10,000 Maniacs to headline PrideFest
Festival season kicks off Friday
PrideFest begins Milwaukee’s lakefront summer festivals season with a rainbow of possibilities this weekend at Maier Festival Park.
Folk-inspired rock band 10,000 Maniacs, fronted by singer-violinist Mary Ramsey, headlines the LGBTQ festival at 10 p.m. Saturday on the Miller Lite Mainstage on the Summerfest grounds.
Dance-pop singer Betty Who, born in Australia and educated at the famed Berklee College of Music, headlines the Miller Lite Mainstage at 10:30 p.m. Friday.
Singer-actor-director Todrick Hall, a star of “American Idol,” YouTube and Broadway’s “Kinky Boots,” brings his “Straight Outta Oz” show to the Miller Lite Mainstage at 8:15 p.m. Sunday. This multiperformer production chronicles Hall’s rise from small-town Texas to stardom via elements of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
Other scheduled notables on the Miller Lite Mainstage lineup include “American Idol” star Crystal Bowersox, 5:15 p.m. Sunday, and musical chameleon Har Mar Superstar, 6:45 p.m. Sunday.
Activist Jim Obergefell, plaintiff in the case that led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2015 confirming the right of same-sex couples to marry, will speak during PrideFest’s opening ceremonies at 3 p.m. Friday.
And now for something completely different: Actress Alice Wilson will be on the grounds throughout the festival as the Living Statue. She welcomes photos.
Hours: 3 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. (The Dance Pavilion is open until midnight Sunday.)
Admission: $15 in advance, $18 at gate; three-day weekend passes, $35 in advance, $39 at gate. Children 12 and under free with a paid adult admission. Visit pridefest.com/tickets.
Free entry: From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Fireworks: 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Milwaukee Pride Parade: Begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the staging area at S. 2nd St. and W. Lapham Blvd. The parade travels north on 2nd St., to E. Oregon St. For a route map, visit prideparademke.org. Info: pridefest.com