Waukesha’s Friday Night Live

Waukesha Friday Night Live began over a decade ago as Freeman Friday Night Live when citizens and downtown business owners gathered to discuss the fact that the city of Waukesha was abandoned and looked like a ghost town by 7 pm on Friday nights.  Businesses were closed due to a lack of customers, and the only sound that filled the streets was wind and muffled music from local taverns.  Business owners and organization officials decided that sponsoring musicians to entertain on various stage locations throughout historic downtown Waukesha each Friday would wake the sleeping city and bring her back to life.  Such an event would draw visitors and entertainers alike.

It didn’t take long before Friday Night Live was born in Waukesha, and Friday’s were back to the way they used to be in the historical days of the city when people gathered in the streets to dance, sell and/or trade produce, meat and other foods, or simply to have a good time while socializing, listening to live music, and enjoying life.

Today Waukesha Friday Night Live runs every Friday from June until October.  Over the course of the 18 week event, Friday Night Live hosts nine stages of entertainment, over 70 musicians and entertainers, and dozens of downtown businesses are open to offer food, candies, drinks, artwork, and more.

Thousands of people come to Friday Night Live every year, and what started out as an idea over a decade ago has blossomed into a great event in the greatest city in Wisconsin — Waukesha!

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