Although our warm-weather season isn’t over yet, we already have a reason to look forward to next summer with Summerfest’s announcement that Garth Brooks will headline a special kickoff concert for next year’s festival. The country star will set the stage for Summerfest 2026 at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on Wednesday, June 17.
Brooks’ show, which will get the World’s Biggest Music Festival going a day early, is his first-ever Summerfest performance and his first show in Milwaukee since a September 2015 concert at the Bradley Center.
As a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, Brooks has been recognized countless times for his singing and songwriting. Among the plaudits Brooks has received, some of the most prestigious are the Kennedy Center Honor (2021) and the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (2020). He’s also the only seven-time recipient of the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Brooks’ 162 million albums sold makes him the the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history. He has received nine RIAA Diamond Awards for his nine albums certified at over 10 million in sales.
Tickets for the June 17 show at the Amp go on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday, Sept. 12, online via Ticketmaster or in person at the Amp box office. Each ticket purchased will also include complimentary admission to Summerfest 2026, valid on any day of the festival. Before the show, there will be an official Summerfest Garth Brooks pre-party inside the South Gate of Henry Maier Festival Park, with live entertainment, food and beverages.
