The Milwaukee County Zoo is celebrating the 40th year of A La Carte at the Zoo in 2026, and it’s doing so in style. Oh, and actor-musician Dermot Mulroney and his “Cali-Country” band jackrabbit are totally playing.
From August 20-23, both national headliners and local groups will grace the Miller Lite Caribou Stage. Here are those headliners, with blurbs courtesy of the Zoo. (Get your tickets HERE.)
Thursday, August 20, 7 p.m.: lovelytheband
“lovelytheband is a Los Angeles alt-pop/indie-pop act with a strong national profile, known for big hooks, emotional honesty, and festival-friendly energy. The band broke through with ‘broken,’ a major crossover hit that reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, spent nine weeks at No. 1 on Alternative Airplay, and remained on the chart for 76 weeks. With a 2024 full-length album, recent 2026 releases, roughly 1.8 million monthly Spotify listeners, and recent touring support dates with The Kooks, they offer a recognizable name that still feels current.”
Friday, August 21, 7:30 p.m.: Chris Lane
“Chris Lane steps into a more grounded and personal era with his new album Shade Tree (Red Street Records/VoyagerRecords), which debuted with an impressive 1.65 million streams in its first week. Inspired by his North Carolina upbringing, the album reflects on the people and places that shaped him—capturing the heart of small-town life, family, and the values he was raised on. The project features his current chart-climbing single ‘If I Die Before You’ and marks a return to Lane’s country roots, both lyrically and sonically.”
Friday, August 21, 6 p.m.: jackrabbit featuring Dermot Mulroney
“jackrabbit is the Americana-tinged country band co-led by actor-musicians Dermot Mulroney and his brother Kieran Mulroney. Cowriting and performing together, the brothers blend twangy guitars, layered harmonies, and emotion-rich lyrical storytelling to create what they term a ‘Cali-Country’ vibe—drawing inspiration from the Bakersfield sound, the Eagles, and the soft-rock tradition of California’s Sunset Strip. An interview in Atwood Magazine underscores that jackrabbit. is more than a side project—it’s ‘where all the pieces finally come together,’ shaped over decades by shared history and deep creative instincts. Their lineup includes the Mulroney brothers along with Sebastian Sheehan, Matt McFadden, and Henry Quirion, rounding out a five‑piece band delivering an authentic, emotional musical experience.”
Saturday, August 22, 7 p.m.: Tank And The Bangas
“For Tank And The Bangas, music is a vessel for unbridled joy and transcendent connection—forces as integral to their essence as their wildly original sound. On their new album The Last Balloon, the New Orleans-bred outfit channel those impulses into something celebratory yet profoundly human, exploring themes of frustration, resilience, and self-realization with equal parts raw emotionality and playful exuberance. A shapeshifting collective helmed by lead singer Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball and multi-instrumentalist Norman Spence II, the globally beloved group completed the LP after winning a GRAMMY for 2024’s spoken-word powerhouse The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, moving from incendiary poetry to a euphoric collision of soul and hip-hop and forward-thinking R&B.”
Sunday, August 23, 6 p.m.: De La Beuna
“A La Carte at the Zoo wraps on Sunday with Milwaukee-favorite Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz sensation, De La Buena on the Miller Lite Caribou Stage at 6 p.m.”
Oh, and there’ll be food, too! Here’s a big ol’ list of participating restaurants. See you at the Zoo!
A la Crepes
BBQ Belle
BelAir Cantina
Brew City Snowballs
Bubble Waffle Shoppes
Catalano Corn
Chillwaukee Coffee
Chillwaukee Pops
Crust & Copper
C-Viche
Flip’s Mini Donuts
Fresh & Safe
Kings Catering
Lumpia City
Milwaukee Pretzel Company
MIL-WOK-EE
Po’ Manz Food
Saz’s
Scrima’s Woodfired Pizza
Shawarma House
The Watering Hole
Thunder Bay Grille
Tiki Bubble
Tots on the Street
Ultimate Confections Desserts feat. Suzy’s Cream Cheesecakes
Wok in the Zoo
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