Almost exactly two years ago, a block of Lenox Street in Bay View was blocked off to host the inaugural Bumstead Block Party. One year later, following Bumstead’s transition into Crafty Cow and Hot Head Fried Chicken, the new and improved operation celebrated the start of summer with a first-year event they called “Fat Fest” that brought food, art, and tunes to the quaint city block just off Kinnickinnic Ave. Following that successful rebrand, the microfestival will return this summer.
The second annual Fat Fest will bring the winning blend of “Food. Art. Tunes.” back to Lenox from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 17. This time around, Crafty Cow and Hot Head (which will only be available for purchase inside the restaurants) will be joined by an impressive cast of outdoor food vendors that includes Lumpia City, The Vanguard, Tots On The Street, and Scratch Ice Cream. Madison-based Plain Spoke will have canned cocktails available on-site, and beer will be handled by Third Space and 3 Sheeps (including a collaborative beer the two breweries will make for the occasion).
The artistic end of things will be handled by an array of area creatives, including Milwaukee Blacksmith, which will be doing live demos, as well as metal stamping to make bracelets, pet tags, necklaces, and more. One minor change this year is that attendees will be charged a one-time $1 fee to obtain a wristband that will enable them to buy alcohol at the festival. Every dollar brought in from wristbands will be donated to a charity that supports arts education.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a block party without live music. An eclectic array of performers will take the stage from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Here who’s playing:
Lorde Fredd33
No No Yeah Okay
Saebra & Carlyle
Surgeons In Heat
Rexxx
DJing by Bay View Boom Bap between performers
Even though we’ll have to wait until August this time around, the second annual Fat Fest (and third straight block party on Lenox) looks to be bigger and better than ever before. We’ll see you there, Milwaukee!