MILWAUKEE — The weather is starting to warm up in Wisconsin. That means festival season is just a few short months away.
However, it’s not possible without an adequate number of staff.
The Milwaukee World Festival needs seasonal workers at Henry Maier Festival Park.
“I always tell people you get your first paycheck and wonder why they pay me to do this and have fun at work,” said Derrick Harris, the security director for Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “We’re asking everyone to come down today.”
Harris actively recruits for various positions, including security workers, well before festival season begins.
“We have people ranging from 16 up to 80,” Harris said. “We have limited ability employees. We have a very diverse workforce. We try to find a spot for everyone who’s looking for employment down here.”
Other positions include operations, admissions and food and beverage. Wages range from $14 to $22 an hour. This festival season will generate more than $260 million for the city.
Summerfest officials said that 79% of their seasonal staff live in Milwaukee County, while 66% reside in the City of Milwaukee.
“We have a strong contingent of Milwaukee Public Schools teachers because a majority of our employees come from Milwaukee, but our schoolteachers and school students are ambassadors,” said Harris. “The teachers bring back their friends because they’re off during the summer, so that helps with our recruiting efforts.”
Hailey Williams from Milwaukee applied for a security position at the job fair Saturday and was happy to land the job the same day.
“This was a very easy process and I’m very excited to see what Summerfest holds with this position,” said Williams. “I will also tell other people to come and join the team.”
Milwaukee World Festival partnered with local organizations for the hiring. Those organizations include The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Earn & Learn Program and Milwaukee Public Schools.
“The grounds become active in May,” said Harris. “A lot of standalone concerts. We have all our ethnic festivals that need support. We have a lot of private events, so you pretty much get flexible hours from May to October, so you can pick and choose the events you want to work.”
With summer approaching, Harris said he’s excited to spend time working with his daughters, who will both join the Summerfest workforce.
“Both my daughters are in college right now,” said Harris. “When they come home, they come down here for work, so I look forward to that and there are some great concerts this year. We have Kane Brown and SZA got announced.”
To apply for open positions, click here.