Lakefront Brewery’s spring bash is breaking out of the beer hall. For the first time, Maifest will spill off the riverfront patio and onto Commerce Street, turning the brewery’s block into a larger street-style spring festival. The fifth annual, gluten-free-focused event is set for Sunday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a makers market, live music, family activities and the crowd-pleasing March of the Doxies dachshund parade on the schedule.
According to Lakefront Brewery, this year’s Maifest will extend into Commerce Street and an auxiliary lot next door, effectively doubling the festival footprint and giving vendors and visitors more room to spread out.
As reported by Urban Milwaukee, the expanded fest will feature more than 40 celiac-safe vendors, plus a live-music lineup that kicks off around 10:30 a.m. The outlet also notes German dancers taking the stage at noon and the March of the Doxies parade stepping off at 2 p.m., keeping the focus firmly on family-friendly fun.
What’s new this year
In a statement to TMJ4, Kristin Hueneke said recent layout updates mean, “We can spread out the vendors,” pointing to new fencing and trees that helped reshape the space. TMJ4 also reports organizers are preparing for between 3,000 and 4,000 attendees, with visitors expected from across the Midwest, the East Coast and even Canada. In other words, the gluten-free crowd is traveling for this one.
Brews, mead and casks
Lakefront Brewery lists nine gluten-free beer varieties on tap for Maifest and notes the official release of a Brewers’ Reserve: Gluten-Free Cherry & Sakura Sparkling Mead. The mead is aged in Wollersheim brandy barrels and will be available both in pours at the festival and in 12-ounce cans to go. The brewery is also planning several limited-run gluten-free cask beers and will pour New Grist Radler and additional New Grist variants for festivalgoers.
Charity and community partners
Beginning May 10 and running through Maifest, Lakefront will hold a “round-up” donation drive benefitting the Bonnie Lynn Mechanic Celiac Clinic at Children’s Wisconsin, which will host an informational booth at the festival, according to OnMilwaukee. The event continues to brand itself as a celebration for the gluten-free community that still welcomes everyone, including well-behaved dogs who are more than happy to supervise the food trucks.
What to know before you go
Maifest is free to attend and takes place at Lakefront Brewery, 1872 N. Commerce St.; Visit Milwaukee includes the festival in its May events preview.
Organizers recommend parking at Schlitz Park (1555 N. RiverCenter Dr.) and taking advantage of the free shuttle service to and from the brewery, while also advising festivalgoers to arrive early for limited cask pours and to beat the busiest vendor lines, per TMJ4.
