Summerfest is an annual music festival held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But it's not just a music festival. It is 'The' Music festival. In fact, it is officially the world's largest music festival according to Guiness World Records (1999). Summerfest takes place on a 75 acre park along the Lake Michigan lakefront always during the 4th of July timeframe. This is an 11 day music festival which attracts about 1 million people each year. This has been a Milwaukee tradition that has been going on since the 70's. It's a bit difficult to describe for someone who hasn't been there. But I am going to give it a shot here.

Summerfest takes place on a huge festival park (Henry Maier Festival Park) which is similar to a State Fair park. There are 11 music stages which includes a 23,000 seat Amphitheater and a Rock Stage (for all of us metalheads - yeah!). The Amphitheater includes some general lawn seating in the back and you can actually purchase tickets in advance for the reserved seats. But for the most part all of the other stages are open to anyone who is on the Summerfest grounds. The Rock Stage has bench seating, The Miller Oasis has a bunch of picnic tables and standing room, and the other stages include a combination of tables, benches and standing room. Every show other the main act in the Amphitheater for reserved seating is included in the price of admission. So you are free to roam and explore all of the bands on the various stages. They open the gates at noon and run until midnight each day for eleven days. Bands play all day long on each of the stages for all eleven days. So the festival goes on for 11 days, there are 11 stages and there are over 700 bands. Historically Summerfest will draw many big acts (they usually play the Amphitheater) and a variety of up and coming bands spanning many different musical genres. Over the years I have seen Pearl Jam, Metallica and Bon Jovi at the Amphitheater. In more recent years the Amphitheater seems to draw more of a mixed bag of genres including country. Last year the bigger acts included Tom Petty, Stone Temple Pilots, John Mayer, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts. But my favorite stage is the Rock Stage. This is more Rock / Heavy Metal oriented. Here I have seen many of my favorites bands including Sevendust, Candlebox, Creed and Tesla. This is more of an intimate setting so really there is not a bad seat in the house.

But wait, there is more to Summerfest than the music. It's in Milwaukee so of course there is one important dimension to Summerfest that enhances the experience: BEER! One really cool thing about 'The Fest' is that once you're in, you can grab a brew and freely roam the entire Summerfest grounds. Of course there is no shortage of beer tents scattered throughout the grounds. Also, there is a really assortment of food available including Saz's - a Milwaukee staple for 32 years. Uh, I should mention that if you are on a diet or are health conscious you should know that most of the food is fried and covered in fat, stuffed in a refried pancake and covered in chocolate fudge, then drizzled with a layer of oil and fat topped off with BBQ sauce and Nacho cheese. Wash that down with a beer. Hell, this is Wisconsin people! No avocado and sprout sandwiches here (wuss).

Overall, I would say that there is no doubt that Summerfest is the coolest thing about Milwaukee. It's the one thing that I miss here in Phoenix. I tell all my friends about it, and they usually just nod their heads politely and I get a collective 'uh-huh'. Translation: whatever dude. But I would recommend that everyone should experience Summerfest at one point in your lifetime. Live tunes, alcohol flowing freely and tasty food. What more could you possibly want!

-Jim