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Summerfest Rewind
Photo courtesy of Sarah Kuhns
Article by Izzy Fonfara Drewel
For 54 years, Summerfest has been bringing pounding beats, buzzing atmospheres and unbridled joy to its audience. Everything from rock and pop to rap and trap, the city has been exposed to it all. The festival’s wide range of genres and artists keeps the audience coming back for more, in addition to the various discounts and opportunities for students. Sophie Lynch, a junior in the College of Nursing, has been going to Summerfest since her sophomore year of high school and she’s seen more shows than she can remember. “I remember having a lot of fun seeing Foster the People. I went with two of my siblings and a handful of our friends,” Lynch says. “I remember afterwards just bonding with our friends, stopping at McDonald’s on the way back and staying out later on a late-night drive.” The festival has changed greatly throughout the years, especially with last year’s celebrations being pushed to the fall. Alum Jamie McKeough,
who graduated from Marquette with a degree in psychology in 1991, recalls how the schedule for Summerfest has changed since she attended college. “Summerfest used to be one 2-week long party, not just a weekend thing. You would run into the most random people there and just party on the lawn together,” McKeough says. “The weekend schedule may be an advantage to someone who doesn’t live in Milwaukee.” Despite all the differences from past Summerfests, Lynch believes there has been one constant the entire time she has been attending. “I haven’t looked at ticket
prices, but to my knowledge, they haven’t really gone up much,” Lynch says. “Going for so many years, I remember spending like $20-25 for the general admission and I think it’s still around that price.” While the ticket prices haven’t changed in recent years, there are some notable differences from the past. McKeough remembers going to Summerfest while she was attending Marquette. “In the 80s and 90s every day had a promotion that let allowed you to get in free, but the best part was that the lawn was free in the pavilion, you just had to get a hand stamp first thing
