When people ask Milwaukeeans why they choose to live in such a cold, beer-drunk place, they’ll likely get a simple answer: SUMMER. Yes, following 8,000 years of soul-crushing winter, Milwaukee truly comes alive in the summer, with a ridiculous number of festivals, street parties, and general outdoor shenanigans transforming a once depressed populace into a joyous mass of sweaty, still-beer-drunk humanity. It may only last three months, but oh, those three months are truly glorious.
Which brings us to our Summer Preview Week, sponsored by Potawatomi Bingo Casino. All week long, we’ll be dedicating the bulk of our coverage to all things right, good, and summer-y. Today, you’ll find a Tracklist by a new contributor, Rachel Seis, rounding up nine ways to entertain visiting family and friends this summer in Milwaukee. On Tuesday, we’ll be dropping our super-sized festival list that gives you all the dates, locations, and wise-ass commentary you need to plan your summer festival schedule. Wednesday will find us engaging in the time-honored tradition of analyzing the Summerfest schedule, which is either the best one in years or the worst one ever, depending on your taste, tolerance, and age. On Thursday, we’ll be premiering a new episode of our semi-regular video series, Run Of The Mil, which will give you even more info on this year’s summer festivals. Finally, on Friday, we’ll come up with something. There’ll be other stuff, too!
Need an extra boost to get jacked up for this summer? Of course you do—so why not enjoy these thrilling, noisy, and pretty silly videos of people seeking approval from their peer group moshing at Milwaukee summer festivals? Nothing gets the summer juices flowing quite like watching hundreds of spotty teens flail around like madmen (usually at the Warped Tour) while security guards watch on in belligerent bemusement. It’s summer, Milwaukee. (More or less.) GET PUMPED.