Summerfest and Northcott Neighborhood House Announce Initial Details for Summerfest Juneteenth Day Celebration

MILWAUKEE– (Monday, December 9, 2024) – Following the traditional Milwaukee Juneteenth Day parade and festival on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance and Northcott Neighborhood House invite the community to join in celebrating music and culture with Juneteenth programming at Summerfest on the evening of Thursday, June 19, 2025, starting at 6:00 p.m. This is the initial announcement surrounding the details of the partnership.

New this year, Summerfest and Northcott Neighborhood House; the host of Milwaukee’s traditional Juneteenth Day celebration on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; are partnering to bring Juneteenth programming to the festival for the first time in its history.

Summerfest will host a special opening ceremony with Northcott Neighborhood House that will recognize Juneteenth Day with performances, remarks from representatives, and special acknowledgment of Juneteenth scholarship recipients including Ms. Juneteenth, Mr. Juneteenth, Little Ms. Juneteenth, and Little Mr. Juneteenth.

Today Summerfest organizers also announced the first artists confirmed for the Juneteenth Day celebration at Summerfest, which include:

• Gary Clark Jr.
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• Ginuwine
• Joy Oladokun
• Mike Jones

Dedicated programming and music during Juneteenth Day at the Summerfest grounds will take place across multiple festival ground stages. More Summerfest Juneteenth Day details and artists, including a variety of local musicians, will be announced in 2025.

“We are honored to develop a new partnership with Northcott Neighborhood House to commemorate Juneteenth Day,” said Sarah Pancheri, President and CEO, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “Milwaukee’s Juneteenth festival and Summerfest are longstanding events in our community, which speak to our tradition as The City of Festivals.”

“Our partnership with Summerfest is significant to sharing the Juneteenth Day celebration and history with our city and visitors. The extended entertainment and programming planned at Summerfest to commemorate the Juneteenth Day holiday will be part of the legacy of our longstanding position as one of the largest and oldest celebrations in the country,” said Northcott Neighborhood House Executive Director Tony Kearney.

For more information, visit Summerfest.com.

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 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.

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.