Now that we’ve had a moment to recover from one of the busiest weekends in Milwaukee’s recent history, it’s time to focus on the weekend ahead. Though there’s a lot going on, a major highlight is Brady Street Festival. One of Milwaukee’s largest, longest-running, and all-around best summer block parties will be taking over a nine-block stretch of the East Side for another thrilling installment from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 29.
As always, there will be music, food, drinks, local retailers, and other activities. However, there will also be a few new stages, some new youth-focused amenities, and more. In order to get you up to speed on what’s happening on the street this coming Saturday, Milwaukee Record—a proud media sponsor!—has assembled a guide with everything you need to know about this year’s Brady Street Festival.
The Entertainment
This year’s Brady Street Festival will feature a wide range of entertainment on three outdoor stages. Beyond stage headliners Abby Jeanne, Klassik, and the Brady Street Babes Drag Show, you’ll be able to catch an eclectic musical mix including performances by the likes of Zach Pietrini, Moonglow, The Steph Lippert Project, The Erotic Adventures Of The Static Chicken, Diet Lite, MATTHÚ, and many more. Heck, there will even be Dog Yoga, a Kids Boogie Down, and a showcase by True Skool.
In addition to the three outdoor stages the festival has offered in years past, this year’s Brady Street Festival will feature two new indoor stages in the form of the Nashville North Stage (located inside of Nashville North, obviously) and the “Lillipad” Stage located inside Lilliput Records, where you can see Bug Moment, Emmitt James, Okay Omen, and Grey Genius. You can see the full lineup HERE.
Another new aspect of the festival this year is the Fun Zone, which brings Friend Like Me—a local party and events service—to an area located behind the Center Stage where they’ll offer festival goers of all ages free photo ops with beloved characters and youth-focused craft activities from 12-5 p.m. A face painter named Mariana Palomino will also be on-site during the day. The SAINTS dance troupe will take over the Fun Zone at night. Elsewhere in the festival area, Adventure Rock will have a climbing wall near the corner of Brady and Humboldt and Casablanca Rumble Pro Wrestling will set up its ring directly behind the West Stage on Brady between Cass and Van Buren.
The Drinks
You’ll find three beer tents scattered on Brady Street, each of which will be selling an assortment of beer (both local craft and popular domestic brands), seltzers, spirits, and water. Unlike previous years, almost everything will be offered in cans in an effort to make the event as sustainable as possible. Here’s what will be available (all prices are $6 and all cans are 12 ounces unless otherwise noted):
• Bud Light (16 ounces)
• Michelob Ultra (16 ounces)
• Bud Light Seltzer Black Cherry (16 ounces)
• New Glarus Spotted Cow
• Third Space Smile
• Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing
• 3 Sheeps Fresh Coast Pale Ale
• MKE Brewing Louie’s Demise
• Founders All Day IPA
• Nutrl Pineapple Vodka Seltzer
• Cutwater Lime Margarita ($8)
• Cutwater Vodka Mule ($8)
• Liquid Death Mountain Water ($3, 16 ounces)
Beyond the canned items served at tents, spirit sponsors Smirnoff and Bacardi will be highlighted at Brady Street bars and restaurants through specials and promotions. Speaking of Brady Street bars and restaurants, if you want to get out of the sun for a while on Saturday, duck into one of the numerous fine establishments on the street to enjoy a beverage over the course of the day and night.
The Vendors
As always, get ready for a massive grouping of vendors. There will be dozens of food options, including various Brady restaurants selling their items at stands and other dining purveyors setting up on the street for the day. You’ll also encounter an assortment of area retailers, makers, and artists who will be selling their products at stands scattered throughout the grounds. There will also be a variety of clubs, organizations, and businesses with a presence at the festival. To help you plan your meals and determine how much extra cash you think you’ll want to bring on Saturday, you can check out the full list of more than 85 participating vendors HERE.
The Rest
This year’s Brady Street Festival will end at 11 p.m. sharp. Guests are encouraged to make their way off the street at that time, but invited to head into a business on or around Brady Street to continue celebrating. Other than that, we think we pretty much covered everything. Be safe, be kind, and we’ll see you there!
