How the music fest will be different (and the same)

December 26, 2021 20

Summerfest is back after canceling for the first time in its 53-year history in 2020.

But it won’t be exactly the same Summerfest experience.

For starters, it’s happening later than usual. A couple of stages won’t look the same. And with COVID-19 cases surging in Wisconsin and across the country due to the more-contagious delta variant, new safety protocols are in place.

Nevertheless, once you walk through the turnstiles at Maier Festival Park, it’ll still be, in many ways, the same Summerfest experience.

Here are six ways the Big Gig will be different in 2021, and three ways it’ll be just like you remembered it.

How Summerfest is different

1. It’s not in the heat of summer.

Let’s start with the most obvious: Summerfest has never happened in September before. It was scheduled, as usual, for late June through early July 2020 … then for September 2020 … then for late June through early July in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic got in the way. So, taking its cue from other festivals, Summerfest opted for a September 2021 run, with the expectation that rising vaccinations and declining cases would make live music viable again. So it may be strange to go to Summerfest with schools back in session and the Packers season just around the corner, but it hopefully will be much cooler than its usual July Fourth-oriented run.

2. There are more nights, but fewer days.

For much of its history, Summerfest has been an annual 11-day bash, with, starting in 2011, a one-day break on the Monday in the middle. But in 2021 — and for the foreseeable future — the festival will be a trio of three-day weekends. (This year it’s Sept. 2 to 4, 9 to 11 and 16 to 18; next year, it’s set for late June through early July.) There are some cost savings cutting out two full days, three weekends the talent team can work with for bookings, plus a third weekend to lure out-of-towners.

But Summerfest 2021 actually will be 12 nights instead of the customary 11, if you count three bonus American Family Insurance Amphitheater concerts, with Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer (Sept. 1); the Jonas Brothers (Sept. 8); and Dave Matthews Band (Sept. 15).

3. You’ll need to be vaccinated or COVID-negative.

We all hoped, watching vaccinations rise and COVID cases drop this spring, that the worst of the pandemic would be over. That’s not the case. In recent weeks, a growing number of venues, promoters, artists and festivals have begun implementing additional safety protocols to try to avoid potential super-spreader events and stay in business.

In Summerfest’s case, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (taken within 72 hours prior to entry) are required for entry for visitors over the age of 12, and masks are required for children younger than 12, who are currently ineligible for the vaccine. Masks are also strongly encouraged for anyone who is not vaccinated and for everyone in indoor spaces.

4. You can’t spend your cash here.

As crowds returned to Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers games and the Wisconsin State Fair this year, patrons experienced a completely cashless or mostly cashless experience. Summerfest will be the same.

“By transitioning to credit cards only, we can provide a better and safer customer service experience for our fans, and improve the speed of service, reducing wait times,” officials with Summerfest parent company Milwaukee World Festival Inc. said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel in June. While only credit cards, debit cards and smartphones will be allowed for transactions at the festival, there will be cash-to-card machines at Maier Festival Park which can be used for no additional cost.

5. Summerfest Freeway Flyers are grounded, but there are other options.

Like scores of other businesses reopening around America, Milwaukee World Festival has had hiring struggles; as of Aug. 16, it was still trying to fill a few hundred seasonal positions, offering $2 to $3.50 more an hour for many positions. Labor shortages have also forced the Milwaukee County Transit System to scrap the Summerfest Freeway Flyer service that took festgoers from park-and-ride lots to Maier Festival Park, as well as its downtown shuttle to Summerfest that ran along Wisconsin Avenue.

But Summerfest has hired private transportation provider Vectour Group to run private shuttles to Summerfest beginning at 11 a.m. Sept. 2 to 4, 9 to 11 and 16 to 18. Round-trip tickets cost $12, and can be prepaid at summerfest.com or paid upon drop off at Summerfest’s Mid-Gate. Shuttles will pick up riders from three park-and-ride lots at College Avenue and I-94; from Wisconsin State Fair Park, on I-94, at South 76th St. and West Kearney St.; and in Brown Deer, at West Brown Deer Road, west of I-43.

If you prefer to take MCTS, routes that will get people “within walking distance” of Summerfest include the MCTS GoldLine, GreenLine, Route 14, Route 15, Route 30 and Route 33. The festival also has transportation information on its website for Hop riders, and Bublr bike and Uber users.

6. A couple shiny new stages (and a playground)

Summerfest’s vastly improved American Family Insurance Amphitheater — reconstructed for $51.3 million with extra terraces, aisles, restrooms, vendors, accessible seats and more — was supposed to make its big splash last year, until COVID canceled those plans. It’s not the only major upgrade on the grounds. The Northwestern Mutual Community Park has quickly become the premier playground in Milwaukee, while the Generac Power Stage, named after the Waukesha-based company, is replacing the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse. And while the Klement’s Sausage and Beer Garden has been around for a few years, for the first time it’ll be the host of an Oktoberfest-themed celebration, all day on Sept. 18.

How Summerfest is the same

1. It’s a very Summerfest lineup

Even with fewer days to work with and with some touring acts still hesitant to hit the road, Summerfest once again touts the most musically diverse lineup of any festival. There are superstars at the center of pop culture like Megan Thee Stallion, country stars like Luke Bryan, rock royalty like Guns N’ Roses, promising up-and-comers like Masked Wolf, artists who are there practically every year like Phil Vassar, and hundreds of Milwaukee acts, from tribute bands to one-of-a-kind original artists.

2. Your favorite attractions are back.

Beyond the music, there’ll still be the Big Bang Fireworks (starting at 9:30 p.m. Sept. 2). The Elizabeth “Bo” Black Family Fountain will be running for kids to splash around. You can see sports demonstrations at the Gruber Law Offices Sportszone. There’ll be a full day of Latin music on Sept. 9 at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard. And, of course, there’ll be Saz’s mozzarella marinara, Miss Katie’s Diner beer-battered chicken strips, the Venice Club’s fried eggplant strips, Robby’s roasted corn on the cob, Sil’s Mini Donuts and other Summerfest food staples.

Source link

Written by: admin

Fest music

Rate it

Music News

Electric Love Festival announce line up with Armin Van Buuren, Kygo, Don Diablo, Fisher, Solardo & more

The first headliners announced for Electric Love Festival 2022 were already coming in with a bang, but those who thought that the organizers already gave it their all were wrong. With this illustrious selection of absolute top DJs from Armin Van Buuren, Kygo, Don Diablo, Fisher, Solardo & more, it is clear: #ELF22 is going to be absolutely legendary! The DJs at a glance: Line-Up Phase 1/6:· Timmy Trumpet· KYGO· […]

December 26, 2021 53