In Festival Guide
In Festival Guide


100 things to do at Milwaukee's summer festivals, 2012
Note: The contents of this guide were checked for accuracy when this article was updated on May 30, 2012 at 9:02 a.m. We continually update the thousands of articles on OnMilwaukee.com, but it's possible some details, specials and offers may have changed. As always, we recommend you call first if you have specific questions for the businesses mentioned in the guide.
How excited are you for Milwaukee's summer festival season? If you're like us, the answer is very.
For several years, we've published our list of "100 things to do at Milwaukee's summer festivals," but this year, it's new and fresh for 2012.
Think you can do them all? Good luck ... and please add your own suggestions using the Talkback feature below.
- Stack your cups at Summerfest
- Get to Greek Fest before the gyro meat is gone
- Watch cream puffs being made at State Fair
- Sip the honey liqueur at Polish Fest
- See a band on the brand-new BMO Harris Stage at Summerfest
- Enjoy a human-powered ride at Renaissance Fair
- Grab a seat that's close, but not too close, at Chill on the Hill
- Get artsy at the 50th annual Lakefront Festival of the Arts
- Storm the Bastille
- Drink an import beer at State Fair
- Sing karaoke at Pride Fest
- Run the Beer Run at Locust St. Festival of Music & Art
- Visit the State Fair petting zoo
- Drink a Guinness outside of Irish Fest
- Take a drunk shuttle to and from Summerfest
- Slurp dill pickle soup at Polish Fest
- Participate in a pow wow at Indian Summer
- Splash with your kids at the Summerfest fountain
- Enjoy a Harley-free crowd at Rockerbox
- Sip champagne at Bastille Days
- Carefully eat flaming cheese at Greek Fest
- Observe the beautiful people at Jazz in the Park
- Ride your bike or motorcycle and park for free at Summerfest
- Secretly pet a bunny at State Fair
- Sit in a custom car at the Milwaukee Rally
- Ooh and ahh at the Festa fireworks
- Marvel at the giant dogs at Polish Fest
- Play the pull tabs at just about any ethnic festival
- Show at up Summerfest before the gates open
- Cover your ears during the Milwaukee Air and Water Show
- Slide down the giant slide at State Fair
- Appreciate the lake view from the rocks
- Cut through the crowds by taking the "lake route"
- Climb Jacob's Ladder at Renaissance Fair
- Get a henna tattoo at Locust Street Festival of Music & Art
- Savor a Bloody Mary at the Tomato Romp
- Marvel at the gadgets at the State Fair Expo Center
- Savor the mushrooms at Renaissance Fair
- Polka with an old person at Polish Fest
- Bar crawl State Street after Hart Fest
- Get down with Tweed Funk at the Paramount Blues Festival
- Scour Polish Fest for the cheapest pierogies
- Stuff your face with State Fair's potato pancakes
- Collect insane amounts of candy at Labor Fest
- Sample the Wisconsin wineries at State Fair
- Caber toss at the Highland Games
- Scream "Play 'Free Bird'" to a church festival cover band (actually, please don't)
- Try all the new foods on a stick at State Fair
- Spend the entire longest day of the year at the Summer Soulstice
- Make way for the marching bands at Festa
- Stand in line and enjoy flavored milk at State Fair
- Do not walk underneath the sky glider
- Ingest a giant strawberry at Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival
- Trade beads the the Mardi Gras party at Bastille Days
- Sample Armenian wine at Armenian Fest
- Gobble cheese at the Brady Street Festival Cheese Fest
- Join a drum circle at Summerfest
- Appreciate the free water bottle at the Van's Warped Tour
- Make a repeat appearance Oktoberfest
- Enter the mooing contest at State Fair
- Scream at the El Grito contest at Mexican Fiesta
- Bounce between the Bay View Bash and Global Union festival
- Listen to Denise LaSalle at African World Festival
- Slurp a smoothie at State Fair
- Park on someone's lawn
- Celebrate the return of Indy racing at the Milwaukee Mile
- Road trip to Oshkosh for the EAA AirVenture
- Try out the mini giant slide at State Fair
- Slide down the giant piggy bank at State Fair
- Laugh at people faking accents at the ethnic festivals
- Count dudes in kilts at Irish Fest / Renaissance Fair
- Try an ethnic food you've never had before
- Bring a can of food and get in free
- Enjoy a hearrrrrrrrrrrrty laugh at Port Washington Pirate Festival
- Run over the Hoan Bridge at the Rock N' Sole
- Eat the fish fry at Port Fish Day
- Bet on the pig races at State Fair
- Squirt water in a clown's mouth at the midway
- Have your weight demeaningly guessed at State Fair
- Two words: roasted corn!
- Stuff your face at the Qdoba contest at the Milwaukee Rally
- Try both a red and white wine cooler at Summerfest
- Pipe up for the yodeling contest at German Fest
- Avoid brain freeze but eat every flavor of gelato at Festa Italiana
- Drink a Lakefront beer at Locust Street Festival of Music & Art
- Cool off under a mister at Summerfest
- Sit very close to the fireworks at the South Shore Frolics
- Rock out to Foreigner at the Waukesha County Fair
- Relive the '80s with Belinda Carlisle at Pride Fest
- Forget you're in Milwaukee at the Bradford Beach Jam
- Embrace the lake at Gathering Waters Urban Island Beach Party
- Appreciate amazing cycling at the Great Downer Avenue Bike Race
- Swing to the Big Bad Voodoo Daddies at Festa
- Watch something get pulled at the Racine County Fair
- Space out to the "Darkside of Oz" at Fish Fry & A Flick
- Dance on a picnic table at Summerfest
- Be blown away by Steve Cohen Blues Allstars with Junior Brantley & Greg Koch at River Rhythms
- Peek in at the lovely St. Sava church during Serbian Fest
- Drink a beer with a monkey at Zoo a la Carte
- Celebrate freedom on Juneteenth Day
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