Don’t Wait for 250—America Needs to Celebrate the Big 2-4-9: Summerfest and Johnsonville Light up the Stage and the Sky on July 4th

MILWAUKEE, WI (June 18, 2025) – On July 4th, Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance and Johnsonville —two brands boldly celebrating America’s 249th birthday—will mark the occasion with two festival firsts: a collective, multi-stage “Happy Birthday” sing-along and a 10-minute patriotic drone show. As the nation begins to turn its attention to the 250th in 2026, Summerfest and Johnsonville are urging Americans not to skip the 249th—and to find joy in celebrating together, right now.

The new entertainment additions will follow an all-day birthday bash hosted by Johnsonville at its Summerville stage. Designed to spark more togetherness and spontaneous fun, the brand festivities kick off at noon and include DJ sets, a sausage-fueled karaoke booth, and a giant 249th birthday cake. Johnsonville will invite attendees to share their wishes for America before hosting the festival-wide sing-along of “Happy Birthday” around 9 p.m. from the UScellular Connection Stage. At that moment, Johnsonville will ignite the night with hundreds of drones, coloring the lakefront sky red, white and blue, marking Summerfest’s first drone show in its 57-year history.

“Summerfest and Johnsonville are like-minded in our goal of creating memorable, shared experiences during the festival,” said Sarah Pancheri, President and CEO, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “We’re thrilled to invite everyone to celebrate America’s 249th birthday to the fullest on July 4 with this simultaneous sing-along and first ever drone show.”

After Johnsonville’s ‘National Temp Check,’ a survey conducted with The Harris Poll, revealed a growing fun deficit in America, the brand responded with plans to celebrate America’s 249th birthday. Its deliberate choice to go big now, instead of waiting for the nation’s highly anticipated 250th, prompted a nationwide conversation on the importance of fun, togetherness and the party starters who make it happen. The sausage brand launched the limited-time “Party Starter,” an 80-pound variety pack loaded with 249 sausage links, exclusive swag, and even a collapsible cart, generating nearly 20,000 nominations for party starters across the country.

“249 isn’t just a number—it’s a reminder that 91% of us agree that we make more progress when we have fun together,” said Jamie Schmelzer, Vice President of Marketing at Johnsonville. “Fun moves us forward. Whether that’s through song, sausage or shared celebration of any kind, this is America at its best.”

Summerfest admission is free from noon to 6:00 p.m. on July 4, courtesy of Kwik Trip. The Johnsonville Summerville stage is located on the north end of Henry Maier Festival Park.

To learn more about how Johnsonville is stepping up to connect communities in food and fun, follow the brand @Johnsonville on Instagram and join the conversation using #PartyStarter249.

About Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance

Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance is one of the most iconic celebrations of music in America, hosting the industry’s biggest acts for an unforgettable live music experience. Since its inception in 1968, Summerfest continues to distinguish itself as a premier national music festival and has developed an unrivaled reputation, consistently featuring hundreds of performances across 12 stages, throughout the 75-acre festival grounds along Lake Michigan. Summerfest 2025 will take place over three weekends – June 19-21, June 26-28, and July 3-5. For the latest information, visit Summerfest.com, or Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok: @Summerfest.

Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., producer of Summerfest, continues to fulfill its nonprofit mission of bringing the community together and providing a showcase for performing arts, activities, and recreation to the public, through music and special events.

About Johnsonville, LLC

Founded in 1945, Johnsonville is the leading national sausage brand, with more than 80 varieties sold across 40+ countries and served in over 75 sports stadiums in the U.S. The company remains family-owned and employs nearly 4,000 sausage-obsessed team members globally.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.