MILWAUKEE, Wis. – In 2024, Summerfest organizers blamed an 11% dip in attendance compared to 2023 on adverse weather conditions.
In 2025, despite less-than-perfect weather once again, attendance numbers trended higher for the festival.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. reported Tuesday attendance for Summerfest this year increased approximately 8% from 2024, total 602,231 fans at the festival. Milwauke World Festival also reported three sold-out headliners at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater: Hozier, The Killers, and Benson Boone.
The 2025 edition of the festival included a downpour on opening day, along with temperatures that reached such high levels that organizers allowed festgoers to bring in their own plastic water bottles.
The final night of the festival also included multiple fights among teenage attendants, which Milwaukee Police say led to 21 ejections.
Milwaukee World Festival Inc. also provided stats on how many guests were able to attend without paying full price; 20% of patrons who attended the festival gained access via one of the festival’s 13 admission promotions, according to organizers.
The 2026 festival will continue to follow the three-weekend format adopted in 2021, with dates next year set for June 18th-20th, June 25th-27th, and July 2nd-4th.
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