A La Carte at the Zoo 2026 headliners include actor's Americana band
Musical headliners for the 40th edition of A La Carte at the Zoo include a well-known actor-musician's Americana band.
The annual festival returns Aug. 20-23 at the Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Blue Mound Road, with six stages of entertainment and dozens of food vendors.
Headliner entertainers this year include the Americana-country band jackrabbit, led by actor Dermot Mulroney and his brother Kieran, at 6 p.m. Aug. 21; indie-pop group lovelytheband (their hit, "broken"), at 7 p.m. Aug. 20; country singer Chris Lane, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 21; and New Orleans band Tank and the Bangas, at 7 p.m. Aug. 22. They will perform on the Miller Lite Caribou Stage, across from the caribou habitat at the Zoo's west end.
This year, the zoo has added an A La Carte Kids Day on Aug. 20, with a show by youth hip-hop group Kid Boogie Down. Admission for children 3 through 12 can be purchased for half price from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 20 at the admission booth only.
New food vendors Chillwaukee Coffee, Crust & Copper, Flip's Mini Donuts and Fresh & Safe join such returning favorites as Saz's and MIL-WOK-EE, both back for their 40th year.
Zoo hours during A La Carte will be 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Aug. 20-22 and 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 23.
The zoo's animal buildings will be open later, closing an hour before the festival ends each night. One exception: The Aviary closes at 3:30 p.m. ( The zoo plans the location of stages and tents around the needs of animals sensitive to noise and volume.)
A La Carte at the Zoo tickets are on sale now at milwaukeezoo.org . Single-day tickets for Milwaukee County residents cost $21 for adults 13 years and older, $19 for seniors 60 and older and $18 for children 3-12. Prices are slightly higher for residents of other counties and states.
Food and beverage transactions during A La Carte will be cashless. A cash-to-card kiosk will be available. (Admission and parking during the festival can be cash or card.)
For more information, visit milwaukeezoo.org .
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A La Carte at the Zoo 2026 headliners include actor's Americana band
