HartFest brings BBQ and live music to Tosa, June 14-15

WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN, June 10, 2024—HartFest, a long-time staple of Wauwatosa’s summer festival scene, is back and better than ever in 2024. It will feature a backyard BBQ competition and tasting, performances by some of the best music acts in the region, and an amazing food truck line-up.

HartFest will be held on and around the Rotary Stage in Hart Park Friday, June 14, from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, June 15, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is free, and some proceeds from the event will benefit local charities..

This year’s fest features an outstanding music lineup, including the renowned Milwaukee party band Old Mil. After Ryan McIntyre opens the festival at 5 p.m., Old Mil will headline as they take the stage for the first time in 13 years at 7 p.m. Saturday will see a stellar lineup of blues-rock flavor, with The Blues Disciples at 2 p.m., Ivy Ford at 5 p.m., and legendary Tosa native Greg Koch and his Koch-Marshall Trio as the evening’s headliner at 8 p.m.

The Bunzel’s Backyard BBQ Cookoff takes place on Saturday, June 15. Some of the area’s top amateur barbecuers will spend the morning cooking up their best chicken and ribs. Beginning at 12 p.m. Saturday, a panel of experts will judge the entries. Festival-goers will have a chance to sample the entries and vote to name a People’s Choice award winner at 1 p.m.

The festival is rounded out by more than a dozen of the area’s top food and beverage vendors, a 5K/10K hosted by the Badgerland Striders at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Vesta Senior Network’s “Shortest Run On the Longest Day,” a 0.621 mile run/walk, Friday at 7 p.m. There will also be a Vendor Marketplace that will run throughout the day on Saturday.

“HartFest is leveling-up again this year with such an exciting music lineup,” says Chris Barlow, Director of the Wauwatosa Village Business Improvement District. “Anticipation for Old Mil’s first show in over a decade has been high, and the Koch-Marshall Trio playing here in their hometown is the perfect way to round out the weekend.”

HartFest takes place at the Rotary Stage in Hart Park, 1190 N. 70th Street. Festival hours are Friday, June 14, from 5-10 p.m. and Saturday, June 15, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.wauwatosavillage.org/hartfest.

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.