With Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 on strike for three of the festival’s 11 days, it was reasonable to expect Summerfest’s attendance to be down in 2015.
And it was, with 772,652 patrons attending the festival in 2015, down significantly from 2014’s attendance of 851,879. Here’s a quick look at some more attendance numbers from recent years:
- 2013: 840,356
- 2012: 805,437 (this year, you may recall, had a punishing heat wave)
- 2011: 878,636
- 2010: 856,254
- 2009: 835,679
- 2008: 831,024
- 2007: 892,005 (40th Anniversary)
In 2008, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Summerfest had its lowest attendance since 1993, when 827,357 patrons entered the festival grounds. Summerfest added turnstiles to more accurately track attendance in 1983, when 657,429 patrons came through the gates, and when the Marcus Amphitheater opened in 1987, attendance was 754,213.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. also saw 23,000 additional attendees come through the gates on June 23 to see The Rolling Stones.
Summerfest released the following statement from Don Smiley, president and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival.
“In this business, there are certain elements within your control and various elements that are out of your control. This year we dealt with some extraordinary factors that significantly affected people’s participation with the event,” said Don Smiley, President and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “Between significant area road construction which led to very challenging routes and traffic congestion, unseasonably cold weather for the first half of the festival and a major mass transit work stoppage by transit workers during the event, Summerfest’s numbers were negatively impacted. The music was outstanding, as were the food and beverages, and other attractions. The event business is very unpredictable, however, our local, national and international attendees, along with a world-wide streaming audience, got a ‘bird’s eye view’ of Milwaukee and its musical gem. We now move on to 2016.”
