Less drunks.

Better musical acts during the day hours.

The problem is the combination of huge crowds and few popular acts.

Bottom line, the average Johnny 6 pack has never heard of 90% of the bands at Summerfest .. so they flock to the 10% they know.

If you're not willing to camp out for 1-2 hours at the venue of the "good" band, you're destined to wander in to the mosh pit of 10,000 sweaty, smelly people and watch that one band you know from 500 feet away.

Then a few people in your group say "let's go somewhere else" and you end up aimlessly wandering the Summerfest grounds.

There is far to much alcohol flowing at SUMMERFEST and all the "fests"; whether it be beer or wine-coolers, or whatever they are selling this year. People have to much to drink, it's hot outside, that's when the trouble starts. You don't have to drink "hard"-drinks to fun a good time.

I would say a bridge that crosses over Lincoln Memorial from parking to grounds might be a good thing. Making the grounds more accessable. Bridge from parking to Calatrava not in a good place for festival goers

Much better food options (especially food that isn't fried, has nutritional value, and utilizes local and in season ingredients), a cap on the number of attendees to limit the crowds, better dressed people (yes that makes me sound like a snob, but it is amazing what you see), fewer poor parenting choices (e.g., parents with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths pushing strollers), a ban on smoking, better bands and sound from the stages, fewer a*holes (ha!), less asphalt. That's a start!

I would say more diversity in the music. If you aren't into rock and roll or modern country-pop you have few music options. I can see drunks locally, I don't need to fight the crowds at Summerfest to see them. Why not bring in some fo the big name bluegrass bands (my favorite music)? Or even some of the terrific bluegrass bands that we have in our area? Big band music would be another one. Or how about one night the Milwaukee Symphony Pops do a concert? Summerfest has become pretty much a rock concert. Yeah, those folks buy large quantities of beer so I can understand the festival's reasoning. But there's nothing there that reaches out and grabs me and says "you gotta see this".

My choice was "better bathrooms" but that doesn't even begin to cover it. a better option would have been to include 'MORE bathrooms, with MORE ATTENDANTS keeping them clean on a regular basis. My worst experience would be waiting in line to go, taking the only stall that was open and coming up against some idiots attempt at using the toilet....apparently having the runs and missing the hole entirely.Disgusting. The bathrooms need constant attendants.
On music, since the "Baby Boomers" are the biggest part of our population, (look at the statistics, people!) how about more music from the 60's and 70's....and not the one hit wonders. There is way too much "popular", "current" music.
And my biggest suggestion. BRING BACK JIMMY BUFFETT! (Not that any executive administration from Summerfest would even read any of our comments....therein lies the problem,-- there's no one there who listens and takes our comments seriously.)

Shows like Chicago, and the Beach Boys on at the same time 10pm why? The best shows on very late in evening, not fun leaving Summerfest Grounds with all the doped up drunks and weirdos just looking for a fight. Too many people stuffed into a small area makes it not a very pleasant experience for families and senior people. I'll stick to the Wisconsin State Fair.

LESS DRINKING THEREFORE LESS DRUNKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't go to Summerest anymore bc of all the reasons above and I was just saying to a friend the other night......, remember when we used to see classical & jazz and even blues groups at Summerest? I remember sitting in the mud & rain waiting for BB King to play & it was a memory of a life time. And I don't remember ANY drunks during that time. We were there to see all the great music. That isn't happening anymore.

The only reason I ever attend Summerfest is if there is an act that I really want to see (which there hasn't been for a good many years) or if I receive free tickets and have nothing better going on (including something good on tv).

The last acts that I've seen at Summerfest were Slaughter/Cinderella/Dokken/Poison, Traffic (with Steve Winwood), and Morris Day & The Time.

Hoffa's not one for crowds to begin with, and drunk crowds are even worse! Thus, it's probably the lack of acts that I'm interested in and drunks that keep Hoffa away the most. That and the parking situation, where vehicle security is virtually non-existant!

Atleast a few Carnival Rides would be nice because that's what always gives some spice to a festival. I'm definetly a kid at heart and I certainly look forward to that part of festivals.

Have not gone in years so no input.

I go to Summerfest when I get free tickets and VIP parking. Some years back I attended a bluegrass festival in Oxford, England and it has become my gold standard for what a music festival could be. There were recognized acts, emerging groups, all on parkland. The atmosphere was relaxed and music-centric. What I also found appealing was that the festival also attracted buskers. We rush past these individuals every day in the Tube and the streets, and quite a few are astonishingly talented. It was wonderful to see some of these individuals have the opportunity to perform at the festival, even in the pursuit of their vocation, and see people appreciate their musicianship. It also added a lot more music to the event program! When I go to Summerfest I get nostalgic for the best music festival I ever attended, but Summerfest has its own magic, too, especially at twilight when the sun recedes and the tar cools, and excitement for the big musical acts energizes the crowds.

Bring back the comedy stage. Put on more popular groups at earlier times. Vary the times so not all the crowds move at end of a performance. I would love to see Three Dog Night but am not willing to fight the drunks at midnight to get home. I remember when you could see popular groups at 8:00 and 9:00.

I continue to enjoy Summerfest and have adjusted to most of the changes. I attended opening day in the afternoon and will make one or two more trips this week. I think the improvements to the grounds are appreciated by most. Food is ample and there is a nice variety, especially if you visit the ethnic village area. Whether it is healthy...I guess it's up to you. I have seen fruit bowls and salads available but not being ordered by too many festival goers. Certainly not worse than State Fair's fried food. Have never had problems with the bathrooms and they certainly have increased the number that are available from even ten years ago. I agree with wanting to see some better performers at an earlier time slot. It is too late to watch a 10:00 performance, navigate the crowds to the exits at closing time, get home after fighting traffic, and still wake up early the next day. Festivals seem to breed a culture of overserved, slobbering drunks. Can't understand why people can spend so much money on the drinks served at SF, Miller Park, and other outdoor celebrations...but they keep doing it.

Wow, what a bunch of party animals. Summerfest isn't about going to see only the bands you know, it's about experiencing the music you don't normally listen to; Broaden your horizons a little. You may not have heard of most of the bands, but who cares, that certainly doesn't mean you won't enjoy them. I wish they had more choices for alcohol, not everyone is a beer lover. JoJo's Martini tent is a favorite, and their drinks are the best! If you aren't willing to go out, have a good time and bump into a few people, then stay home, it's not that difficult. Of course, then you'd have nothing to bitch about.

Just turned 40 and still luv summerfest! It's about listening to music you otherwise would not! People watching and the beautiful view! Or live your life complaining about everything..... Life's too short!

While the new BMO is a beautiful venue, why did they do what they did with needing tickets? Free or not, its not what Summerfest is about. Also, if you're in the blue seats, you have a great view. If you're in the bleachers and people are standing, its not that great. If you're behind the bleachers, its horrible. Also, the area leading up to the BMO is on an upswing so if there is a large crowd outside of the bleachers, those in back have no chance of seeing anything. We were there for the Scorpions and I felt bad for those in back - and there were a LOT of people in back - they couldn't see anything! We could barely see and we started on the back barrier and ended up getting into the bleachers at the end of the show. While it looks beautiful, they should have thought about the shows that pull in larger crowds and those people that can't see anything.....

I went Thursday to see Foo Fighters and came away with two observations. One, I was stunned at the lack of stupid, obnoxious drunks that night. When the show was over at 11:30 my wife and I walked from Marcus all the way to the North Game, and we both remarked later on how benign the crowd was. Two, the Marcus could really use some technological upgrades. Couldn't get an internet connection and the video boards are too small. Interacting with a show like that can enhance the whole experience — odd, I know, when you pay that kind of money to end up looking at your smartphone or a video board. But welcome to the modern era, I guess.

Summerfest most needs a brothel.

More variety of music. Jazz, bluegrass, world music. Then don't schedule the best or similar bands all at the same time. This year the B-52's and Squeeze are both playing at the same time. They are the only "new wave" bands from the '80's playing Summerfest, and they are at the same time!

As for the food. Just some simple burgers, brats, mac & cheese, fish fry, would be fine. I don't go to Summerfest (or State Fair) for the food, I save that for going out to a nice sit down restaurant

As I read amongst all of the post, I see that drinking is the major change people wanted to see. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Like that will ever happen in WISCONSIN.

Oh, please. Summerfest is what it is - a place for hairy Caucasian losers to get wasted and crash into each other. Once again, a few belligerent white people have to ruin a good thing for the rest of us.

Who keeps hiring the TBA band to play year after year, stage after stage?

The orginizers book a wide variety of bands and continue to make improvements to the grounds. The vast majority of these complaints have more to do with demographics than with the festival itself.

What 'summerfest needs most' is for the state of WI to embrace the culture and artistry of its beer heritage, to create a type of pride around it that goes beyond beer bongs and flip cup.

I would like to thank all of the security at Summerfest. Many of them are simply college kids who are trying their best. Instead they get harrassed by drunks ( many of whom are underage). Also, thank you to MPD for their constant presence. Job well done!!