MILWAUKEE—As soon as the gates opened, hundreds came out to the first day of Summerfest.
Jermal Curry started his day dancing to the band that he just heard for the first time playing at the ULINE stage.
“This is my first stop. The music drew me over here. I like how it was sounding,” said Curry.
However the band that’s playing doesn't really matter to Curry.
He comes to Summerfest every year from Gary, Indiana
This year, he donated to the Hunger Task Force to get free admission.
“Besides just giving something to the homeless, I like to do that. It’s more than just getting a free ticket and you come early, you don’t miss anything. It’s such a great experience to be out here,” said Curry.
Steven Jensen wanted to secure a front row seat for a specific band.
“I have never seen Anthrax before so I am excited to see them,” said Jensen.
While Jensen has to wait to all day to see them, he said it’s worth it.
“Only because there are good bands that I want to see this year so that’s why I am coming here early, probably all three days,” said Jensen.
Curry said he also believes this Summerfest will be different from the last two years.
“The crowds were less because they had to prove they were COVID-free so this year they don’t have to prove that. They just come right in so I expect a way bigger crowd this year and I like that because I like to see everyone party and have fun,” said Curry.
For Curry, Summerfest brings the two things that he wants most out of a festival: A good time and safety. Organizers said they sought to provide this in even bigger numbers this year and hope the festivities will look more like it did before the pandemic.