Mile of Music makes a comeback after pandemic forced festival to take a year off

APPLETON, Wis. (WLUK) -- Preparations for this year’s Mile of Music are underway in Appleton.

COVID-19 canceled the city’s major event last year. And, although it’s back, Mile of Music 8 may look a bit different this time around.

The festival draws in thousands of people each year. Fans sometimes cram into small venues throughout Appleton’s downtown, just to hear their favorite artists perform.

But not this time around, at least that’s what organizers are trying to prevent.

“For the indoor venues, we also went through and we talked to some of the smaller venues, and we asked them maybe to take this year off and come back to us in Mile 9,” Mile of Music curator Dave Willems said. “Those are hard conversations to have, but we certainly expect to have them back again.”

For an event that’s historically had a lot of indoor performances, this year Willems says people can expect to see a lot more happening outside.

“The festival has been about 25% outdoor, and this year it’s about 50% to 55% outdoor,” he said. “We have a lot of more sets outdoor.”

Larger venues will still have indoor concerts, but organizers have asked them to be mindful of just how many people walk through their doors.

“We asked the indoor venues to at least pay attention to their capacities, maybe not be quite so noses to noggins, and so forth,” said Willems. “It’s up to them, though, as individuals to monitor that; they’re responsible for their own capacities.”

At places like McFleshman’s, taking the fun outside and watching capacity this year, shouldn’t be an issue.

McFleshman’s has more than doubled the size of its biergarten to be able to accommodate more people in a safe way.

“We just love the outdoors and wanted to have more people be able to enjoy the music, but also because we do have in the back of our minds that it’s best to have as much outdoor space, as possible,” McFleshman’s general manager Stephanie Harvey said.

Heid Music is also fortunate enough to already have its own patio, as well, and will be hosting all of its"<>> workshops outside.

“We’ve put it to a lot of different uses this year, particularly,” Heid Music ecommerce specialist Jonathan Leahy said. “Some has been just also expanding off of things we’ve done previously.”

Mile of Music organizers say, having to take a lot more shows outdoors has been very well received, because everyone seems to understand that safety comes first, above all.

“We’re calling it common sense, common courtesy and common respect,” said Willems. “I think if we all do that, I think we’ll be fine and have a really good festival and really good weekend.

The popular Mile of Music bus will not be featured at the festival this year.

Organizers say, while many venues don't require face masks, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are encouraged to wear them, especially indoors.