Milwaukee has no shortage of great summer festivals. However, the vast majority of those events feature beer and other alcoholic items in abundance, which can make celebrating difficult for those in recovery. People seeking a fun outdoor festival without the presence of substances that seem to be at virtually every other Milwaukee summertime happening can find just that at this year’s Soberfest.
The third annual event will return to Pere Marquette Park on Saturday, August 5. From 5-9 p.m., The Phoenix—”a nonprofit organization that fosters a sober active community for individuals recovering from substance abuse, as well as the allies and supporters of those in recovery”—will host the full-on festival that will feature live music from Vincent Van Great, Bad Year, B.u., and Jorge Vallentine, as well as emceeing from local radio personality Promise.
There will also be food and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase. Unlike many of its festival counterparts, Soberfest will feature guest speakers, including motivation speaker Ed Hennings, and a variety of recovery groups will be-site to distribute information and resources to those who are interested. Those groups include: Samads House, Rebound, Milwaukee Alano Club, Serenity Inns, 4th Dimension Sobriety, Roots Recovery, Meta House, Denoon Recovery Center, WisHope, Wisconsin Voices of Recovery, City of Milwaukee Health Department, Community Medical Services, Milwaukee Turners, Honeybee Sage Wellness & Apothecary, The Daily Bird, Inmoxicated, and Narcotics Anonymous.
“We are super excited to bring this music festival back to the recovery community. They deserve to enjoy a substance-free environment while enjoying some great musical vibes,” co-organizer John Cunningham tells Milwaukee Record. “One of our objectives is to meet new people who may be curious about getting involved with the sober community or receiving the resources they need to battle addiction.”
Like all of The Phoenix’s events, Soberfest is free to anyone with 48 hours of continuous sobriety from alcohol and nonprescription drugs. If you can count commit to that, you’re invited to attend the third annual Soberfest on Saturday, August 5.
