In case you missed the news, Milwaukee Record and Busby’s have joined forces on organizing a new springtime celebration that will bring big time fun to one of Milwaukee’s smallest parks. On Saturday, May 24, the inaugural “Morgan Park Picnic” will take place at—you guessed it!—Morgan Park on the southern edge of the Bay View and Fernwood neighborhoods.
From noon to 6 p.m., the park will play host to a FREE family-friendly festival that will offer a winning mix of live entertainment, local food trucks, Wisconsin craft beer (and other refreshments), and area retailers set up in and around the underutilized triangle park. It’s going to be awesome!
Since it’s a first-year festival, you probably have a few questions. Well, as co-creators and co-organizers of this ambitious new undertaking, we have answers to those questions. As you make plans to join us on May 24, here’s everything you need to know about the inaugural Morgan Park Picnic.
Who’s playing?
The day will start off with a Punk Rock Yoga class from Healium‘s Robyn Lucks. If you’re interested in taking part, please consider signing up! Make sure to bring a mat, some water, proper ttire for the weather, and “a baditude.” After the class is over, the stage will host an eclectic trio of local acts that will perform throughout the afternoon. We’ll also be bumping a curated blend of festival-suited tunes between the activities and entertainment to keep spirits high when the stage isn’t in use. Here’s the full schedule:
Noon to 12:45 p.m. — Healium Punk Rock Yoga
1:30 to 2:15 p.m. — Scam Likely
3:00 to 3:45 p.m. — El Sebas
4:30 to 5:30 p.m. — Ladybird
What’s to drink?
As if outdoor yoga and stacked cast of musicians isn’t enticing enough, Busby’s has assembled a great list of Third Space beers, which will be available at two drink stations in the park. You can also find some N/A options including Sprecher Root Beer, Liquid Death mountain water, and Third Space’s Lemon Drop Hop Water. Here’s what they’ll be pouring and cracking and the drink stations.
DRAFT
Third Space
Heavenly Haze
Lavender Lemonade
Pretty Good
Upward Spiral
Morgan Park Golden Ale
CANS
Happy Place
Frog Weiss
Cucumber Lime
Throughout the day, volunteers representing Bay View Neighborhood Association, Fernwood Montessori School, and Bay View High School Gay-Straight Alliance will help serve drinks. All tips from drink sales will be donated to those organizations. And if you’re looking to spend some time out of the sun, Busby’s will be open for business and will have its full bar available. MilWALKee Walks will even be around to help folks cross Kinnickinnic Ave. during the festival.
But carry-ins are allowed, right?
HELL NO! You have no idea how much time, money, resources, and effort Milwaukee Record, Busby’s, and countless others have put into making this event possible. It’s honestly pretty terrifying to put something like this on! Supporting the event will help ensure this brand new festival will be able to happen next spring (and for years to come). Please don’t carry in alcohol for that reason and, well, because it’s not allowed.
Will there be anything to eat?
Yep! Flour Girl & Flame, Pallino Burger, Not Bad Food, and Trouble Makers Cocina will be set up against Morgan Park on Kinnickinnic Ave. and serving up food on-site for the duration of the event. Beyond those hot treats, we also have a few vendors on Pennsylvania Ave. selling prepackaged sweets and savory treats.
Any other vendors?
The entire stretch of Pennsylvania Ave. between Kinnickinnic Ave. and Holt Ave. will be shut down and will host approximately 30 local retailers (records, vintage clothing, apparel, candles, food, and more), area artists, and wonderful Milwaukee organizations. You can check out the full Morgan Park Picnic vendor list HERE.
How can I help?
Well, the biggest thing you can do to help the inaugural Morgan Park Picnic would be to attend. It’s that easy! Speaking for the other organizers, we’re doing this so people can come out and have some free Memorial Weekend fun to kick off festival season. Simply showing up would mean the world to us.
Aside from that, we’re still looking for a few more volunteers to help us keep the park and surrounding streets clean, assist with tear down, and be on hand for other things that inevitably come up over the course of the day. Short of that, we’d appreciate your help in letting people know it’s happening!
Speaking of help, what generous sponsors helped make this event possible?
Wow! You’re asking some great questions, fictional person. The inaugural Morgan Park Picnic is made possible through primary support by Pabst Theater Group, as well as sponsorship from Educators Credit Union, Kelly’s Greens, Egan Keene Real Estate, Bay View Neighborhood Association, Kneeverland Productions, Wild Workouts & Wellness, Abodes Bestowed, Music Go Round Greenfield, MilWALKee Walks, Healium Hot Yoga, Sprocket Cafe, and WMSE.
Anything else?
Bring lawn chairs! Oh, and if you live close by, maybe consider walking, biking, or carpooling so parking isn’t an issue. There is a lot of parking on nearby side streets throughout Bay View, Fernwood, and even the city of St. Francis that all are in the vicinity of Morgan Park. Oh, and Morgan Park is also right on the 15 bus line.
We could go on and on with more information and reasons to attend, but we’ll just keep it short and sweet: This is going to be a great day and we’d love it if you joined us at the Morgan Park Picnic. We’ll see you on Saturday, May 24!
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