Getting to Summerfest can be a hassle to some, but the annual collaboration between the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) and the festival brings thousands of concertgoers to Henry Maier Festival Park every year.
MCTS will once again roll out its Summerfest shuttle service. Buses will run every 15 minutes from three park and ride locations: College Avenue, Brown Deer Park, and Hales Corners. These shuttles provide non-stop, direct access to the Summerfest midgate.
The rides this year will be cashless, with payment collected upon arrival at the gate. Options include using the Umo app, WisGo cards, credit/debit cards, and mobile pay methods like Google Pay and Apple Pay. A round-trip ticket costs $12 for riders ages 12 and up, and $6 for reduced fare riders, which includes youth, seniors, and individuals with qualifying disabilities. Parking at the Park and Ride lots is free and first-come, first-served.
Shuttles start running each day of the festival at 11:30 a.m., and the last departure from the festival grounds is at 12:30 a.m., so there's plenty of time to stay for your favorite act's encore.
The CONNECT 1 bus rapid transit line will also stop near the Summerfest north gate at The Couture on Michigan Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Drive. Buses will arrive every ten minutes on Saturdays, and you can charge your phone before the festival with the on-board USB charging ports. Riders pay before boarding on the CONNECT 1, using mobile or contactless payment at platform ticket machines. A 90-minute fare is $2 for adults and $1 for reduced fare passengers. All CONNECT 1 buses are handicap accessible.
Weekday service runs from 4:30 a.m. to just after 1:30 a.m., while Saturday hours stretch to 2:15 a.m. to accomodate for peak festival traffic.
Several regular MCTS routes drop passengers within walking distance of Summerfest. These include:
- Green Line from Bayshore to Milwaukee Mitchell Airport, stopping near Water Street.
- Route 15, connecting Harambee, Riverwest, and Bay View, also stopping along Water Street.
- Route 18, which connects Greenfield Avenue and National Avenue to Downtown, with drop-offs in the Third Ward.
- Route 30, serving Sherman Boulevard and UW-Milwaukee, stopping at Jackson and Wisconsin.
For schedules, maps, and real-time updates, check out the Summerfest website and the RideMCTS website. Riders can also use trip planning tools available on both the RideMCTS website and Umo app.
Summerfest will return for three weekends in 2025, taking place from Thursday-Saturday on June 19-21, June 26-28, and July 3-5. Read more about that here.
