Parks Will Expand Traveling Beer Garden Tour in 2026

2026 Traveling Beer Garden Schedule

The Milwaukee County Parks touring beer garden will return this year with two different tours for the first time in years.

For its 13th season, Milwaukee County Parks and Sprecher Brewing Company will send two decommissioned fire trucks outfitted to dispense beer on a tour of 11 different parks.

The Roll Out the Barrel Tour will kick the season off on May 13 at Wilson Park and stop at six parks total this summer. The Pass Me the Pint Tour will begin June 3 at Cooper Park, stopping at five gardens throughout the season. Each truck will spend a little more than two weeks at each park, selling beer, soft drinks, hot dogs, brats and pretzels.

Sprecher is sponsoring the tours, including live music every Friday and Saturday evening. Parks is also partnering with local businesses to add amenities to the pop-up beer gardens.

LIT MKE, a local candle company, is organizing a night market on opening night for each park on the tour. The event, called Arts & Hops, is being expanded this year after successful events at five parks last year, said LIT MKE owner Mike Bate. A local pet company called Alt Dog Run, managed by Andrea Tripp, will set up a fenced-in dog run at the beer gardens for patrons to exercise their dogs while they enjoy a beer.

“The traveling beer garden is more than just a seasonal event,” said County Executive David Crowley at Sprecher Brewing Wednesday during the tour announcement. “It’s an essential part of our strategy to not only sustain, but also to enhance the Milwaukee County Parks system.”

The traveling beer gardens have generated approximately $5.4 million in revenue for the county since they were launched in 2012. During that time, the beer gardens have sold more than 580,000 pints of beer, 36,000 steins and 12,000 root beer floats, said Joe Mrozinski, Parks director of recreation and business services. The county’s larger beer garden program, which includes seven permanent beer gardens, has generated approximately $24 million since 2014, Crowley said.

“We are one of the rare park systems that allows beer and soda and all that, and having a good community environment,” said Sharad Chadha, president and CEO of Sprecher Brewing. “We are the local watering hole, so thank you for giving us this opportunity. Thank you for making this a community.”

Sup. Anne O’Connor joined the tour announcement Wednesday and encouraged county residents to visit a traveling beer garden this summer.

“Programs like this not only create fun and welcoming spaces for families and neighbors to gather,” she said, “but they also help support Milwaukee County Parks, as you’ve heard, and encourage people to explore parks all across our system.”

The tour dates were announced at roughly 9 a.m. Wednesday. In observance of what has become an annual custom, Crowley and O’Connor joined Chadha and program partners Bate and Tripp for a gulp of beer to offer “cheers” to the 2026 tour. “Just a sip,” said the county executive, who still had a full day of work ahead of him.