Summerfest 2022 attendance totals released
MILWAUKEE - Summerfest attendance exceeded 445,000 fans during the 2022 music festival's nine days, organizers said – an 8.8% increase over the previous year.
Attendance did not surpass levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of factors impacted the attendance figure, Summerfest said, including postponed headline acts, a crowded concert calendar and inflation.
Organizers also said group ticket sales were down 46% over pre-pandemic levels, which the festival attributed to "changes in work-at-home policies for many employers."
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Still, a total of 445,611 attendees went through the turnstiles.
Summerfest 2022 was held over three weekends – Thursday through Saturday – as part of a trial of a new festival format. Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. officials will review the results and confirm dates for Summerfest 2023 later this year.
It remained one of the most accessible major music festivals in the world, according to organizers, as over 23% of fans entered via a free or discounted admission promotion.
Statement from Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.:
"This year’s results highlight the current state of the event industry as we continue to manage through the impact of the last few years. Given the lasting effect of the pandemic, the world has changed and, accordingly, the music festival business has changed as well. In 2020, MWF stated it would take years to fully recover and that is what we – and others – have experienced in 2022."