By Piet Levy
Photo Credit WTMJ News
After three years, the Harley-Davidson Homecoming has reached the end of the road.
The annual four-day festival in the motorcycle company’s hometown of Milwaukee – centered around two days of concerts in Veterans Park that featured such headliners as Foo Fighters, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jelly Roll and Chris Stapleton – is canceled for 2026 and beyond, a company spokesperson confirmed with the Journal Sentinel Feb. 24.
Last summer Harley-Davidson announced the Homecoming would come back July 9-12, 2026, but that is no longer the case. Instead, Harley will return to an event strategy it implemented for decades, hosting a multi-day Milwaukee bash – typically with a motorcycle parade, concerts and more – every five years to celebrate a milestone anniversary. The company will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2028, the expected year for the next major hometown Harley celebration.
The shift comes after Artie Starrs, previously CEO of Topgolf International, replaced Jochen Zeitz as CEO in October. Harley-Davidson reported a $339 million profit for 2025; a 26% decrease compared to 2024.
The Homecoming festival drew more than 80,000 people to its inaugural Veterans Park concerts in 2023 headlined by Green Day and Foo Fighters, then saw a drop in attendance in 2024 to north of 60,000 people for concerts headlined by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jelly Roll and Hardy.
Last July the event was affected by bad storms for the first time, forcing an abrupt end to the first day of concerts in Veterans Park, including the cancellation of headliner Hank Williams Jr. Harley reported a crowd of about 40,000 people for headliner Chris Stapleton the following night.
HARLEY ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH SUMMERFEST, 6 YEARS AFTER END OF STAGE SPONSORSHIP
While the Harley-Davidson Homecoming is over, Harley will still be involved with music festivals in Milwaukee.
Also on Feb. 24, Harley announced it had renewed a partnership that began 35 years ago with Summerfest. The multi-year partnership includes presenting sponsorship of Summerfest’s Official Celebration of America’s 250th on closing day, July 4 this year, which will include a 20minute fireworks show. Even that night’s amphitheater headliner, incidentally Jelly Roll and opener Tyler Hubbard, are starting early at 5 p.m. to wrap up before the fireworks show.
Harley’s sponsorship on July 4 also will include a special admission promotion and gate giveaway for the first 5,000 fans. Financial terms of the new partnership were not disclosed, but benefits will include a HarleyDavidson sponsored motorcycle parking lot, H.O.G. Member perks, on-site exhibit space and an annual promotion/theme day. More details will be announced in the future, according to a Summerfest news release.
“We are thrilled to welcome Harley-Davidson as a Summerfest sponsor, continuing a Milwaukee tradition,” Sarah Pancheri, president and CEO of Summerfest parent company Milwaukee World Festival Inc., said in a statement. “This partnership is especially meaningful, as it brings two iconic Milwaukee brands back together with a shared focus on serving the community and delivering unforgettable experiences to our fans.”
“We could not be more excited to be joining Summerfest as a sponsor,” Starrs said in a statement. “Milwaukee is our home and always will be. We’re looking forward to celebrating 250 years of America together with our riders, dealers and fans right here in our hometown.”
Previously Harley was most associated with Summerfest as the title sponsor of the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse for 23 years. That deal ended in 2020, with Generac taking over as title sponsor of the renamed Generac Power Stage beginning in 2021.
