54th Midsummer Festival of the Arts draws thousands to Downtown Sheboygan
The event featured 100 artists, 16 food trucks, free art making and live music
SHEBOYGAN — 2025 marked the 54th year of the Midsummer Festival of the Arts in Downtown Sheboygan hosted by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
This year’s event featured 100 juried artists, 16 food trucks, free art making, demonstrations and live music by four bands. This year's featured artist was Lori Biwer-Stewart. She designed the 2025 Midsummer Festival of the Arts t-shirt, which featured the Sheboygan Lighthouse. Her work celebrates the subtle power in simplicity and the stories found in overlooked places.
The annual arts festival draws thousands to Downtown Sheboygan. Organizers and city officials do not provide specific attendance figures. This year's presenting event sponsors were Acuity Insurance and Lake 98.1 with additional support from the City of Sheboygan, BankFirst, Meijer, GrandStay Hotels and 3 Sheeps Brewing.
Incorrectly Marketed as 55th Annual
The inaugural event was actually held in July 1971 and was known as the Sidewalk Arts Festival. It was sponsored by JMKAC and the Central Business Association. In 1973, the name was changed to the Outdoor Arts Festival. After 37 years, the name was changed to the Midsummer Festival of the Arts in July 2008. The festival was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, making this year’s festival the 54th annual—not the 55th as marketed by the museum.
Despite the discrepancy and the fact no festival was ever held in 1970, this important detail is confirmed on the museum’s own website. Somehow, JMKAC is counting 1970 and 2020 as years the festival was held. After extensive research by WKTS News, the error began in 2021 when the museum did not market that year’s festival as the 50th or 51st annual. They would only say the 2021 festival was dedicated to the late Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, who founded the festival more than 50 years ago.
In 2022, the museum’s website stated, “Now in its fifty-second year, the Midsummer Festival of the Arts is a Sheboygan tradition for family outings and for finding special works of art.” Even though there was no festival held in 2020.
The 55th annual JMKAC Midsummer Festival of the Arts will be held the third weekend in July 2026.
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