Attendance at the 2026 edition of Summerfest, which concluded on July 4, was 568,711, down 5.6% from 2025 for the nine-day annual festival.
In addition, 44,764 fans attended two Garth Brooks concerts on the two days before the start of the full Summerfest run this year.
Including the attendance for the Garth Brooks concerts, a total of 613,475 people visited Henry Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront during the three-week Summerfest run.
Nearly half (48%) of ticket purchasers traveled from outside Wisconsin, according to Summerfest producer Milwaukee World Festival Inc.
In addition to the Garth Brooks concerts, Summerfest had three additional sold-out shows at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, which has a capacity of 23,000, for the Ed Sheeran, Post Malone and Megan Moroney concerts.
Summerfest’s 2026 lineup featured 600 performers, including 176 making their festival debut.
“Summerfest is proud to be an independent music festival that celebrated the very best of live music, unforgettable fan experiences, and meaningful community impact,” said Sarah Pancheri, president and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “Seeing hundreds of thousands of fans come together and make lasting memories is what Summerfest is all about.”
Festival organizers announced that Summerfest 2027 will take place June 24-26, July 1-3, and July 8-10.
Here are the total attendance figures for the most recent years of Summerfest:
- 2026 – 568,711
- 2025 – 602,231
- 2024 – 555,925
- 2023 – 624,407
- 2022 – 445,611
- 2021 – 409,386
- 2020 – canceled
- 2019 – 718,144
- 2018 – 766,192
- 2017 – 831, 769
- 2016 – 804,116
- 2015 – 772,000
