Harbor Fest returns, featuring sturgeon fest and boat parade

WHAT: HARBOR FEST

WHEN: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH FROM 11 AM – 4 PM

WHERE: 600 BLOCK OF EAST GREENFIELD AVENUE IN THE HARBOR DISTRICT

After a year of events that really wasn’t, we’re happy to announce that Harbor Fest will return this year on September 19, 2021. Not only are we excited for the return of this fun, family-friendly street festival, but we’re excited to be hosting the Milwaukee Boat Parade and Sturgeon Fest! That’s right, a three-in-one extravaganza!

On Sunday, September 19th, Harbor District’s annual street festival Harbor Fest will expand, combing the celebration of Milwaukee’s harbor with the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Boat Parade and Sturgeon Fest by Riveredge Nature Center. The festival will be along the 600 block of East Greenfield Avenue, outside of the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences building and Harbor View Plaza.

The vision of Harbor Fest is to reintroduce Milwaukee to its harbor, and the festival offers a wide variety of free, family-friendly activities related to boats, fish, rivers, science, and all the things that make our waterfront great.

Festival-goers can:

• Tour the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences
• See the Milwaukee RiverKeeper MKE Boat Parade
• Release a baby sturgeon with Riveredge Nature Center, click here to register
• Learn how to filet a fish with WDNR
• Take a free pontoon boat ride in the harbor
• Watch art in the making and aerialists at work
• Connect with Harbor District businesses and environmental groups
• COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
• Climb a rock wall
• Enjoy lunch from local food trucks, with a beer from New Barons Brewing Coop and a paleta from Paleteria Yayo
• Dance the afternoon away with DJ Hala and Cache

And so much more!

Harbor Fest is made possible by generous support from Rockwell Automation, V. Marchese, Inc., Michels Corporation, Komatsu Ltd., Harbor District Business Improvement District (BID 51), Walbec Group, Inc., Milwaukee Airwaves and other sponsors.

Per CDC guidance, due to transmissible nature of the Delta variant, masks are strongly encouraged for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status.