish Dance and the Caledonian Scottish Dancers will show off their traditional dance skills. Irish Fest will host over 35 food stands, serving a variety of fare but focusing on traditional Irish eats like Shepherd’s Pie, corned beef and cabbage. Visitors can walk through The Culture Village, an area filled with Celtic art, history, genealogy and shopping. For a complete list of hours of operation and to purchase tickets, visit the Milwaukee Irish Fest website.

August 18: Final Days of Milwaukee Downtown Employee Appreciation Week

Milwaukee Downtown Employee Appreciation Week is celebrating its 18th year and has been offering free lunches and entertainment all week. Don’t miss the final day of the event, which will feature complimentary coffee, games, live music and more. From 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Fiddleheads Coffee will give a complimentary coffee to the first 150 Downtown employees to show up. Then, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pere Marquette Park will host a variety of games, live music and lunch giveaways. The day will wrap up at Red Arrow Park, where the skating rink will be reimagined as a community roller rink from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

August 18: Music on the Beerline

Riverworks Development Corporation is hosting its second Music on the Beerline event of the summer, featuring live DJ sets from DJ Bizzon and Marcus Doucette. Music on the Beerline is an outdoor music event aimed at creating memorable experiences on the Beerline Trail through diverse music lineups of all-local acts. Aside from live music, the event will feature food trucks, local vendors and family-friendly activities. Music on the Beerline will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will take place on the Beerline Plaza performance stage located at 3350 N. Holton St.

August 19: Gathering Place Anniversary Block Party

Gathering Place Brewing Company has become a Riverwest staple since opening its doors in 2017. Since then, the brewery has grown – in 2022, it added a taproom in Wauwatosa. The brewery is now celebrating its six-year anniversary with a block party featuring food trucks, live music and the release of three specialty beers. Attendees will have the chance to try the brewery’s bourbon barrel-aged barleywine, peach farmhouse ale and cardamom lime wheat ale. Each beer will be available on draft and in bottles while supplies last. The block party, 811 E. Vienna Ave., will run from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

August 19: Wisconsin Vintage Fest

Bayshore is hosting the first ever Wisconsin Vintage Fest, a free-to-attend festival featuring over 50 vendors selling vintage clothing, home goods and more. Wisconsin Vintage Fest will take place at The Yard at Bayshore Square and will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can learn more on the event’s Instagram page.

August 19: Strummerfest MKE

Legendary singer-songwriter Joe Strummer, best known for his role as frontman of The Clash, continues to make an impact on the world long after his passing in 2002. A prime example of this can be found right here in Milwaukee at Strummerfest MKE – a night of live music that celebrates the songs of Strummer while raising funds for Milwaukee Public Schools’ music departments. This year’s Strummerfest will feature nine local bands, including Poison Hand, The Mighty Deerlick, Local Legends and more. The show will take place at Club Garibaldi’s and will start at 6 p.m. For a complete list of participating bands, visit the event’s Facebook page.