MILWAUKEE — From Thursday to Saturday, Milwaukee's PrideFest saw a record-breaking attendance of 38,731 people.
After a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of PrideFest, Milwaukee Pride, returned to host the festival this past weekend. According to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal, PrideFest was canceled in 2020 and moved to a one-day October festival in 2021. In 2019, the festival had just under 46,000 in attendance. It was a four-day format that year.
Milwaukee Pride president Wes Shaver told the Milwaukee Business Journal they set a goal of 30-35,000 people in attendance, and the 38,000 plus number exceeded expectations.
PrideFest had a three-day festival in 2017 and attracted 37,682 people, but that included a full Sunday component.
Shaver said it is likely PrideFest will continue the same footprint and scheduling format for the next three years. He also said the planning for next year's festival will start almost immediately. Dates for next year's festivals will come by mid-August and budgets approved by October.
