‘Radiant Echoes’ installation at Summerfest: ‘We’ve summoned the energy of an ancient future rave’

Earlier this week, Summerfest announced the various experiences, activities, and events that will complement the whole “music” thing at its 2026 shindig. Among them was a new interactive art installation from Milwaukee-based FuzzPop Workshop called “Radiant Echoes.” (FuzzPop previously created installations for Summerfest in 2024 and 2025.) Want more details on “Radiant Echoes”? Well buckle up, because here they come…

According to a new press release, “Radiant Echoes” will be a “monument of sound and light created by community where visitors will enter a space of towering megaliths and otherworldly flora—an ancient stone circle from another dimension—where they can harness the power of light and music.” It will be 25 feet tall and 50 feet wide. It will boast more than 1,000 “custom-designed sculptural fora” and more than 20 “hidden faces.” It will be located on the north end of the grounds, between the Uline Warehouse and T-Mobile stages.

Also, it will channel the energy of an “ancient future rave.”

“We’re thrilled to return to Summerfest for a third year and bring an art experience that is even bigger and wilder,” says FuzzPop Workshop founder and artistic director Daniel Murray. “We’ve summoned the energy of an ancient future rave, and it’s time to join the ritual.”

OH BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. “Radiant Echoes” will also come complete with some smartphone-enabled augmented reality stuff, designed by faculty and students of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. And Wild Space Dance Company will perform in the installation, too! (Performance dates and times TBA.)

“We are proud to support and showcase local artists through our partnership with FuzzPop Workshop,” says Milwaukee World Festival Inc. Chief Revenue Officer Kevin Canady. “‘Radiant Echoes’ is a large-scale, one-of-a-kind immersive experience that integrates art, sculpture, sound and light, with live performance. We look forward to debuting this unique installation during Summerfest. Thank you to our partners for their continued support of the arts.”

Alas, once again, no word yet on the return of the giant can of Bush’s baked beans and those beloved/loathed bucket hats.

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