Mequon Considers New Festivals

Taste of Mequon is one of the city’s current festivals

Big changes could be coming to the heart of Mequon — and the city is beginning to think about how to celebrate them.

As plans move forward for the major transformation of the Mequon Commons civic campus, Mequon’s Festivals Committee is considering several new community events for 2027, including a family field day, holiday activities and a possible celebration marking both the city’s 70th anniversary and the end of an era for the existing community pool and Rennicke Field.

The Festivals Committee meets Wednesday, Oct. 7 as it begins shaping Mequon’s next generation of community events.

And there’s an important distinction: none of these new event ideas has been approved yet.

For now, they’re possibilities being explored as Mequon prepares for potentially significant changes around City Hall, the Frank L. Weyenberg Library, the Mequon Community Pool and Rennicke Field.

What New Events Is Mequon Considering?

According to the city’s Oct. 7 Festivals Committee agenda and packet, committee members are scheduled to review the most recent Taste of Mequon before identifying dates and budgets for future events.

Among the previous brainstorm ideas being discussed are:

• A family field day

• A community game event

• A hot chocolate and holiday lights walk

• A temporary ice skating rink

• Additional community celebrations

• A possible 70th anniversary event for the City of Mequon

One of the possibilities would connect that anniversary celebration with another major moment in the city’s history: saying goodbye to the existing Mequon Community Pool and Rennicke Field before portions of the Commons area are redeveloped.

These remain ideas rather than announced events. The Oct. 7 discussion should provide a better sense of which concepts committee members believe are worth pursuing.

The city’s Festivals Committee is specifically charged with organizing family-friendly community events and strengthening community involvement. The city says the committee generally aims to hold up to three festivals each year.

Mequon is Rethinking Its Festival Calendar

This discussion actually began earlier in 2026. The city previously decided to pause both the Redbud Festival and Winter Wonderland this year as the Festivals Committee reconsidered how its events fit together.

According to a City of Mequon update, Redbud Festival faced competition from other Mother’s Day weekend activities, while Winter Wonderland had increasingly run into conflicts with Packers games and other December events.

Rather than simply continuing the same calendar, the committee began exploring new events that could complement its signature festival, Taste of Mequon.

That makes the current conversation about field days, holiday walks and other activities part of a larger rethink of how Mequon uses its civic spaces.

Taste of Mequon Remains the Centerpiece

One event that isn’t going anywhere is Taste of Mequon.

The annual festival has become one of the city’s biggest community gatherings, bringing local restaurants, live music, vendors, artists and children’s activities to the streets surrounding City Hall.

The city estimates Taste of Mequon typically attracts 12,000 to 15,000 people. Admission and entertainment are free.

You can see what the festival looked like this year in our Taste of Mequon 2026 Family Guide.

The Festivals Committee is scheduled to review the 2026 event map, procedures and vendor survey results before selecting dates and discussing budgets for Taste of Mequon in 2027 and future years.

More information about city-sponsored festivals is available through the City of Mequon Festivals page.

2027 Could Be a Big Year for Mequon

The festival discussion is particularly interesting because it’s happening at the same time Mequon is moving much closer to decisions about the future of its civic campus.

The city has spent roughly two years developing the Mequon Commons Master Plan, which envisions the area around City Hall, Weyenberg Library, the community pool and Rennicke Field as a much more active civic and recreational destination.

If you haven’t followed the project from the beginning, we previously broke down the early vision in Mequon Commons: A New Hub for Activities on the Horizon.

The city describes Mequon Commons as a future community hub, civic commons and public square that could accommodate social, cultural, civic and recreational activities.

Rather than one construction project happening all at once, the Commons Master Plan is envisioned as a long-term road map that could guide improvements to the civic campus for decades.

You can explore the city’s plans, presentations and earlier public-engagement materials at MequonCommonsPlan.com.

Phase One Is Now Getting Much More Specific

On Oct. 6, Mequon’s Committee of the Whole reviewed a proposed design concept for Phase One of the Mequon Commons Plan.

That’s an important evolution.

For much of the project’s history, the conversation has centered on a broad master plan: What should the civic campus eventually become?

Now the city is getting into the much more concrete question of what it might actually build first.

The Phase One concept centers heavily on replacing and expanding the city’s aquatic and recreational amenities.

For families who use the existing facility, our Guide to Pools and Swimming in Mequon has a closer look at what the current community pool offers today.

Two New Pool Areas Could Replace Existing Facility

The current Commons concept includes two distinct aquatic areas.

One would be a zero-depth activity pool designed heavily around family recreation, with features proposed to include:

• A play structure

• Plunge slide

• Current channel

• Shallow-water recreation areas

A second pool would be geared toward swimming, diving and older children, potentially including:

• Three to four lap lanes

• 1-meter diving board

• 3-meter diving board

• Drop slide

• Climbing wall

That would be a substantial change from the existing Mequon Community Pool at 11335 N. Cedarburg Road.

Today, the facility includes a shallow swimming area, diving well and separate zero-depth area. Families can learn more about the existing pool, passes and swimming options in our Mequon Pool Guide.

The existing facility is also available for private events; our guide to renting the Mequon Community Pool explains how families and groups currently use the facility for parties and gatherings.

New Playground and Community Building Proposed

The project is much bigger than the pools.

The Phase One concept also includes a dry playground and an approximately 11,965-square-foot, two-story pool and community building.

That building could include:

• Concessions

• Multipurpose community rooms

• Pool support facilities

• Rooftop terraces

• Indoor gathering space

That could make the Commons useful for families beyond simply heading there for a swim.

Mequon has increasingly invested in inclusive and destination playgrounds elsewhere in the community as well. Another major project is underway at Rotary Park, where the community has been raising money for a new all-user playground. Read more in our Party for the Playground and Rotary Park update.

Redbud Plaza Could Become a New Gathering Space

Outside the aquatic area, the Commons concept includes a gathering space known as Redbud Plaza.

The idea is to create a flexible public area that could accommodate things like:

• Food trucks

• Markets

• Small community gatherings

• Festival activities

• Outdoor seating

• Overflow space for larger events

That’s where the Commons project and the Festivals Committee discussion begin to overlap.

Taste of Mequon currently takes over Cedarburg Road in front of City Hall and the Weyenberg Library.

A purpose-built civic plaza could eventually give Mequon another location designed from the beginning to support festivals, food trucks, performances and community events.

That could make the Commons feel less like a collection of separate municipal buildings and recreation facilities and more like a true community center.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail Is Right Next Door

One feature that could become increasingly important as the Commons develops is its connection to the Ozaukee Interurban Trail.

The trail runs through Mequon and connects communities throughout Ozaukee County, making the civic campus accessible by bike as well as car.

That could be especially useful if future Commons plans emphasize festivals, recreation and outdoor gathering spaces.

Mequon has also been expanding its bike connections elsewhere. The new Highland Road bike spur is designed to improve connections between neighborhoods, parks and existing trail systems.

Together, those projects could make it easier for families to bike to community activities rather than always driving.

Estimated Price Tag

Transforming the property would represent a major public investment. The latest Phase One concept carries an estimated total project cost of approximately $23.2 million.

That includes roughly:

$20.5 million in estimated construction costs plus $2.7 million in other project and owner costs.

The estimate assumes bidding in 2027. That does not mean Mequon has written a $23 million check or that construction has been authorized. The city is still working through design, funding and approvals.

The city’s Mequon Commons FAQ says funding options for improvements could include grants, partnerships and phased implementation.

That funding question will likely become one of the biggest issues to follow as the project becomes more concrete.

What Happens to the Existing Pool?

That remains an important question.

The existing community pool has been a summer fixture for generations of Mequon families.

It hosts open swimming, lessons, diving, gatherings and special events. Earlier this summer, Rennicke Field behind the pool was even used for an outdoor movie; you can see that event and others in our Milwaukee North Shore Outdoor Movies Guide.

The city has been clear throughout the Commons planning process that the redevelopment will happen in phases.

Exactly when the current pool would close — and whether there could be a season without a municipal pool during construction — will be an important detail to watch as the project progresses.

The Phase One proposal is still a design concept rather than a final construction authorization.

And What Happens to Rennicke Field?

Rennicke Field is another significant piece of the puzzle.

The baseball field sits behind the existing pool and has long been part of the civic-campus recreation area.

Previous Commons discussions have contemplated relocating or reconfiguring baseball facilities as the overall property evolves.

That’s one reason the idea of holding a farewell event involving both Rennicke Field and the existing community pool could resonate with longtime residents.

For families who have spent summers swimming, playing baseball or attending events there, redevelopment isn't simply a construction project.

It represents a significant change to a familiar community space.

A Possible Farewell and a 70th Birthday Party

If Commons construction moves ahead, 2027 could become one of the final opportunities to celebrate portions of the existing civic campus in their current form.

Instead of simply fencing off the property when construction begins, the city is discussing whether the transition itself could become an event.

One possibility is combining Mequon’s 70th anniversary with a community celebration honoring the existing pool and Rennicke Field.

Exactly what that might involve — or whether it happens at all — remains to be determined.

But there’s plenty of potential.

A farewell celebration could include old photos, stories from residents, swimming and baseball history, food trucks, music, kids activities and a preview of what is planned next.

It could effectively become both a birthday party for Mequon and a sendoff for a place that has been part of countless family memories.

Could Mequon Get an Outdoor Ice Rink?

Another idea likely to catch families’ attention is a temporary outdoor ice rink.

The concept is only being brainstormed at this stage. There is no approved rink, location, operating schedule or budget yet.

But it fits with the broader objective of making Mequon’s civic campus a destination beyond the summer months.

The city has previously held Winter Wonderland outside City Hall, featuring children’s activities and Santa. North Shore Family Adventures covered the event in our Mequon Winter Wonderland guide.

A skating component or new holiday event could give the civic campus a more significant winter attraction.

Mequon Already Has Plenty of Family Recreation

The Commons project would also sit within a broader network of outdoor destinations throughout Mequon.

Families looking for things to do can explore our full Mequon Family Guide.

Nearby attractions and recreation include the Mequon Nature Preserve, which offers more than 500 acres of woods, wetlands and prairie along with miles of trails.

Mequon also has Rotary Park, Katherine Kearney Carpenter Park, the Ozaukee Interurban Trail and numerous youth recreation programs.

The interesting thing about Mequon Commons is that it could potentially tie several kinds of family activities together — swimming, playgrounds, biking, festivals, community events and casual gathering — in one central location.

What Happens Next?

There are really two parallel stories to watch now.

The Festivals Committee

The Mequon Festivals Committee meets Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the North Conference Room at Mequon City Hall, 11333 N. Cedarburg Road.

The committee will review Taste of Mequon and discuss dates, budgets and possible future events.

More information about the committee and its mission is available from the City of Mequon Festivals Committee.

Mequon Commons

Meanwhile, the city will continue refining Phase One of the Commons project following the Oct. 6 Committee of the Whole review.

The overall Mequon Commons project website includes background, presentations and planning materials from the lengthy public process.

There is still a significant difference between a design concept and a funded project ready for construction, so costs, amenities, timelines and even individual elements could change.

But taken together, the two discussions paint an interesting picture of where Mequon may be heading.

The city isn’t simply discussing a replacement swimming pool.

It’s considering how the entire civic-campus area could become a more active gathering place for swimming, playgrounds, biking, festivals, food trucks, recreation and family events — while also beginning to think about how to celebrate the transition from what generations of Mequon families know today to what could come next.

North Shore Family Adventures will continue following both the Mequon Commons project and the city’s festival plans as additional decisions, designs, costs and timelines become available.

For more things to do nearby, explore our complete Mequon guide and other family adventures around Milwaukee’s North Shore.