Milwaukee's July Festivals
Details on Bastille Day, Greek Fest, Festa Italiana and German Fest
Wisconsin has a rich cultural heritage which is celebrated with summer festivals in Milwaukee. Summer in Milwaukee is a beautiful time. The Lake Michigan breezes cool the city to make summer gatherings comfortable. Milwaukee is a very popular destination, drawing people from nearby Wisconsin cities. Milwaukee also draws visitors from Illinois, particularly the Chicago, Illinois area. Milwaukee is a drive of 60 to 90 minutes from Chicago.
During the month of July, Milwaukee hosts ethnic celebrations, including Bastille Days, Greek Fest, Festa Italiana and German Fest. Weekends in Milwaukee are a good time, with food, music and great entertainment. Enjoy the ethnic celebrations in Milwaukee this summer.
Bastille Days
July 11-13, 2008 Cathedral Square, East Town, Milwaukee: Milwaukee turns Parisian for this downtown summer festival commemorating the French Revolution. East Town is blocked off and the square is filled with French festivities, food, wine, street performers, artists, roaming minstrels, Storming of the Bastille and a 5K run. On Thursday, July 13, the annual Storming of the Bastille is sponsored by M&I Bank. Thousands of festival goers reenact the historic storming of the Bastille. Stage entertainment in the park features an eclectic mix of Cajun, blues, reggae, folk music, rock, jazz and zydeco. Four stages feature performers for entertainment that runs non-stop. In addition to the stage entertainment, there are street performers, roaming minstrels, posers, minstrels, tango dancers, belly dancers, mimes and artists. Local chefs demonstrate cooking techniques, as they prepare French cuisine in the park.
Bastille Days is a pleasant free festival with entertainment, food and music. Food wine and beer are available for purchase. Restaurants will booths include Crema and Crepe Cafe, La Patisserie, Charcoal Grill, Mediterranean Cuisine, Louise's Trattoria, Saz's Garden Bistro, Alliance Francaise, Crawdaddy's Treptow and Mader's German Restaurant. The streets of Cathedral Square Park in the East Town neighborhood of Milwaukee, will be filled with this lively festival July 11 to 13, from 11 am to midnight. Park in a nearby parking lot or ramp, or take one of Milwaukee's Free Trolleys to Cathedral Square to join the festivities.
Greek Fest
July 11-13, 2008 Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. West Allis. Greek Fest was celebrated at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church for many years. Last year they moved the festival to the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds to better accommodate the crowds.
Festa Italiana
July 17-20: Henry Maier Festival Park, Summmerfest Grounds: America's premiere Italian event features four days of Italian food, entertainment, and music. Festive days are concluded with spectacular nightly fireworks. Flag Throwers from Italy, will be enlivening the lakefront with their spectacular performance. Ten stages of entertainment ensure that there is always something to see and do at Festa Italiana. The stages feature performers entertaining music and dancing. Terrific Italian food will be available for purchase. Food booths will serve food from Buca di Beppo, Caldos, Nino's Italian Bakery, Palermo Villa Restaurant, Pietro's Pizza, Scardina Bakery and many more. Admission to Festa Italiana is $12 at the gate and $10 in advance. Children under 12 are free.
German Fest
July 24 - 27, 2008. Henry Maier Festival Park, Summerfest Grounds, Milwaukee. July 27-29, 2007. Milwaukee has a rich German heritage, which is celebrated at German Fest. Ten stages of German style entertainment including German music and dancing. German delicacies including coffee cakes, sausages, Rollbraten, Sauerbraten ad Schnitzel will be served. According to statistics, there will be more that 20,000 Usingers Bratwurst served along with 10,000 pounds of sauerkraut. Another 10,000 pounds of potatoes will become potato pancakes.Delicious strudels and tortes tempt the festival goers. German beer and wine add Gemuchlicht. Fireworks nightly. Admission is $12 for adults. Seniors (60+) and students with ID $6. Children 12 and under are free.
Information subject to change.
