Summerfest 2025 Builds on Milwaukee World Festival’s Nonprofit Mission, Legacy of Live Music

MILWAUKEE – (July 15, 2025) – Summerfest 2025 presented by American Family Insurance featured an impressive lineup of more than 600 artists who performed over 900 hours of live music, drawing fans from all over the world, and concluded its three-weekend run June 19-21, June 26-28, and July 3-5. Festival organizers announced that Summerfest 2026 will take place over the following three weekends: June 18-20, June 25-27, and July 2-4, 2026.

Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. (MWF) is an independent, private 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1965 that produces Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance. MWF’s mission as a nonprofit is to bring the community together and showcase performing arts, activities, and recreation through music and special events. This includes providing access to the festival via free or discounted admission and giving back to the community through various initiatives. Throughout the nine days of Summerfest, 37 local Milwaukee food and beverage vendors and 36 local marketplace vendors were featured, along with 60 unique exhibitors, experiences, activities, and special events were offered to fans.

Summerfest’s 2025 blockbuster multi-genre lineup, affordable ticket prices and lakeside permanent festival grounds continue to make it one of the most unique music festival experiences available anywhere. Summerfest is a unifying force, bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to enjoy music and entertainment. The festival has consistently provided a platform for a wide range of performers, from established stars to up-and-coming artists, across various genres.

Festival highlights from this year included sold-out shows with Hozier, The Killers, and Benson Boone at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, as well as capacity performances from The Avett Brothers, CAKE, Riley Green, and Chicago at the BMO Pavilion. Demonstrating the diverse range of musical talents, additional headliners included The Lumineers, Megan Thee Stallion, Lainey Wilson, Def Leppard, James Taylor, Bad Omens, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Currington, The Fray, Young The Giant, Natasha Bedingfield, Alex Warren, Babymetal, DEVO, Offset, Porter Robinson, Dirty Heads, The Warning, and many more. In 2025, attendance for Summerfest increased approximately 8% from 2024, resulting in 602,231 fans.

In fulfillment of MWF’s nonprofit mission, Summerfest actively contributes to the community by providing free or discounted admission and donating resources like meals, hygiene products, and books. In 2025, Summerfest continued its legacy as a community tradition:

• Admission Promotions: 20% of patrons who attended the festival gained access via one of the 13 admission promotions. Community organizations benefitting from these promotions include:
  • Donated items including nearly 24,000 meals to fight local food insecurity through Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Northcott Neighborhood House.
  • Over $11,900 in hygiene products were collected for Mary Lou’s Closet, supporting students across the region.
  • Over 4,850 children’s books were gathered for Next Door.
• Juneteenth Celebration: For the first time in the history of the festival this partnership with Northcott Neighborhood House brought Juneteenth music and programming to Summerfest on the evening of June 19.
• Hiring Initiatives: MWF hired 2,450 seasonal staff with over 80% of seasonal staff residing in Milwaukee County.
• Community Partners: Summerfest integrated more than 60 local community organizations through performances, events, and promotions.
• Record Sponsorship: The festival saw record-breaking support: 82 sponsors (including 22 new sponsors) and 101 marketplace vendors filling 144 booths.
• MWF and its sponsors also generated significant cash donations for local nonprofits through the following initiatives:
  • Generac Power Up With Purpose, which raised money through the sale of front row pit passes with proceeds going to ToolBank Disaster Services, a national nonprofit that responds to natural disasters with tools needed by volunteers to cleanup and rebuild.
  • American Family Insurance “Let the Music Play” grants were awarded to nine area schools and community organizations for music education programs.
  • BMO Small Business Spotlight supported six local businesses as vendors, with merchandise from two featured in the on-site Summerfest store.

“As an independent music festival, Summerfest delivers a one-of-a-kind experience, bringing fans together to enjoy incredible performances and Milwaukee’s vibrant energy,” said Sarah Pancheri, president and CEO, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “We want to thank the artists, sponsors, vendors and fans that supported us this year.”

About Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.

Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. is an independent, private 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1965 that produces Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance, a three-weekend music festival featuring over 600 artists across 12 stages. Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. also maintains and improves Henry Maier Festival Park, located on 75 acres on the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI. In addition to Summerfest, Henry Maier Festival Park hosts a variety of ethnic and cultural festivals, concerts, family programming, walks, runs, and other special events.

The mission of the organization is to promote an understanding of different ethnic cultures, the histories and traditions of various nationalities, harmony in the community, civic pride as well as to provide a showcase for performing arts, activities, and recreation for the public and employment opportunities for the youth of the community. For more details, visit MilwaukeeWorldFestival.com or Summerfest.com, and on socials @MilwaukeeWorldFestival or @Summerfest. For more information, visit Milwaukee World Festival.

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 independent national music festival and has developed an unrivaled reputation, consistently featuring hundreds of performances across 12 stages, throughout the permanent 75-acre festival grounds along Lake Michigan. For the latest information, visit Summerfest.com, or Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok: @mmerfest.

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. For more information visit Summerfest.com.

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.