1. Milwaukee Taco Fest
AUGUST 1 | HENRY W. MAIER FESTIVAL PARK
A staggering 15,348 tacos were eaten at the 2019 iteration of this festival. And we have a feeling that Milwaukeeans will be even hungrier after a year away. Live musicians and lucha libre wrestlers will entertain festival-goers as they eat too.
2. The WhiskeyBelles
AUGUST 4 | HUBBARD PARK LODGE
[Free]
Do you like listening to live music while drinking outside? Of course you do. So add this low-key beer garden bash – featuring Milwaukee’s best, and maybe only, female-powered folk trio – to your calendar now. The music’s on from 6-9 p.m., rain or shine.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Joe Rogan: Sacred Clown Tour
AUGUST 7 | FISERV FORUM
Fiserv has already proven itself adept at disinfecting its space before Bucks games. So it’s pretty safe to assume that this long-delayed event, featuring former “Fear Factor” host and current podcast superstar Joe Rogan, will take place without incident. Psych yourself up beforehand by listening to old episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Or, you know, by eating handfuls of bugs.
4. USA Triathlon
AUGUST 7 | DOWNTOWN MKE
Thousands of elite athletes will be huffing and puffing around the city today, as they compete in an Olympic-length triathlon. That means that they’ll be swimming 1,500 meters, biking 40 kilometers and then running another 10 kilometers on top of that just for good measure. Plant yourself near Discovery World if you want to cheer them on as they speed, or stagger, across the finish line.
5. Andrea Bartz
AUGUST 9 | VIRTUAL EVENT
[Free]
The Elmgrove Public Library is teaming up with Boswell Books to present a remote reading with the Brookfield-born author Andrea Bartz. According to Booklist, her latest thriller, We Were Never Here, is “a terrific novel, blending the Hitchcockian elements with a touch of Patricia Highsmith.”
6. Waukesha Rotary Bluesfest
AUGUST 13-14 | NAGA-WAUKEE PARK
The up-and-coming California troubadour Robben Ford headlines the first night of this festival. And Floridian Albert Castigula, widely considered one of the best blues guitarists working today, headlines the second night.
7. Morning Glory Art Fair
AUGUST 14-15 | FISERV FORUM PLAZA
More than 130 artists will be selling their wares at the 46th iteration of this long-running art and craft fair. Painters are well represented. But you can also find sculptors, textile artists, wood turners and jewelry makers too. And remember, it’s never too early to start shopping for the holidays!
8. Night Market
AUGUST 18 | WISCONSIN AVENUE
[Free]
Milwaukee’s popular Night Market is back for one night only this summer. The outdoor street fair, which typically draws thousands of people to Westown, is a celebration of homegrown food, drinks, music, art and more.
9. The Wailers
AUGUST 27 | THE RAVE
Bob Marley may be gone. But the Wailers are still here, and they’ve been busy lately. Toward the end of 2020 they released One World, One Prayer, their first album in over 25 years. And they recently earned a Grammy nomination for the record.
10. MKE Fringe Fest
AUGUST 28 | MARCUS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
The Fringe Festival shines a spotlight on artists of all disciplines who might not normally be able to find audiences for their work. This year, the festival will take place online and in-person. And it will feature both scheduled stage shows and roving pop-up performances that could, well, pop up anywhere near the Peck Pavilion.
