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One of the Milwaukee area's longest-running community festivals is celebrating a milestone this fall.
TosaFest returns to the streets of Wauwatosa Village on Friday, Sept. 11 and Saturday, Sept. 12, marking its 50th anniversary with live music, local food, family activities and a slate of special experiences commemorating five decades of the popular event.
Founded in 1976, the festival has grown from its beginnings on North Avenue into one of the area's signature neighborhood celebrations. This year's event will include a special "History of TosaFest" exhibit, highlighting the festival's evolution over the past half-century.
"TosaFest is woven into the fabric of this community," said Maria Panno, executive director of the Wauwatosa Village Business Improvement District. "This year's TosaFest is more than a milestone anniversary—it's an opportunity to showcase the very best of Wauwatosa to the entire Milwaukee area and beyond."
The festival will feature performances on three stages, four beer gardens, dozens of food trucks and marketplace vendors, a Kids Zone with free inflatables and a variety of interactive experiences.
The State Street Main Stage will lean into the anniversary theme with a lineup of nostalgia-driven acts. Friday's entertainment includes Louie & the Flashbombs and the Rat River Boys. Saturday's schedule features '80s tribute band The Spazmatics, Rolling Stones tribute band Shattered, Beatles tribute act The Taxmen and Brett & the Dandys.
Additional live music will take place on the Underwood Stage, with performances by Trapper Schoepp, Social Cig, Alley Eyes, Wildered, Would You Kindly? and others. The Root Common Stage lineup includes The Terry Sims Band, Indigo Canyon, The Andrew Gelles Band and additional local performers.
Festivalgoers can also purchase tickets to a variety of TosaFest Experiences, including new offerings like a dinner with Paloma, an Old Fashioned-making class hosted by Lucky Joe's Tosa and a pull-tab tournament. Returning experiences include a cribbage tournament, an evening reception with Le Reve Patisserie & Café and a floral arranging class paired with a wine flight.
Draft & Vessel Tosa's Oktoberfest also returns for the weekend, along with the annual TosaFest Cheese Curd Eating Contest, which takes place Saturday, Sept. 12 at noon.
TosaFest takes place on State Street between Harmonee Avenue and Wauwatosa Avenue, as well as portions of Underwood and Harwood Avenues. Festival hours are 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Additional information, including the full entertainment schedule and ticketed experiences, is available at wauwatosavillage.org/tosafest.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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