German Fest

German Fest is another great weekend summer festival in Milwaukee at Henry Mayer Festival Park. One of the many ethnic themed weekend's festivals that fill Milwaukee's summer weekends on the lake.

Having a mother that had a deep German background, and having a live for German Food, puts this festival near the top of my list of things to attend in Milwaukee (the others being State Fair, Summerfest and Irish Fest).

The weather was great this year which always helps! Unfortunately, for the second time in a row, I was not that excited about the food. (And like I said, I love German Food!g. Maybe I'm just making the wrong choices (would love to try everything... but I can only eat so much in a day!). Today I had some spatzel for lunch which was pretty average and a pork dinner from Saz's later in the day. Loved the potato's and red cabbage but the pork was tough and I did not like the sauce.

I also split a pretzel from Milwaukee Pretzel Company and this was by far the best thing a ate all day!

Food being average still doesn't take away from a great day at Henry Mayer Festival Park. Cold beer, polka music and lots of people having fun in lederhosen.... Always worth it!

Always clean, awesome food, warm and friendly people. Love the quaint vendors selling German items. The dancing and singing is always a treat. One of my favorite festivals to visit in the summer.

Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi!

I'm married to a German teacher, so I consider myself a pseudo-expert in this area. We drove up from Indiana for this hoopla and we had a good time!

With four stages, there are many great entertainment options! We love a good folk dancing moment. We love a good accordian moment. We love a polka band moment. Schürzenjäger came in from Austria and made fun of the crowd all night--loved it. My feet hurt the next day from polka-ing in chacos.

The opening ceremonies really showed how much Milwaukee German pride there is in the city--although it was painful to hear the president of the organization (and many other folks) mispronounce German words, you can tell they've got spirit.

If you go: you are going to spend a lot of money. However, consider it an investment. Buy the bier, get the Brezel, buy another bier, etc.

German Fest is one of my favorite festivals in Milwaukee. There is something for everyone from the Dachshund Derby and Costume Contest to the Glockenspiel. Some of my favorite foods are the potato pancakes, schnitzel sandwich, reuben rolls, big pretzel from Milwaukee Pretzel Company and finally no visit to German Fest is complete without some strudel from Helmut's. The people watching is great also!

If you have to pick just one ethnic lakefront festival to go to, this should be it.

Regardless of where your ancestors came from, if you've lived any time in Milwaukee, you have to be familiar with the many Germanic influences in our city. so when you think about it, it is kinda all of us who live here's heritage

There's accordian players, a whole area themed for daschunds (daschund derby, blessing of the daschunds, free pet food samples!), the Volkswagen club has a tent, and more German food and beer than you can shake a schnitzel on a stick at.

Check for special promos (hunger task force usually has a day where there's free admission with a canned food donation,) avoid those $20 parking lots and enjoy!

Prost!

While I am not ethnically German, I love going to Milwaukee's German Fest. This ethnic festival has excellent beer, food, and entertainment.

Buy the $20 mug and get a refill later for $12. Also, check out the bars farther back from the entrance, as they have shorter lines and better/more draft varieties.

Do not miss the Glockenspiel performance or the Stihl woodcutting competitions.

A perfectly good festival was ruined by music that was way too loud. The foo, drinks and merchandise were excellent. The music was also excellent but we had to leave early because it was just too loud.

Like many Milwaukeeans, I'm mostly German, so I have to give props to the fest of my people!

German Fest is my go-to, can't miss fest of the year, second only to the Wisconsin State Fair. Really, Nancy? Yes, fellow Yelpers, REALLY!

Men in Lederhosen, women in Dirndls, Wienerschnitzel, Sauerbraten, Bienenstich, Schaumtorte, dachshunds, beer, polkas, a Glockenspiel, Volkswagens.....need I go on? I didn't think so.

You'll eat good, that's for sure! If you don't like German food, just hit the dessert booth.....you'll think you've died and gone to heaven! The drinks? Well, the beers are German, but Milwaukee German, so if you are expecting "authentic" brews from the Vaterland, you'll have to go elsewhere. Authentic booze? Yes, and I recommend anything with apfel (apple) or beere (berry) in the name. Lucky for us, it can be found at Discount Liquor.

About half the people walking around wear some form of traditional German dress, whether it's just a Tyrolean hat or an entire outfit. Clothing can be purchased on the grounds and prices range from extremely reasonable to slightly insane, depending on what you want to purchase. There are other things to purchase as well: the always-present table linens, glass ornaments, t-shirts and candy, but in 2015, I noticed a severe shortage in what I like to purchase at the fest: nutcracker "soldiers". At least I know where to get them when not at the fest.

The cultural tent never disappoints. The amount of information on the different regions of Germany and the local groups that they've inspired, the many different German programs available at different schools and language levels, the genealogists ready to help you break through that wall, the crafts that call your name.....you, a full grown adult who desperately WANTS to make something to take home, and gives in and doesn't give a good gosh darn who's watching you make that 3 dimensional paper star.....but lets get back on topic! There is a special and rather large area for attendees to play sheepshead in this tent as well as information on traveling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The local Volkswagen club has a small tent where members show off their best vehicles, including a couple of busses and a Thing!

Sure, there's oom-pa-pa music on every stage, but the show you want to make sure not to miss is held at the Glockenspiel. Just trust me and see it the next time you attend, you won't be disappointed.

So, why did I give German Fest only 4 stars? Well even though they do most things right here, I was disappointed with a couple of others:
1. The same goods were available to purchase here as are available every year. Nothing gets added and nothing changes.
2.The music. Now, I sure don't mind polkas and other traditional music forms, but where are the newer, younger acts? A little German rock would be a nice addition to the music line-up, and there HAS to be a German equivalent to Frank Sinatra or Barry Manilow!
3. Lastly, the beer. There must be some kind of licensing agreement involved here. Why would you not have Optimator or even Lowenbrau as options?

Ultimately, it's the delicious food and the general mood of this fest that draws me back each year. A bunch of like-minded people doing nothing more than enjoying a beautiful summer evening on the shores of a great lake with good food and music? Yes please, more of this.


112/2015

Prost!

Definitely one of my favorite cultural festivals at Henry W Maier grounds. German Fest is a great celebration if you want to get out of the norm without leaving the general area. The crowd and festival goers are always friendly fun to be around, which is a big opposite from another festival that happens here.

There's great entertainment as well! We have to talk about the Dachshund Derby. Yes, there is a wiener dog race where wiener dogs from all over the Midwest (seriously) come and compete against one another. There's heaps of German music and dances that take place throughout the festival grounds. I'm not sure if it's polka or not, but I had the chance to dance during one of them and was guided through very well on what to do. There's a guy who plays an alpenhorn (Riiiiicola), a yodeling concert, accordion bands, ziggy zaggy (or zickie zackie?) chants and so much more.

For food and drink, they have a fresh 1 pound pretzel (MKE Pretzel Co) which is great to split among friends. It comes in a small pizza box with delicious Sprecher root beer mustard and spread cheese. Loved the mustard, it goes perfectly together. For beers, they have a lot of your basic Milwaukee beers. I wish they had more German beers. They do have Oktoberfest beer on tap though, which is really nice. This year, they ran out of steins for patrons which was a bummer. Luckily, we brought our steins from last year which I'd advise you to do next year. Just in case that happens again.

At most bars, you can also play the Kleiner Feigling Shot Contest. It's alcohol in a small bottle where you slam it (upside down) against the bar counter, take off the cap, put it on your nose and then take the shot using your mouth only to pick up. The drink isn't very rancid and actually tastes pretty good. Careful though -- if the cap falls off your nose you're buying next round.

So throw on a lederhosen, bring a stein and get ready for a good time!

Being of German heritage, I absolutely love German Fest, and look forward to it every year. You can immerse yourself in everything German here, from the beer to the food to the entertainment.

This year, my husband was a volunteer beertender with the German American Police Association. Since he had to be there anyways, we opted to make a day of it at the fest. We saw the Dachshund races, the glockenspiel show, and had some delicious pork schnitzel before he had to start his shift.

There are many vendors here that have amazing German cuisine. At the top of my list is, of course, schnitzel. I have many fond memories of my grandmother's schnitzel. You can find both the pork and chicken variety here. And it wouldn't be German Fest without some traditional potato pancakes, complete with a side of applesauce.

When it comes to the beverage situation, beer is a traditional German staple. There are plenty of beer stands throughout the festival grounds with a variety of beer to choose from. Of course, there are other beverages available if you don't happen to be a beer connoisseur.

German Fest always has a great variety of entertainment acts to see. This year, I got a chance to check out the Alex Meixner Band. I now see why my parents like him so much. He not only plays traditional German music, but he also does popular songs. It was quite an experience to hear "Livin' On A Prayer" with an accordion twist to it. The Austrian Express is another great act to see.

A big highlight of the fest are the Dachshund races. They are held on the last day of the festival at 1:05pm and are lots of fun to watch. There are six age categories for the dogs: the Lil' Smokies, Frankfurters, Bratwursts, Schnitzels, Knockwursts, and Braunschweigers. Some of those pups are quick!

There are a variety of vendors that sell an assortment of souvenirs, tshirts, and other assorted trinkets for you to bring a taste of German culture home.

Ein Prosit!