Milwaukee’s free streetcar The Hop, presented by Potawatomi Casino Hotel, will bring back the combined “Festivals Line” during Summerfest. The “Festivals Line” is a combination of the existing M-Line and L-Line, with all vehicles serving the full route and making it even easier for passengers along the entire route – regardless of where they board – to reach the Lakefront stop and its convenient access to the festival grounds without the need to transfer. 

“Summerfest is one of Milwaukee’s busiest times, and that extends to The Hop,” Milwaukee Commissioner of Public Works Jerrel Kruschke said. “We saw fantastic ridership during last year’s festival – the first with our Lakefront extension in operation – and received very positive feedback on the combined ‘Festivals Line’ we utilized. We’re proud to bring this service back for our riders, making accessing the festival grounds as easy as possible for Milwaukee residents and visitors traveling from anywhere along the streetcar route.”

The “Festivals Line” will replace The Hop’s existing operations from Sunday, June 15 through Saturday, July 5, with service still beginning at 5 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekdays and extended service until 1 a.m. during each of the nine Summerfest nights. Northbound vehicles will deviate from the traditional M-Line route to include the loop east on Michigan, through the Couture Transit Concourse and back west on Clybourn before resuming north towards Burns Commons, while southbound vehicles from Burns Commons will proceed along the regular M-Line route. Since all vehicles will serve all stations, passengers can board at any stop along the route and reach the Lakefront station without needing to transfer. 

With the “Festivals Line,” passengers boarding at Intermodal will reach the Lakefront stop in just 12 minutes, a trip from the Historic Third Ward will take eight minutes, and reaching the festival grounds from Burns Commons will take approximately 36 minutes. For riders not looking to access the festival grounds, southbound travel times will remain unchanged, while a northbound trip from Intermodal to Burns Commons will be approximately 10 minutes longer than the usual M-Line schedule. Lakefront/Summerfest passengers wanting to return to the Downtown Business District, Historic Third Ward or Intermodal station can transfer at Cathedral Square to the next southbound streetcar rather than traveling up to Burns Commons.

 From ramps and surface lots to metered (and in some cases free) street parking, there are countless options for parking once downtown and using The Hop’s free service to navigate the City or reach the festival grounds. For more information on parking along the route, visit thehopmke.com/parking. For more information on the “Festival Line,” visit thehopmke.com/festivals.