One of the Milwaukee Area’s Longest Running and Most Beloved Street Fests to Celebrate 50th Anniversary

TosaFest. Photo courtesy of the Village of Wauwatosa Business Improvement District.

WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN, August 3, 2026—One of the Milwaukee area’s favorite original street festivals will celebrate 50 years this September, marking the occasion with a stellar live music lineup, unique dining and art experiences, an Oktoberfest, and much more.

TosaFest will be held Friday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 12, in the streets of the Wauwatosa Village. The fest will feature live music on 3 stages, 4 beer gardens, dozens of food trucks and marketplace vendors, unique TosaFest VIP dining and art experiences, a Kids Zone with free inflatables, and much more. This year, there will also be a special “History of TosaFest” exhibit, showing how far the event has come since its humble beginnings on North Avenue in 1976.

“TosaFest is woven into the fabric of this community,” says Maria Panno, Executive Director of the Wauwatosa Village Business Improvement District. “This year’s TosaFest is more than a milestone anniversary—it’s an opportunity to showcase the very best of Wauwatosa to the entire Milwaukee area and beyond. We invite everyone to come experience what makes this community so vibrant, welcoming, and special.”

TosaFest’s State Street Main Stage will offer a trip down memory lane with a music lineup that leans into the nostalgia. Friday, Sept. 11 offers 70s-flavored pop and rock by Louie & the Flashbombs, followed by old-school country tunes by the Rat River Boys. Saturday, Sept. 12 will be headlined by high-energy ’80s tribute band The Spazmatics, along with Rolling Stones tribute band Shattered, The Taxmen’s Beatles-inspired set, and the rockabilly-infused Brett & the Dandys.

Meanwhile, the festival’s Underwood stage continues to up the ante with high-quality local acts and singer-songwriters, including Trapper Schoepp, Social Cig, Alley Eyes, Wildered, Would You Kindly? and more. The Root Common stage rounds out the offerings with The Terry Sims Band, Indigo Canyon, The Andrew Gelles Band, and many others.

TosaFest will also continue to offer its signature TosaFest Experiences, taking the typical streetfest vibe to the next level. New options include a dining experience with North Avenue Mexican eatery Paloma, a pull-tab tournament, and Lucky Joe’s Tosa will teach you how to make a sure-fire Old Fashioned. Popular returning experiences include a cribbage tournament, an evening reception with Le Reve Cafe, and an experience that pairs floral arranging with a wine flight.

Also returning in 2026 is an Oktoberfest with Draft & Vessel Tosa, and of course the popular annual TosaFest Cheese Curd Eating Contest will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon.

TosaFest will be held on State Street between Harmonee Ave. and Wauwatosa Ave. and along Underwood and Harwood Avenues. The festival will run Sept. 11 from 5 p.m.-11 p.m., and Sept. 12, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.wauwatosavillage.org/tosafest.

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.

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