Mile of Music organizers have announced the return of the annual outdoor music event, along with the first 50 artists set to perform.
Additionally, the organization behind the event’s creation, Willems Marketing & Events, announced plans to make the event fully non-profit.
Mile 13 is set for July 30 through Aug. 2 throughout the one-mile span of downtown Appleton between Lawrence Memorial Chapel on the east end and Emmett’s and Spats on the west end.
Each year, an average of 600 to 700 musicians travel to Appleton to share their talents over a span of four days.
The First 50 artists set to perform at Mile of Music are announced each spring, ahead of the full line-up. This year’s first 50 come from 18 states and six countries with 35 of them appearing at the festival for the first time.
This year, more than 40% of the overall lineup will come from or has ties to Wisconsin.
Over the next six to eight weeks, the remaining artists and acts will be announced.
This year, the festival will again feature more than 30 performances and musical education spaces led by former and current Lawrence University educators and students.
Listening Rooms for fans who enjoy seated, theater-style venues will also continue to be accessible.
Here’s who is returning to Mile of Music in 2026
Here’s who’s coming back for another mile:
These artists will perform at Mile of Music for the first time
These artists will be performing at festival for the first time:
Mile of Music is now a fully non-profit led event
The annual event has been operating under a hybrid model for the past years with Willems Marketing as a for-profit which co-produced the festival with the non-profit Appleton Community Music.
This year, it will now transition into Mile of Music, Inc., a non-profit community organization that will be responsible for planning, producing and funding the festival from now on.
The organization will be finalized this month and will initiate a number of fundraising efforts to fund Mile 13 and future festivals.
Included in the first fundraising initiatives will be the opportunity for fans and attendees to help fund one or more of the more than 500 performances through the new Adopt-An-Artist and Sponsor-A-Set programs.
“The festival has reached heights we never dreamed of but the Willems Marketing & Events team has taken the fest as far as we can with our resources and now we’ll turn to our beloved music community as well as the larger community for strategic and greater support to entrench this special vibe in Appleton and the Fox Cities,” festival creator Dave Willems said.
For more information visit mileofmusic.com.
Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-453-5107 or jburns1@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: The first 50 artists of the 13th Mile of Music have been announced
Reporting by Jelissa Burns, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
