POLL: What Does Summerfest Need Most?

Milwaukee’s “Big Gig” — Summerfest — is in the midst of its 45th season of music, food and beer. It started with wooden stages raised on concrete blocks, and now attracts almost 1 million people over its 11-day run on the lakefront.

But its role as a Milwaukee icon opens it up to intense scrutiny. Fans nitpick the music lineup, the beer costs and sizes, transportation in and out of the facility, security and more.

Milwaukee World Festivals has responded with a variety of improvements over the years. This year, the BMO Harris Pavilion opened with covered seating for 10,000, providing a clear secondary venue to the Marcus Amphitheater. While the headlining lineup will never make everyone happy, organizers this year snagged one of only two U.S. summer dates for Foo Fighters, the 50th-anniversary Beach Boys tour and top country acts Rascal Flatts and Zac Brown Band among others. And Summerfest has been fortunate to avoid the “flash mob” attacks that took place at the Wisconsin State Fair last year.

But in this what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, festival organizers will need to continue refining, improving and supersizing the World’s Largest Music Festival. What do you think Summerfest needs most? Vote in our poll and tell us more in the comments.