One of the best things about Milwaukee, the city of festivals, is the multitude of awesome neighborhood fests in the summer. And, hey, if you like Summer Soulstice, we’ve got good news for you.
The East Side Business Improvement District on Thursday announced the lineup and details for the 18th annual Summer Soulstice Music Festival, scheduled for Saturday, June 23, from noon to midnight. Presented by Miller Lite, the hyper-local North Avenue street party is a celebration of the music, art and culture that make Milwaukee soulful and great.
"The East Side has always been the crossroads of Milwaukee and ahead of the curve on what has made Milwaukee special," Kristin Godfrey, Executive Director of the East Side BID, said in a statement. "We are so proud to present our 18th Summer Soulstice and are certain that this year’s festival will be our best ever.
"After all, when you combine some of the best music acts in Milwaukee, unique and playful activities, incredible live art interaction inspired by Black Cat Alley, and food and retail vendors made up of a cross-section of Milwaukee’s makers – all into an incredibly vibrant and thriving neighborhood – you are guaranteed a good time."
Summer Soulstice Music Festival will showcase exclusively local acts spread across three stages – the East Stage on North, just west of Prospect; the West Stage on North, just east of Oakland; and the Murray Stage on Murray, just south of Thomas.
The East Stage, which is sponsored by Educator’s Credit Union, 88.9 Radio Milwaukee and OnMilwaukee.com, features: School of Rock, Paper Holland, Bo and Airo, Sat Night Duets, Greatest Lakes, Jaill and Rusty Pelicans
The West Stage, sponsored by Milwaukee Film, FM 102.1 and Milwaukee Record, features: Negative Positive, Soulfood Mombits, Vincent Van Great, B Free, Kal Berghdal Project and Abby Jeanne
And the Murray Stage, sponsored by the Marcus Center, WMSE and Urban Milwaukee, features: Paladino, Devil Met Contention, Kevin Hayden Project, Amanda Huff, Kyle Ferrick, Chickenwire Empire, Space Raft and Young Revelators.
Returning for this year’s festival are Summer Soulstice entertainment favorites, including a Nine Below mini-golf hole and BMX and Adventure Rock. There will also be some exciting newcomers like Roll Train, a Milwaukee roller-skating dance troupe, and live painted art from five local artists that will also serve as a temporary installation this summer in Black Cat Alley.
Families can enjoy interactive activities, including an arts tent with animation guru Tim Decker, who will draw animal outlines for kids to paint and take home as their own Black Cat-inspired artistic creation. According to the East Side BID, retail vendors will be expanded from previous years, curated in part by The Waxwing, the East Side destination for local Milwaukee makers. And, of course, food and drinks will include many neighborhood favorites, as well as delicious choices from around the city.
More information on Summer Soulstice is available at TheEastSide.org.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
