By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Jul 20, 2023 at 10:03 AM

Festival City is hopping this summer! OnMilwaukee's Festival Guide is brought to you by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. Escape the heat and step inside! 

After having moved over to Bayshore last summer and adding frozen custard courtesy of Culver's, the annual Sprecher Root Beer Bash returns to the shopping center's central plaza.

Dubbed, "the world’s largest Root Beer Float Festival," the Sprecher Root Beer Bash is slated for Saturday, Aug. 5, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in The Yard, the central public space at Bayshore, 5800 N. Bayshore Dr., in Glendale.

This free, family-friendly event starts with a Kids Dance Party by Kid Boogie Down and a free Root Beer Bash Swag Bag giveaway for the first 1,000 kids.

Also on hand: a Makers Market, henna artists, balloon twisters, face painting, a community art project, kids float zone, petting zoo, live entertainment by Shorewood School of Rock at noon and 5 Card Studs at 1 p.m.

“We are so excited to once again bring our community event to Bayshore,” said Becca Garrison, executive director for Welcome to Glendale.

“What better way to celebrate National Root Beer Float Day than with a free root beer float, free kids’ activities and free live entertainment!”

Of course, the main event is free root beer floats with Sprecher root beer and Culver's custard.

For every free float handed out, Sprecher will donate a free meal to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.

“Glendale is our home and we are so proud to be donating our award-winning root beer to this fun event,” said Sprecher President and CEO Sharad Chadha.

You can ensure your free float by registering in advance here.

In addition to the Sprecher pop-up taproom adjacent to The Yard – which serves 12 beers, 20 sodas and a variety of snacks – food trucks and vendors like El Sazón Dominicano, Pig Tailz, Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds, Lily Bells and Kona Ice will also be at the event.

Click here for more information.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.