Summerfest is the Milwaukee festival that claims the title “world’s largest music festival.”
The event is held at Henry Maier Festival Park beside Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was created in 1968 and developed into a large multi-day celebration featuring numerous stages, headline concerts, local performers, food, and community programming.
Summerfest’s “world’s largest music festival” description refers especially to its scale and attendance across its full run. Guinness World Records recognized it for its large annual music-festival attendance, although attendance records and festival formats can change over time.
The event is often confused with large multi-genre festivals that operate over a single weekend. Summerfest traditionally lasts much longer than many comparable festivals, helping explain its exceptionally high cumulative attendance. Its official branding and promotional materials continue to emphasize the world-record claim.