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MILWAUKEE - Hundreds of thousands of fans attended Summerfest this year, organizers announced Thursday, as the Big Gig welcomed more than 100 first-time artists and loads of out-of-state visitors.
2026 Summerfest attendance
Big picture view:
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. said there were 568,711 attendees across the three weekends, plus another 44,764 who attended the two sold-out Garth Brooks shows, for a total attendance of 613,475 fans.
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Those attendance figures represent a drop over the nine-day run compared to last year, but an increase when tacking on the Brooks concerts. In 2025, Summerfest welcomed 602,231 over the nine-day festival, which represented an 8% increase compared to 2024.
Summerfest 2026
Sold-out shows, first-time acts
Big picture view:
Including the Garth Brooks shows that led into the main event, Milwaukee World Festival said nearly half of ticket purchases (48%) came from outside Wisconsin this year.
Over the course of its primary nine-day run, the festival held three other sold-out shows – Ed Sheeran, Post Malone and Megan Maroney. Carin León became the festival's first-ever regional Mexican headline act.
One hundred seventy-six of Summerfest's lineup of more than 600 acts performed at the festival for the first time. That included artists like Muse, Alex Warren, Jelly Roll, Ella Mai and Flo Rida.
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When is Summerfest 2027?
What's next:
Summerfest 2027 will return for another three-weekend run:
- Thursday, June 24 through Saturday, June 26
- Thursday, July 1 through Saturday, July 3
- Thursday, July 8 through Saturday, July 10
The artist lineup will be announced at a later date.
Community impact
Why you should care:
This year's Big Gig helped positively impact more than 400 nonprofit and community organizations through supplies, cash, ticket donations and more. Milwaukee World Festival said 13% of attendees got in through one of the event's 15 free or discounted ticket promotions.
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Donations efforts collected:
- 38,400 meals through Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Northcott Neighborhood House, and Hunger Task Force
- 18,257 diapers, 67,193 wipes, and other miscellaneous items collected for United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County’s Diaper Bank Network
- 4,241 children’s books for Next Door
- 7,000+ hygiene and school supply items donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha
- Nearly 3,000 blood donations benefit Versiti Donor Centers in Wisconsin and Illinois
The festival and its sponsors also generated more than $150,000 in cash donations for nonprofits and local organizations.
The Source: Summerfest released information about its 2026 season and the upcoming 2027 schedule.