Summerfest Weekend 1 Recap

Carín León Don Toliver Garth Brooks

This past weekend, Summerfest, one of the most affordable and diverse independent music festivals in the world, kicked off the first weekend of the 2026 festival with headline performances from Megan Moroney, Don Toliver, and Carín León, as well as a pre-festival kickoff featuring two nights of Garth Brooks at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.

The first weekend of the festival featured music across every genre, including additional performances by Charlie Wilson, Passion Pit, Third Eye Blind, Hot Mulligan, Father John Misty, Styx, David Lee Roth, Tasha Sultana, Connor Price, Nate Smith, Echo & The Bunnymen, AJ Croce, Don Felder, Evan Honer, and so many more.

Download Photos (courtesy of Summerfest):

Day 1 Selects

Day 2 Selects

Day 3 Selects

Highlights from the first weekend included:

• Garth Brooks serenaded a mother-daughter duo in the crowd with “Mom" on June 16
• Megan brought JP Saxe back on stage for a duet of “I Only Miss You,” and fireworks blasted in the air as fans sung along to her performance of "Wonder" on June 18
• Evan Honer and Cameron Whitcomb performed their "My Expense" collab together during both sets on June 19
• Nate Smith jumped into the crowd and performed a cover of Luke Combs’ “Beer Never Broke My Heart” and previewed his unreleased song “Break Up Like That” on June 20
• Connor Price brought Nic D out as a guest during his set on June 20

With its second annual Juneteenth celebration, Summerfest honored the holiday with an opening ceremony on June 18 that recognized the Northcott Neighborhood HouseJuneteenth scholarship pageant recipients, and performances from Charlie Wilson, Danny Boy, and more. The Juneteenth Parade took place on June 19, followed by a number of performances spotlighting Black artists including Don Toliver with SahBabii, Che, SoFayGo, sosocamo, Chase B, Lelo, and others. On June 20, festival-goers were able to purchase tickets for “A Taste of Juneteenth,” featuring vendors Atwood Hwy BBQ Company, Dear Florence Sweets, Gina’s Creations, Glad’s Kitchen, It’s Smackn, Kellie Katering, Monnie’s Kitchen, Peachy’s Plates, and Signature Sweets.

Next weekend, fans will return to the festival grounds for hundreds of performances across 12 stages, plus American Family Insurance Amphitheater headliners Ed Sheeran, Cody Johnson, and Post Malone. For more information, visit summerfest.com.

Tash Sultana Charlie Wilson