Great music with a cool breeze from the lake. Enjoy coming here during the different summer festivals. read more

German Fest - BMO Pavilion during Summerfest - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Love Germanfest. They have the best food, the best beer and the best music of all the summer festivals. Tip-if you have military id, you and a family member can in for free any day or time during the festival. read more

German Fest - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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We attended German Fest last weekend and had a great time! We got to see the opening tapping of the Fest Keg and listened to many speeches before the keg was tapped. There was even a short play about waking up who appeared to be the village idiot by people wearing green fur capes with hats with really long feathers in them!! Lots of food and music and what was most relaxing of all, was finding a picnic table in the shade, overlooking Lake Michigan, with a delicious cup of Fest Bier. I love these grounds which also are home to the famous Summerfest. It's nice to be able to take a break and find a table to just sit at and watch the lake after a busy day of stage-hopping and eating and drinking the featured victuals. This is a great fest to explore German food and culture. The only bummer was no one actually played all the Alpine Horns I saw being carted around! read more

German Fest - Handing out cups of FestBier after the keg was tapped! - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This was my 1st Germanfest! Here are my take aways: 1. Great location! The Henry Mayer Festival Park is right along the water and along the highway. Plenty of parking available. Spacious! Endless food vendors, indoor space for artisan sales and plenty of outdoor stages with entertainment. PLUS a large, updated playground that my kids (3 and 13 didn't want to leave.) We had great weather. 2. CHAIR LIFT? You can ride if for fun and the view OR you can ride it to the other end of the festival! The kids especially loved this (and that's how they became obsessed with the playground- the view from above.) 3. The Lumberjack competition was AWESOME! First off- this was a real deal live TV production with cameras whizzing over our heads and were were surrounded by family and friends of those competing. This was really cool! Since we were there on Friday Night, we were able to watch the women's championship. A MUST TO SEE AT GERMANFEST! 4. FROZEN CHEESECAKE ON A STICK- BUY IT!!!!!!!! It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Another first for me and I think about it often. 5. Something for everyone! The adult men of course enjoyed the beer and we enjoyed everything else! read more

German Fest - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Our grandkids took us for our first visit to Germanfest. We had delicious potato pancakes with sausage, German potato salad, and Schweineschnitzel. We also listened to a couple of the bands, and we watched the Stihl Timbersports U.S. Championships which included lumberjack competitions in six different divisions: the underhand chop, stock saw, standing block chop, single buck, springboard chop, and the hot saw. It was incredible! Of course the day wasn't complete without a couple of liters of Festbier! read more

German Fest - My grandsons and me enjoying a "Prost" before starting on our first liter of the day! - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

German Fest is another great weekend summer festival in Milwaukee at Henry Mayer Festival Park. One of the many ethnic themed weekend's festivals that fill Milwaukee's summer weekends on the lake. Having a mother that had a deep German background, and having a live for German Food, puts this festival near the top of my list of things to attend in Milwaukee (the others being State Fair, Summerfest and Irish Fest). The weather was great this year which always helps! Unfortunately, for the second time in a row, I was not that excited about the food. (And like I said, I love German Food!g. Maybe I'm just making the wrong choices (would love to try everything... but I can only eat so much in a day!). Today I had some spatzel for lunch which was pretty average and a pork dinner from Saz's later in the day. Loved the potato's and red cabbage but the pork was tough and I did not like the sauce. I also split a pretzel from Milwaukee Pretzel Company and this was by far the best thing a ate all day! Food being average still doesn't take away from a great day at Henry Mayer Festival Park. Cold beer, polka music and lots of people having fun in lederhosen.... Always worth it! read more

German Fest - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Best ethnic group and venue in the region! Quality throughout in every area including foods, culture, music and selection. read more

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Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi! I'm married to a German teacher, so I consider myself a pseudo-expert in this area. We drove up from Indiana for this hoopla and we had a good time! With four stages, there are many great entertainment options! We love a good folk dancing moment. We love a good accordian moment. We love a polka band moment. Schürzenjäger came in from Austria and made fun of the crowd all night--loved it. My feet hurt the next day from polka-ing in chacos. The opening ceremonies really showed how much Milwaukee German pride there is in the city--although it was painful to hear the president of the organization (and many other folks) mispronounce German words, you can tell they've got spirit. If you go: you are going to spend a lot of money. However, consider it an investment. Buy the bier, get the Brezel, buy another bier, etc. read more

Always clean, awesome food, warm and friendly people. Love the quaint vendors selling German items. The dancing and singing is always a treat. One of my favorite festivals to visit in the summer. read more

German Fest is one of my favorite festivals in Milwaukee. There is something for everyone from the Dachshund Derby and Costume Contest to the Glockenspiel. Some of my favorite foods are the potato pancakes, schnitzel sandwich, reuben rolls, big pretzel from Milwaukee Pretzel Company and finally no visit to German Fest is complete without some strudel from Helmut's. The people watching is great also! read more

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If you have to pick just one ethnic lakefront festival to go to, this should be it. Regardless of where your ancestors came from, if you've lived any time in Milwaukee, you have to be familiar with the many Germanic influences in our city. so when you think about it, it is kinda all of us who live here's heritage There's accordian players, a whole area themed for daschunds (daschund derby, blessing of the daschunds, free pet food samples!), the Volkswagen club has a tent, and more German food and beer than you can shake a schnitzel on a stick at. Check for special promos (hunger task force usually has a day where there's free admission with a canned food donation,) avoid those $20 parking lots and enjoy! Prost! read more

German Fest - dachshund derby! - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Thanks to Yelp and Rachel I enjoyed the last day of German fest Sunday. The music was fun and interactive/lots of schnoodling . I got a chance to watch almost all of the bands. Parking was $10, adult entry $15, (tee hee) Beers were 5-6. Food was all around 4-10. Some of the beer team captains reported that they were running out of beer early. No beer left??? In Milwaukee?? I think they are following the conservative no new keg tap. Rule It was based on sales per hour. And time left to sell. Saturdays are busier. This year they consolidated the fireworks. Or just cut it away from Sunday. That's just how budgets go. I noticed even prices for food went up .50 to 1.75 extra. Beers were about the same. Since it was the last day they are getting tired of calling for the new kegs. And as volunteers they are tired, end of the four day fest want to enjoy the fest music as well. Too bad since you could have sold me more Sprecher beer! Miller did well along with Coors. Selling aluminum bottles and drafts. After others went "dry" Such a great draw for the city to promote German heritage. People had come from all over the state and as far as Florida. It was really nice meeting great people. Dancing Laughing Chatting Drinking Singing On a fun note near the end of the night I met up with a young married couple. Who was having a great time!! She did what most groupies do at the end of a set. To meet the band and get an autograph from the band members from Austria. They turned her down...?? They seemed to be giving her thumbs up when she and another girl was making out front and center of the dance floor. But no. He got scared. Hot chick: I want you to sign my ass!...... Austrian guy: Vat?? Hot chick: Sign my ASS!! This is 'Merica!.... This is what we do here! Sign my ass! Austrian: No, my wife ist hier. Hot chick: Aw come on!! Just the top part I wont pull them down too far! Sign my ass! Austrian guy: Nicht auf Ihrem Gesäß Autogramm es verboten ist. Hot chick: Aww..... At least sign my breast then?!! I couldn't fault her for trying to share some American culture with our visitors. Another German fest 2013 to remember Thanks! Food 4 Ambiance 5 Service 4 Location 5 Value 5 read more

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German Fest is a unique Milwaukee experience - where else can you: *Hear Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" played by a large German brass band? *Order a whole pigs head? (Dead serious, I saw a dude eating one) *Hear the following in the ladies room - "no problem, I'll hold your accordion" *Shop for half priced dirndl? *Experience the painful irony of attending a fest that celebrates a nation with 1200+ breweries but serves Pilsner Urquell as the sole import beer? (Don't get me started) *Ogle lots of fellas in lederhosen...or not.... Whether it's listening to the polka version of "Sweet Caroline", drinking Weissbier, or chowing down on some spanferkel you're sure to have a great time. The crowd tends to be more "mature" early in the day and gives way to a younger crowd after 7 or 8. There's usually many ways to score reduced or free admission too so you can save your Deutschemarks for more bier. Minus one star for the disgraceful beer situation. Come on, not even some shitty Beck's? Really!?! read more

While I am not ethnically German, I love going to Milwaukee's German Fest. This ethnic festival has excellent beer, food, and entertainment. Buy the $20 mug and get a refill later for $12. Also, check out the bars farther back from the entrance, as they have shorter lines and better/more draft varieties. Do not miss the Glockenspiel performance or the Stihl woodcutting competitions. read more

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Like many Milwaukeeans, I'm mostly German, so I have to give props to the fest of my people! German Fest is my go-to, can't miss fest of the year, second only to the Wisconsin State Fair. Really, Nancy? Yes, fellow Yelpers, REALLY! Men in Lederhosen, women in Dirndls, Wienerschnitzel, Sauerbraten, Bienenstich, Schaumtorte, dachshunds, beer, polkas, a Glockenspiel, Volkswagens.....need I go on? I didn't think so. You'll eat good, that's for sure! If you don't like German food, just hit the dessert booth.....you'll think you've died and gone to heaven! The drinks? Well, the beers are German, but Milwaukee German, so if you are expecting "authentic" brews from the Vaterland, you'll have to go elsewhere. Authentic booze? Yes, and I recommend anything with apfel (apple) or beere (berry) in the name. Lucky for us, it can be found at Discount Liquor. About half the people walking around wear some form of traditional German dress, whether it's just a Tyrolean hat or an entire outfit. Clothing can be purchased on the grounds and prices range from extremely reasonable to slightly insane, depending on what you want to purchase. There are other things to purchase as well: the always-present table linens, glass ornaments, t-shirts and candy, but in 2015, I noticed a severe shortage in what I like to purchase at the fest: nutcracker "soldiers". At least I know where to get them when not at the fest. The cultural tent never disappoints. The amount of information on the different regions of Germany and the local groups that they've inspired, the many different German programs available at different schools and language levels, the genealogists ready to help you break through that wall, the crafts that call your name.....you, a full grown adult who desperately WANTS to make something to take home, and gives in and doesn't give a good gosh darn who's watching you make that 3 dimensional paper star.....but lets get back on topic! There is a special and rather large area for attendees to play sheepshead in this tent as well as information on traveling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The local Volkswagen club has a small tent where members show off their best vehicles, including a couple of busses and a Thing! Sure, there's oom-pa-pa music on every stage, but the show you want to make sure not to miss is held at the Glockenspiel. Just trust me and see it the next time you attend, you won't be disappointed. So, why did I give German Fest only 4 stars? Well even though they do most things right here, I was disappointed with a couple of others: 1. The same goods were available to purchase here as are available every year. Nothing gets added and nothing changes. 2.The music. Now, I sure don't mind polkas and other traditional music forms, but where are the newer, younger acts? A little German rock would be a nice addition to the music line-up, and there HAS to be a German equivalent to Frank Sinatra or Barry Manilow! 3. Lastly, the beer. There must be some kind of licensing agreement involved here. Why would you not have Optimator or even Lowenbrau as options? Ultimately, it's the delicious food and the general mood of this fest that draws me back each year. A bunch of like-minded people doing nothing more than enjoying a beautiful summer evening on the shores of a great lake with good food and music? Yes please, more of this. 112/2015 read more

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Prost! Definitely one of my favorite cultural festivals at Henry W Maier grounds. German Fest is a great celebration if you want to get out of the norm without leaving the general area. The crowd and festival goers are always friendly fun to be around, which is a big opposite from another festival that happens here. There's great entertainment as well! We have to talk about the Dachshund Derby. Yes, there is a wiener dog race where wiener dogs from all over the Midwest (seriously) come and compete against one another. There's heaps of German music and dances that take place throughout the festival grounds. I'm not sure if it's polka or not, but I had the chance to dance during one of them and was guided through very well on what to do. There's a guy who plays an alpenhorn (Riiiiicola), a yodeling concert, accordion bands, ziggy zaggy (or zickie zackie?) chants and so much more. For food and drink, they have a fresh 1 pound pretzel (MKE Pretzel Co) which is great to split among friends. It comes in a small pizza box with delicious Sprecher root beer mustard and spread cheese. Loved the mustard, it goes perfectly together. For beers, they have a lot of your basic Milwaukee beers. I wish they had more German beers. They do have Oktoberfest beer on tap though, which is really nice. This year, they ran out of steins for patrons which was a bummer. Luckily, we brought our steins from last year which I'd advise you to do next year. Just in case that happens again. At most bars, you can also play the Kleiner Feigling Shot Contest. It's alcohol in a small bottle where you slam it (upside down) against the bar counter, take off the cap, put it on your nose and then take the shot using your mouth only to pick up. The drink isn't very rancid and actually tastes pretty good. Careful though -- if the cap falls off your nose you're buying next round. So throw on a lederhosen, bring a stein and get ready for a good time! read more

Being of German heritage, I absolutely love German Fest, and look forward to it every year. You can immerse yourself in everything German here, from the beer to the food to the entertainment. This year, my husband was a volunteer beertender with the German American Police Association. Since he had to be there anyways, we opted to make a day of it at the fest. We saw the Dachshund races, the glockenspiel show, and had some delicious pork schnitzel before he had to start his shift. There are many vendors here that have amazing German cuisine. At the top of my list is, of course, schnitzel. I have many fond memories of my grandmother's schnitzel. You can find both the pork and chicken variety here. And it wouldn't be German Fest without some traditional potato pancakes, complete with a side of applesauce. When it comes to the beverage situation, beer is a traditional German staple. There are plenty of beer stands throughout the festival grounds with a variety of beer to choose from. Of course, there are other beverages available if you don't happen to be a beer connoisseur. German Fest always has a great variety of entertainment acts to see. This year, I got a chance to check out the Alex Meixner Band. I now see why my parents like him so much. He not only plays traditional German music, but he also does popular songs. It was quite an experience to hear "Livin' On A Prayer" with an accordion twist to it. The Austrian Express is another great act to see. A big highlight of the fest are the Dachshund races. They are held on the last day of the festival at 1:05pm and are lots of fun to watch. There are six age categories for the dogs: the Lil' Smokies, Frankfurters, Bratwursts, Schnitzels, Knockwursts, and Braunschweigers. Some of those pups are quick! There are a variety of vendors that sell an assortment of souvenirs, tshirts, and other assorted trinkets for you to bring a taste of German culture home. Ein Prosit! read more

German Fest - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Definitely one of the best ethnic fests in the city! I had some great food, including potato pancakes from two vendors, one of which served them with a delicious maple sour cream. I had a little pork schnitzel and some yummy pork sausages. I heard some great music and some great yodeling. Add in a parade, some tasty German style beers, people dressed in German garb, and you've got a party! read more

As a half blood, I was excited to check out Germanfest. I haven't been to any of the festivals here yet, and scored free tickets - what excuse did I have? I rolled in around 3:30, as it took a while for me to get moving after BrewFest the night before. I paid the $18 for a 'stein' (plastic, not glass) of bier. She literally measured out two $6 cups of beer and put it in. Refills of your stein were cheaper once you purchased one, but it only seemed like a good deal if you were planning on having SEVERAL. I unfortunately couldn't stomach more than one. We got potato pancakes which were really really good. There were made fresh right in front of you. We watched some adaptive sporting events while eating, and audience members were encouraged to try out the 'sports chairs' to see how easy they are to steer. They had a huge game of tag going for everyone. It was a lot of fun for kids and adults alike. I got some spaetzle and we sat down to listen to music. The spaetzle was not good at all in my opinion. It was a dark brown, due to the main ingredient being pure black pepper. WAY too overpowering of a flavor, and it was served in a bowl of it's own oil. The last thing we did was the wine tasting. It was $5 to check out. You get 4 small pours for that. They only had a couple brands which was disappointing, and ran out of a few. The plastic cups were all leaking so unless you threw back your taste right away, it was half gone. All in all it was fun, clean and well staffed. The costumes were really neat and all the people were nice. I'll definitely be back to check out the other fests! read more

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I'm going to write this review from a different perspective - what it's like to be a volunteer at one of Milwaukee's major summer festivals. I'm telling you, it was a blast and everyone should have this unique opportunity! I recently joined the Milwaukee Area Volkswagen Club. I have a new Beetle, and joining a car club is a great way to meet fellow enthusiasts as well as get all kinds of tips about care and maintenance. As a side note, this group couldn't possibly be more welcoming or friendly, and made me feel right at home. The MAWVC volunteered to put on a car show of 25 VW vehicles at the festival grounds. German Fest couldn't possibly have been more welcoming or appreciative of us as volunteers. As part of the festival they provided a lighted tent at the south side of the Festival near the Marcus Ampitheater. We put our cars under the tent on Friday morning in time for the show's opening at 3 p.m. We provided some of the convertibles for German Fest royalty to ride in, and all cars drove in the parade. The group was given per diems for food as part of the volunteer experience, which was a very nice perk. I made sure to enjoy pork, pork and more pork as part of my 3 days there. It was a blast meeting and greeting German Fest visitors, and talking about my car. The thrill-o-rama, however, was the delightful experience of being part of the parade. What a hoot. My partner in crime and I couldn't score dirndls for costumes, so we decided to go the Hippie route and make our parade theme "Peace, Love and V-Dub." We wore outrageous sunglasses and dressed like flower children. For the 20 minute length of the parade, we smiled, laughed, cheered and connected with a few thousand parade visitors. It was a Good Karma deposit of epic proportions. We will be remembering - and smiling about - the experience for a long time. Thanks for the opportunity to get a unique perspective on volunteering at a festival, German Fest! read more

Ahh. Lederhosen clad gentlemen with steins held high singing in unison "Eins, Zwei, Drei, G'suffa!" can only mean one thing: it's my birthday! Well, not exactly, but every year for at least the last 23, Milwaukee's German Fest has fallen on the week of my birthday. If the 28th of July falls on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, then there's a good chance I celebrated the day of my birth clad in lederhosen with my own stein held high singing "Eins, Zwei, Drei, G'suffa!" And I can think of no better place to celebrate than at German Fest. Of all Milwaukee's ethnic festivals, G-fest is my fave. I love that it's all German, all the time. No scheduling of American pop rock cover acts to attract the masses. Not there's anything wrong with that, but I appreciate the unapologetic approach to celebrating one heritage and one heritage only. First there's the music. I don't spend a lot of my year listening to polka, yodeling, volksmusik or krautrock, but for these few days, I allow my ears to hear a year's worth. The above may likely fall in your top 10 list of favorite music genres, but at the very least it's inoffensive, often pleasant and certainly festive. I mean c'mon - a stein of cold beer paired with oompah beats and one can't help but smile and sway. Next, the food. Vegetarians beware: the Germans like their meat. Sometimes they grind it up and shove it into an intestinal membrane, other times they pound it flat with a mallet and fry it. One might wonder why Germans treat edible flesh with such malice, but they're not angry, they've just learned the best ways to make the unpalatable rough cuts appetizing. All heritages do this - the Germans just do it best. Related, few things whet my appetite like the sound of a German chef pounding schnitzel. "Reinheitsgebot" ring a bell? If not, that's the German Beer Purity Law that required beer only be made from 3 ingredients: water, barley and hops. The law enacted in 1516 is no longer in effect, but it tells one something when the Germans were perfecting beer brewing 260 years before the United States was even born! Sadly, German Fest doesn't serve any beers directly from Germany (that I found, anyway), but they do sell a couple of nice, locally crafted German-style beers that makes one taste the flavor of the Mutterland. They also give you the opportunity to buy a collector's clear plastic stein and refill it at a reduced rate over the per-cup price. If you compare the strict beer pouring rules enforced by Summerfest held on the same grounds a few weeks earlier, this is a most refreshing and welcome change of pace. So if you're reading this and wondering if German Fest is for you, don't hesitate - pull on some hosen, grab a stein, warm up your vocal cords and come help me celebrate my birthday. We've got some singing to do! Eins, Zwei, Drei, G'suffa! read more

Ausgezeichnet!! A German word that means "excellent" or "awesome." I try to use that word whenever possible.... No other ethnic festival hits so close to the heartbeat of the Milwaukee of 100 years ago. Gone are the days of three taverns on every corner and a brewery worker in every house. German-Americans are rapidly becoming an ethnic minority in this ever-changing city of ours. Although the food and drink at German Fest is a much watered-down facsimile of the real thing, its still a great time and a great way to spread a little Gemutlichkeit! What German Fest does well: 1. Family environment - OK to bring the kids, but take them home at a reasonable time. 2. Crowd size - Never a HUGE crowd like Irish Fest or Festa Italiana. You can move around pretty easily 3. Cultural exhibits - This year we checked out the Trachtenshau - a fashion show exhibiting the latest in dirndls and lederhosen. 4. Sheepshead tournament - Where else could you find that but here?? What German Fest could improve on: 1. Beer Selection. It is downright shameful. The only imported beer is a pilsner from the Czech Republic. Nothing from Deutchland. How embarrassing. 2. More Spanferkle!!! The line for the whole roasted pig was 100 times longer than any other. Supply does not keep up with demand!! 3. Shopping. What they have is nice, but it is very expensive. The Frau and I were hoping to pick up some authentic German trachten, but the prices were ridiculous. Internet, here we come... All in all, my favorite ethnic festival in the 414, and that's saying a lot!! read more

A really good time on the Summerfest grounds. Spread out enough to where you don't feel crowded. Lots of music, food, and beer. A culture tent offers a glimpse of German heritage and architecture. Lots of things to do for people of all ages. Lots of promotions available and a variety of activities from log chopping to dog races. read more

I love German Fest in Milwaukee. First off, the Henry Maier Festival Grounds in Milwaukee is truly a gem on the lakefront and we are really lucky to have such nice, well-maintained grounds with clean (and plentiful) restrooms available to us for all of our ethnic and music festivals. German Fest is one of those events that you can't help but smile when you see little kids dressed in lederhosen and drindls dancing with their grandparents in the same outfits. I can't help but be jealous of those who really know how to dance the traditional dances. For someone who does the "hop hop polka", it is fun to see people really tear it up on the dance floor with the fancy footwork and spins. Of all our ethnic festivals, I give German Fest the best review for working with tour groups. This year, Friday was FREE for everyone which was very much appreciated. When I purchased tickets for groups this year, German Fest provided a nice advance price ($7.50) with complimentary tickets for the tour escort and bus driver PLUS free parking for the motorcoach. That is truly a nice perk for out of state travelers. Now back to the Fest. The cultural tent provides great information and exhibits regarding all of the different German social groups/clubs in the area. It is too bad it is so far removed from the main grounds and I think a lot of people may have missed it. But, it is good for them to have a place that is sheltered from the rain. I often hear people say that they don't go to German Fest because they don't like the food or the music. I say, they are so missing out! There is definitely plenty of German fare, which is so good. I think people might be confused by the names - you might think you don't like Spanferkel, but who doesn't love roast pig on the spit?? And where else can you actually buy a pig head?? If that doesn't sound good to you, the desserts are ridiculous. And sure, the music might be a bit too much oompah for some, but come on - it's fun! Watch someone like The Alex Meixner Band and I guarantee you'll think of polka in a different light. There are also things that I always look forward to seeing at German Fest, including the human Glockenspiel and the Daschund races. And did I mention there is beer? Yes! In big steins. Which are good for swinging while singing "Eins, Zwei, Drei, g'Suffa! read more

German Fest - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Overall the experience was great. Only drawback was how expensive everything was. Could not afford everything that I wanted to try food wise. For next year would like to see more shaded areas to sit and eat. read more

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"Ziggy Zaggy, Ziggy Zaggy, Oye! Oye! Oye!" You'll hear a lot of that when attending German Fest. A friend took me here on the Sunday of the festival and was impressed with how many people were on that hot, sunny day.. It's located on the Summerfest grounds, but it's not as busy as Summerfest. There's a ton of food, beer, and music. Food is a tad expensive, but you should expect that at an event like this. My favorite part was the music as all the bands/groups/ensembles that we saw were playing traditional German music. It was fun and everyone was enjoying it. Prost! read more

The oldest and still my favorite of the many wonderful Milwaukee ethnic fests I love it even more after watching John Gurda's "The Making of Milwaukee." According to Professor Gurda, "The Germans made ethnicity safe for everyone." The bland, inauthentic symbolic ethnicity of too many of the other ethnic festivals has been reduced to the sale of "Kiss Me I'm _______________" tee shirts, but Germanfest is still pretty German-Austrian-Hungarian immigrant driven. Lots of traditional, regionally specific clothing (though now with flip flops instead of traditional footwear) and polkas and of course, beer. I'm mainly focused on the food, but so are most of the Germanfest patrons, as it should be. I know it's not the right use of the phrase, but it's a real sausage fest. read more

German Fest - More so than other fests Gen fest features traditional music and outfits. - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A perfectly good festival was ruined by music that was way too loud. The foo, drinks and merchandise were excellent. The music was also excellent but we had to leave early because it was just too loud. read more

I think we've been to this three times now and each time it's sort of a last second 'let's go check it out' spur of the moment thing. The pro's - We've come on a weekday and the weekend and one really enjoyable thing about Germanfest is that it has a pleasant number of attendee's. What I mean by that is, it's never too full, or dead. It's just right. We like the food vendors and there's plenty of free music, shows and entertainment. We like the air tram ride but I realize that's not specific to Germanfest. This year we were pleasantly surprised to get Germanfest and the Milwaukee Air Show at the same time. Talk about a great deal! They have a great parade so be sure to try and fit that in, and if you get hot, be advise a whirl though the sprayground (swim suit or not). The cons - Not many. Some of the lines are hideously long and the beer selection would be okay for a pub, but not Germanfest. There's a lack of German crafts..not sure why. You'd think a Milwaukee Germanfest would get that right. This is a once every 3-4 yrs event for us, but every time we really enjoy ourselves. Cheers..Prost! E. read more

Come for the polkas, stay for the dachshund races. German fest is always a great (If much too hot) time. I do wish the food were better. Love German food, but the quality of most of the food vendors is not the highest. The strudle is the delightful exception! read more

German Fest seems to really hit the perfect note of still honoring the heritage and keeping authentic while doing all the right things to draw the younger crowd they need to keep financially viable and sustainable. The dachshund races, homebrew competition and Thursday night run are all great details, as is the live performance Glockenspiel. The food is always delicious and manages to be varied, despite basically just being sausage and potato pancakes. Plus, there's strudel. read more

It is just like home for me...reminds me of the olden days back in Germany. if i were like really old and originally from germany, but instead my ancestors were, so i'm diggin it still. These are my people, this is my fest. Red Cabbage. read more

I would like to scream like a little girl and shout out my love for German Fest. ( I may have actually done this at the fest, but after 2 steins full of Sprecher Hard Root Beer, things got a lil fuzzy.) I have lived in Milwaukee since I was 5 years old and have NEVER been to German Fest before yesterday. I went in with no expectations, and came out a true believer! First, The food. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to eat anything as I don't meat. However, I stumbled upon a place that made savory strudel that had a broccoli and cheese version that was TO DIE FOR. Broccoli and cheese in a flaky pastry that literally melted in my mouth, so delectable! We also found some awesome desserts later on in the day that I was able to partake in as well! The boyfriend also got a pork schnitzel sandwich that he said was good, but a little dry, and he got an Oktoberfest wiener that was HUGE and he said was incredible delicious. Second, DACHSHUND DERBY. I die. I tried to pet every dog I saw and probably creeped out a whole bunch of dog owners, but that was the most fun I have ever had. They have dogs racing in different age groups and the youngest were called lil smokies, and they had no idea they were supposed to race and just ran into the crowd. I don't remember the last time I've laughed so hard. Third. The music. How can you listen and not wanna dance and bounce around!? Everywhere I walked I had a big ol smile and a bounce in my step. Finally, the people. Never have I been to a Milwaukee festival where everyone was so gosh darn nice! We met people who literally traveled from halfway around the country just to come and eat and drink! Maybe it was all the booze flowing, but everyone was polite and helpful and it made the experience that much more enjoyable! German Fest will be a yearly tradition from now on! I had so much fun and wish I had know about this earlier! read more

I had such an amazing time at German fest! We drank huge steins of German beer all day.. At first the price seemed kind of high BUT each stein is about 3 beers! Great deal! Weather was beautiful, and the music was a lot of fun! This was my first year but I will definitely continue to go every year! read more

We have been going to Germanfest every Saturday night it's on for 12 years. If you have ever been to it you know the best way to drink the beer is to buy 1 of their mugs and then the refills. We got there around 3pm Saturday afternoon and were told "sorry, all the beer steins are sold out". HUH? The only beer you could now purchase were small 8 ounce plastic cups for $6....the 48 ounce refills of the steins were supposed to be $12... do the math, no wonder they "ran out of mugs", their profits on beer just quadrupled. Not sure we will be back next year. read more

All in all - it was a day of fun with family, for sure! It was great to see so many people out celebrating the German culture. Our daughter loved all the dachshunds and seeing little kids in dirndls and lederhosen will bring a smile to the grumpiest of faces. There were tents of German language activities and plenty of live music! The big disappointment was the food, unfortunately. The highlights - the potato pancakes (not from the German Kuche by Saz's - the only redeeming part of their pancakes was the maple sour cream), roasted chicken and spanferkel. The big disappointments - the sausage, the schnitzel (a disturbing joke), the lack of spaetzle and the fact that they are completely lacking in German beer! What the heck? This is a celebration of all things German - where was the GERMAN beer? Where were the authentic Bavarian pretzels? Perhaps we were expecting too much, I don't know. There's a large German population in WI, you'd think they'd have higher standards for their German Fest. read more

Two Words: Dachshund Derby. This sole event puts German Fest head and shoulders above all other ethnic festivals. There are few things more enjoyable than dining on some lovely German food and beer whilst watching the wiener dogs run. read more

This review is for the 2013 edition of German Fest, which marks the first of hopefully many fests I'll be able to attend as a resident of Milwaukee. I had the nice opportunity to go on opening night (Thursday July 25th), the experience was decidedly popular: Location: 5 out of 5 We're spoiled in the sense that we live about a 5 minute walk from the fair grounds. As you all know, buses run to and from the fair grounds on a regular basis, and the public parking rates aren't nearly as bad as they are for say, Summerfest. For example, you can park at the main gate for 10$. Price of Admission: 4 out of 5 Opening night was 3 bucks, which is quite reasonable considering the fact that subsequent days are 15$. Of course, you can also circumvent the prices by doing the 5k. Too late after the fact now of course, but food for thought in another year. Cleanliness/Organization: 5 out of 5 I was very impressed with how quickly we were able to get our tickets and make our way into the fair grounds. Admittedly, there also wasn't a line, and as a result I only heard the looped recording twice - once as I was walking in, and once as I was walking out. There were plenty of restrooms and drinking fountains, as well as a respite center for those who were either older or disabled. The grounds crew were busy - and I didn't see any errant litter the entire evening, which reflects very nicely on the grounds crew. Selection of Food Items: 5 out of 5 I was also quite impressed with the number of vendors as well as the varying options each vendor provided. Coming from Chicago, the only real times that I check out German cuisine is during the fortnight run of Christkindlemarket and the weekend that Oktoberfest is held, and while there's nothing intrinsically wrong with any of that, it was quite refreshing to see things such as pig's head, pig's feet, pork loin sandwiches, schnitzels of all varieties, encased meats of different varieties, pastries, cakes, potato pancakes, and the list goes on and on. Selection of Beer/Liquor: 3.5 out of 5 Maybe not quite as impressive on the beer front, but the flagship fest beers brewed by Sprecher were of good quality. American macros were also available, as were imports you may see on a regular basis like Pilsner Urquell. When we went on a river cruise in December of 2012 in the middle Rhine, we were exposed to the traditions of consuming warm spiced wine and fruit flavored schnapps. While I did not see the former, the latter was readily available in the quintessential apple variety. As a total aside, Jack Daniels even makes a product called Jack Apple Whiskey for European consumption. Price of Food and Wine: 3.5 out of 5 6 bucks for a 12 oz pour of draft beer, and 18 if you get one of the commemorative steins filled up with beer (probably holds 22 ounces or so). Not really breaking the bank by any means. The food prices I found to be extremely reasonable as well, and we were able to get an EXTREMELY large portion of potato pancakes and sausage for only 8 dollars. Entertainment: 4 out of 5 The band that played at the Miller Lite Oasis was freakin' hilarious. They did a nice mix of polka, traditional German folk songs, German pop(?), and while I didn't understand very much of what they were saying, they seemed to all be really fun-loving guys. We stopped and listened to the band that was playing at the Harley Davidson stage too, and while they were certainly very charismatic, their final products just weren't as polished as the Oasis band. The one thing I'll mention is that I'm quite sad that I won't be able to see the wiener dog race on Sunday. Run, little ones! Selection of Merchandise: 4 out of 5 Items for sale ranged from light up toys for the young and young at heart, what I would consider to be the traditional/historic outfits for men and women (with the hefty price tags too), modern clothing (t-shirts, hoodies, etc.), Black Forest (or so they claim) cuckoo clocks, and other souvenirs/knicknacks that you could classify as being more "touristy". Overall: 4 out of 4 I genuinely enjoyed my experience at the 2013 German Fest, and hope to revisit in the future. read more

Yay!! I got myself Blue Moon in a giant plastic boot so I was happy the whole time I was here. Lots of things to eat and see and do, or you could just hang out and imbibe. read more

How I love their potato pancakes. I don't know what they do that make 'em so much better than most that I get but I wait for this Fest each year to gorge on them. Otherwise, its fun to go to people watch, listen to music, & eat. I don't think it is worth the ticket price since I go there to spend money. So i always go when they have a special, like bring in a food product, etc. Then I can spend more on food items. read more

German Fest - I like their pancakes best. - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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