Mittenfest is fun, from a people watching perspective, cause that's all we got to do. It's also a cool place to get some grub as Iron Grate BBQ and many other businesses were down there serving up the goods. It's not the place to get your drink on though as the lines are notoriously long, actually more like ridiculously long! I am a grown person and do not, I repeat, do not stand in line, especially for 45 minutes to an hour. Maybe I would for some things, but not just to get a damn beer, no way! We wound up elsewhere to partake in libations and made a general quick appearance just to see what all the fuss is about. Not sure if I'll be attending this again.All I really wanted to enjoy was a few beers but we walked away briefly enjoying only the scene... read more

Mittenfest - a large crowd of people at a street fair - Music Venues Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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First to review! Boom! (Of course, it's because up until now, no one had added a Mittenfest business listing to Yelp, I myself guilty and probably a more culpable culprit than the rest of you alls.) So, a quick FYI before reviewing. (read: this is a Yelpy public service announcement... ) If a business or event - and event not meaning someone's super bowl party or birthday or whatever, but event as in something large-scale and public in nature that occurs each and every year and contributes to the cultural landscape of MKE - is not already on Yelp, you... yes YOU... can just add it. It's super easy on desktop and even easier from your phone. I added a biz listing for a bar on Friday night that wasn't even on Yelp at all and did so in like a minute flat. Internetninja. Alright, now that that's out of the way, Mittenfest! First to review! Bam. I love Mittenfest. It's a great annual event for a great cause that showcases and highlights a few of things about Milwaukee that make me love this town so hard. +An outdoor street festival in the middle of winter? Check. Embrace your Milwaukeeness and your midwesternness and just get down with the snow and cold. It's good for you and it makes you feel alive. +Get a bunch of people together, donate $$/food/clothes for Hunger Task Force and drink some extra crafty beers and enjoy barrel aged Old Fashioneds and value-added Valentine coffee while catching rad local bands and catching up w/ friends? Yes please. +Local artists/crafters selling some locally-made wares? Bonus. +Goodkind's bone broth forever, please and thankyou. +A solid community vibe, stellar people watching, great drinks, and a general "down to hang" attitude despite weather. Someone said it best when they said this yesterday: "Any excuse Milwaukee can get its hands on to be outside and drink, it will gladly take." So yes. This event is a super-fab annual gathering of good times and good cause that aims to either embrace Milwaukee winter or give it a big fat proverbial middle finger, whichever way you prefer to look at it. In the last few years, popularity of this street festival has soared and with humble beginnings now having grown into 2700 "joins" on Facebox, there's no denying the fact that the festival's facing some growing pains. This is normal. Lines (sometimes long) are normal and should be expected at an event of this physical size (small-ish) and attendance (large-ish). A couple thoughts or potential bits of insight for the organizers as they navigate this growth... -set-up: Brandyland is perpendicular to the street, so there's really no doing anything about having a line cut the festival square in half unless you could use the sidewalk as a line instead. For the most part, people are courteous about lines and not cutting, but the organization game could definitely be upped a touch all things considering. Using natural boundaries or DIY stanchions could be helpful insofar as queues go, too. -I feel like a jerk calling this out, but $9 feels pretty steep for those OFs given the size and the wait. I know costs associated w/ putting this thing on are certainly there: Burnhearts probably has to pay the bands and pay for the permits and port-a-potties but, keepin' it real: the price on those puppies definitely made me stop at one when I otherwise might not have. -Is it crazy to suggest pushing this whole shebang a little further? With the good MF does for a solid cause coupled with its local popularity, seems to me that this winter festival definitely has the potential for growth, both in physical size and scale of offerings. If the City permitting office would allow Burnhearts to close Logan from Potter to KK, food trucks or other restaurants could come hang to provide more food, you could offset lines by having more beer choices, more port-a-potties, a larger area for artists/vendors, areas that are more "family-friendly" in nature, etc... just spitballing here, but seems totally plausible to me should it be something the organizers are interested in. Thanks for hosting this thing year over year, Burnhearts! I may be wrong on this, but I believe Mittenfest is MKE's only outdoor winter street festival at this point. People clearly love it and rightfully so; the concept is great, the cause is stellar, it's quality local art and libations, and it's a great excuse for community to come together and drink outdoors in boots and parkas. Well done. read more

Mittenfest - Music Venues Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I attended my first Mittenfest yesterday, and I pretty much wish this happened every week. There's a small selection of beers to grab at the stands outside, but its all good. Its not like a couple of light beers and something pseudo-fancy. Its all session IPAs and boozy brews. It is cash only, but that makes the purchasing process so much faster so I'm not complaining. I didn't actually go inside Burnhearts because there was always a line, so I can't report on what was happening there, but probably more beer drinking. This year, they had food tents from Gypsy Taco, Goodkind, and Honeypie. I opted to go down the street and hit up HiFi so I could sit down inside and use a non-portable restroom. The location of the festival is conveniently right off KK so you can go to a variety of restaurants and businesses to take a break from the cold. As a musician, I was impressed by the sound. The balance for all of the bands was fantastic and clear. Furthermore, a lot of genres were represented this year. Country, rap, metal, rock... Something for everyone. Try not to stand right next to the speakers though. My favorite part? Music starts at 12:30 and the last band starts at 5, so I don't have to stay up all night to catch all the fun. Kudos, Mittenfest. I will come back next year. read more

Mittenfest - Queen Tut - Music Venues Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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How fun!! This year was my first mittenfest and I'm already counting down the days until next year. With temps. above freezing, we had no excuse not to go. We got there a little after noon and enjoyed a KBS on tap, listened to music, actually bought mittens from a vendor, and found a spot by the heater! We didn't actually go into Burnhearts but can only imagine that it was packed. What a fun place to stop in Bayview to enjoy some music and craft beer. read more

Hey there Mittenfest, why yes, I would love to review you! This year was my first time attending the outdoor music/booze fest and man I think I lucked out this year! Weather was perfect, and by perfect I mean in the low 30's, but for winter in Wisconsin that is a heat wave! There were way more people there than I expected, which is great for the festival (and people watching) but unfortunately bad for lines. But when you go with good peeps, waiting in line for a bit really isn't a big deal, and the lines seemed to move at a solid pace. The barrel aged Brand Old Fashioned was delightful. I would have loved it even more if it was a more drink, less ice... but maybe that's a big ask (hey, a girl can try right?), still the old fashioned was delicious. I was impressed that they didn't seem to run out, I was expecting those slushy boozy delights to be the first to go, looong before the end of the fest, but they seemed to do a good job on stocking up. Fancy beer lasted through the end too, while pickings got a little slim towards the end of the night, they didn't run completely out, cheers! Food options were yummy but a little bit limited in my opinion. Things I would love to see for next year: another drink station to cut back lines a little bit, and more food! More food vendors should absolutely hop on board next year. I would have loved to see more food options throughout the day. Can't wait for Mittenfest 2016! read more

Bravo Mittenfest, way to get the MKE music lovers and scenesters out and about, even in February. Mittenfest is a great excuse to romp around Bay View on a cold winter day. Just like any music festival the apparel watching is one of my favorite parts, only this time it's hats and mittens instead of short jorts and tattoos. One thing, can you make the beer lines a little shorter? It's cold out! I want to get my brews and get back to boogying! read more

Mittenfest - Mittenfest 2017! - Music Venues Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Oh Mittenfest oh Mittenfest, how lovely are your boozes. So 2015 was my second year attending. I don't remember 2014 being as crowded. The lines were utterly ridiculous. I'm guessing the warm weather lured more people out than normal. Going pee took a long time. Getting beer took a long time. Anyway, the beer is always great. A surprise tapping of Founders CBS was the highlight of my day. That shit is delicious. My friend was nice enough to share some with me after buying two (at once) before they quickly ran out. One thing that I don't like about Mittenfest (other than the lines) is that the charity portion is a second thought. I mean you're getting massive amounts of people to stand outside in the middle of winter. They are drinking $8 beers. Peaking in the Hunger Task Force's truck towards the end of the evening, I didn't see too many food or clothing donations hanging out there. This is the perfect fest to promote donating spare winter clothes in your closet. Maybe next time promote the niceness part of the day more? Pro tip: Looking for food options on KK at dinner time? You're going to be looking at a long wait. Both Vanguard and an asian place further south had a 45 minute wait. I biked away from Bay View instead. read more

COLD AS ICE!! But the good Food, Drinks and Music make up for it! I was wearing a Chicago Bears Hat, and got some jokes with my fellow Milwaukeans!! LOL it was definitely a good time! read more