German Fest’s organizers have canceled the 2021 festival.
German Fest Milwaukee, Inc., the parent organization of the annual German heritage festival, has suspended the three-day event, originally scheduled for July 30-Aug. 1 at Henry Maier Festival Park, due to concerns related to COVID-19.
“It was not an easy decision to cancel for the second year in a row,” said Eric Radue, festival president. “We deliberated for many months. Taking all factors into account, the decision to cancel was the best option to allow the vaccine distribution to take place and ensure the safety of our attendees and our many dedicated volunteers at German Fest.”
The event, which would have celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, typically draws 80,000 to Milwaukee’s lakefront each summer.
“Although vaccines are being distributed, and results have been promising, current timelines indicate that we could not plan and execute the festival in 2021,” Radue said. “No one wants to cancel once, let alone twice, but we will continue to take the steps necessary to support public health. We will continue to plan so that when the pandemic has passed, German Fest will be ready.”
Summerfest’s parent organization Milwaukee World Festival Inc. last week announced it is pushing the music festival back to September, after originally scheduling it for June.
PrideFest organizers also announced they have canceled their festival that was scheduled at the Summerfest grounds in June, but with the possibility of holding the event later this year.
