German Fest is an ethnic festival in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, at the

Henry Maier Festival Park Henry Maier Festival Park is a 75-acre festival park located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the shore Lake Michigan and is the site of the annual Summerfest musical festival and the home of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. History Be ...

, on the

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

lakefront. The genesis of German Fest occurred when Mayor Henry Maier challenged the local German-American community during a speech on May 20, 1980, at the 20th anniversary of the

German American National Congress The German American National Congress (german: Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress) (also known as DANK) is a national German-American nonprofit organization in the United States founded in 1959. It was established to unite Americans of Germa ...

(DANK) to organize a German festival. Shortly thereafter, Walter Geissler, then President of D.A.N.K., chaired a committee of five members that laid the foundation for the Fest. The charter of German Fest was subsequently written in January 1981. The first German Fest was held in August 1981. It is billed as the "Largest German celebration in North America" and "A Milwaukee Tradition". It currently occurs during the last full weekend in July. As of 1993, Milwaukee had a 52% German population, which is the largest European percentage in a major U.S. metropolitan area. German Fest celebrates the culture, food, travel, and history of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, as well as

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

, and German-speaking communities around the world. Along with traditional music, many from the Europe also make the journey to perform and educate at the festival. One attraction is the cultural tent, where one can see the various groups, including both former and current provinces that proudly call themselves "German." They range from Bavarians (Bayern), and Hessians (Hessen), to other German speaking nations like the Austrians (Österreich), and groups displaced by World War II whose homelands are now located in Poland (Polen), Hungary (Ungarn), and the former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (Tschechoslowakei & Jugoslawien). In the center area of the grounds a parade periodically passes by, showcasing 38 German-American heritage organizations, local German immersion schools, and others celebrating their German heritage.

German cuisine The cuisine of Germany () is made up of many different local or regional cuisines, reflecting the country's federal history. Germany itself is part of the larger cultural region of Central Europe, sharing many culinary traditions with neighbo ...

is also featured at German Fest. Many well-known German restaurants and food services in the area are present at the fest, including Mader's, and the Schwabenhof, as well as the biggest sausage maker in Milwaukee,

Usinger's Fred Usinger, Inc., better known as Usinger's, is a sausage -making company located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Old World Third Street within the Old World Third Street Historic District. History Fred Usinger, an apprentice sausage ...

. Usinger's celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2005, in a joint anniversary of German Fest's 25th anniversary. The 40th was to have taken place in 2020; however, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

caused officials to defer it to 2021.

References

{{reflist

External links

German Fest website

Festivals in Milwaukee German-American culture in Milwaukee Henry Maier Festival Park