'The best 9 days:' 56th annual Summerfest kicks off Thursday

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Happy Summerfest Eve!

We are less than 24 hours away from the grand opening of the world's largest music festival.

“It’s going to be such a fun, incredible three weekends of music, food, fun -- it’s a great time to create new memories with your family," said Jerrod Woods, Summerfest's senior director of marketing. “It is the best nine days of summer, right here on the lakefront in downtown Milwaukee.”

While many can expect the classic lemonade stands and Ferris wheel, Woods said this year, attendees can expect a few new updates.

“We’ve got the brand-new Aurora Pavilion, which is located right inside the mid-gate. Incredible new stage with expanded seating capacity and sound production and open viewing spaces, so we’re super excited to have that," Woods said.

Plus, festgoers can expect some new food vendors including the popular DanDan.

With such a wide variety of music, Woods added there is something for everyone.

“Every single day there’s very unique, curated lineups you can go and check out, and if you’re not into any of the music, there’s going to be a brand-new artist that you’re going to discover that you may end up loving for the rest of your life," Woods said.

Last year, Summerfest alone drew a crowd of more than 600,000 people from around the world.

It's events like this that VISIT Milwaukee said the city should be proud of.

“It is a great time to live in the city of Milwaukee, to visit the city of Milwaukee, and we’re very proud of everything that’s going on in the community," said Ian Thompson, VISIT Milwaukee's senior communications manager. “All of these events bring in tourism dollars that equal billions of tourism dollars that are pumped back into the economy here, whether it’s local restaurants or our tour companies as well, too.”

With Milwaukee's name in headlines recently, officials said they are excited to share what makes the city one-of-a-kind and hope those who visit feel the same.

“I hope that they take away the experiences that they had, the people that they met, the food that they tasted, also all those events that they went to as well," Thompson said. "Milwaukee is one of the best cities in the world and we’re here to showcase that this summer.”