CelticMKE, the nonprofit organization that produces Milwaukee’s Irish Fest, announced this year’s event saw a 15% increase in attendance compared to 2022.
The festival recorded a total of 93,207 visitors at Henry Maier Festival Park from Aug. 17 through Aug. 20.
“We’re proud to have put on a successful festival, where we got to see so many of our friends, old and new,” said Molly Modlinski, festival director at CelticMKE. “We know that Milwaukee Irish Fest is a special place to so many people, and we take that seriously each year, as we work to offer up the best in music, food, culture, and family fun.”
This year’s Irish Fest was the last for Mike Mitchell, executive director of CelticMKE. The organization also announced this week that Mitchell, who has served in his role for six years, has stepped down. Mitchell was previously expected to step down at the end of 2025.
A succession plan announced last year named Caitlin Ward as his successor. Ward was previously the marketing and operations manager for Visit Muskegon in Michigan.
She has more than 10 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry. She received her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Central Florida, worked in guest relations at Walt Disney World, and returned to Milwaukee for a few years to work with the Wisconsin Center District. There she gained experience in small to large scale event management, convention and public show sales, contract negotiation and entertainment booking.
At Visit Muskegon, she is responsible for departmental budgets, marketing and special projects and is also the acting parks and recreation grant writer, successfully writing over $10 million in acquisition grants in the last two years.
“We wish Mike all the best in his retirement and thank him for all he’s done for this organization,” said Bridget Jaskulski, board president of CelticMKE. “We’re now focusing on ensuring a smooth transition of all our efforts, and look forward to watching the festival and organization move forward under the guidance of Modlinski and Ward.”
