FREE Community Event Returns Saturday, September 13 at Henry Maier Festival Park
Powered by Aurora Health Care and Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.
MILWAUKEE, WI (July 30, 2025) – Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. (MWF) has announced programming details for the second annual PULSE, A Health & Wellness Fest For All, powered by Aurora Health Care and MWF, with support from Gatorade Water, the Official Functional Hydration Partner of PULSE.
This FREE community event will take place on Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Henry Maier Festival Park, offering tools and resources to help people live fitter, happier, and healthier lives. Attendees are encouraged to register in advance HERE to speed up entry and show the confirmation email at the gate. On-site registration will also be available.
Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or just starting out, this year’s event will offer over 40 group classes from fitness to cooking demonstrations, various interactive areas packed with a full day of activities, and over 60 local and national health and fitness organizations, including classes led by these well-known personalities:
- Yarizett Breunig – NinjaYari - 5-time American Ninja Warrior, Red Bull and Beast Games competitor, and viral fitness live streamer and creator with over 1.8 million followers.
- Laura Novotny – Life with Laura Julaine – mom, business owner, and a social media influencer who has turned her passion of fitness into a career.
- Pat Gilles – Pat’s Gym – owner - he merges rigorous physical training with vital mental coaching.
- Lex Banach – The Wellness Collective - fitness instructor and founder of The Wellness Collective
See below for additional programming details:
Fitness Classes
- Aurora Pavilion
- Get moving with high energy group classes set to the beats of a live DJ – with Zumba led by YMCA instructor and City of Milwaukee’s first lady Dominque Johnson, Pat’s Gym Fit Class, HIIT with Laura Novotny, Sculpt with Lex Banach, and Unleash Your Inner Warrior with Ninja Yari.
- FREE giveaway items throughout the day, courtesy of Aurora Health Care - yoga mats, shaker bottles, tote bags, resistance bands, sweat towels, and sunscreen.
- Yoga Stage
- Relax, learn, and stretch with yoga classes led by Lou Burnett from Sky Yoga School, Elissa Albert from Tribal Yoga School, Daniela Thompson from Embody Yoga, Jess Chirchirillo from Collective Flow Yoga, and Shayna Broadwell from Revival Boxing Fitness and Wellness.
- Additional Fitness Classes from PULSE Partners
- Milwaukee Rec
- Recharge with classes such as Meditation, Family-Friendly Public Safety, Art Flow, and more.
- Orangetheory Fitness
- Various sessions of Orange45 will be offered – combining full-body strength training with heart-pumping cardio.
- Revival Boxing Fitness & Wellness
- Try the full-body workout with various sessions of CampBOX.
- Solidcore
- Sessions aimed to strengthen and sculpt, with high-intensity, low-impact sessions - perfect for all fitness levels.
- Toned Body Fitness
- Participate in one of four Pump classes, a unique station-based workout class designed to improve overall muscular strength, muscle endurance, core strength, and flexibility.
- YMCA of Metro Milwaukee
- Explore a mix of classes such as line dancing, Bodyweight Circuit, Youth Ninja Challenge, Tai Chi, Body Combat, and more.
- Additional Fitness Professionals
- Connect with Adventure Rock, Spire Fitness, Crystal Clear Fitness, Solful Fitness, Mir Wellness, and more.
Experiences
- Dance Stage
- Learn and participate in dance and movement sessions designed for all ages with line dancing, Latin/Salsa, and more.
- Girls On The Run - One-Mile Walk
- For all ages, launching from the Aurora Pavilion and looping through Lake Shore State Park.
- The first 500 to register and participate will receive a free event t-shirt and the first 1,000 participants will also receive one FREE Summerfest 2026 General Admission ticket. Register HERE.
- FREE Kayaking in partnership with Forward Outdoor
- First-timers and seasoned paddlers are encouraged to get out on the water to experience a fun, feel-good way to soak up nature.
- Test Your Ninja Skills with Silent Kninja
- Test your Ninja skills on a Ninja-Warrior style obstacle course packed with exciting hanging and balance challenges for all ages.
- Pickleball Village
- Whether you’re an experienced player or have never picked up a paddle, the village features six pickleball courts with open play and tutorials for beginners.
- Wheel and Sprocket Bike Village
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- Test-ride both children’s bikes and e-bikes, learn bike safety tips and shop for a new bike with exclusive end-of-season deals.
- Youth Football Obstacle Course with Journey House Center for Family Learning and Youth Athletics
- Experience the fun and challenge of playing football by conquering the Journey House Football Obstacle Course.
Health + Wellness + Community
- Cooking Stage sponsored by Pick ‘n Save with Kroger Delivery
- Watch and learn during interactive cooking demonstrations with Chefs and local restaurateurs: Adam Pawlak of Egg & Flour Pasta Bar, Ruta Kahate of Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare, Britta Kramer of Private Palate, Imani Graham of Mentionables Eats, and Sandra Madrigal of Piña Cocina & Cantina.
- This area will also feature free food and beverage samples of healthy items, including: Hundred Acre pesto on crostini and summer pesto-pasta salad, Baya Bar wellness shots, 80 Acre Farms lettuce and dressing, Bubbl’r sparkling water, HoneyBee Sage Wellness tea & lemonade, items from Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare, and more.
- Aurora Health Care
- Will host a space where attendees can engage with clinicians and experts, ask one-on-one health and wellness questions, and be directed towards resources.
- Support The Community
- Aurora Health Care will provide supplies and volunteers to pack 1,200 personal hygiene and teen mental wellness kits at PULSE, benefiting United Way.
- Stop by United Way’s onsite display to help expand the impact of this giving initiative by donating new, unused items — deodorant, socks, or baby wipes (all in original packaging) with a minimum value of $10- the first 1,000 donors will receive a Summerfest 2026 General Admission ticket.
- Additional Wellness Professionals and Community Organizations
- Engage with experts from Aurora Family Service Center for Financial Wellness, Aurora Integrated Medicine, Kroger, Food for Health, Goodwill, Food Right, Float Milwaukee, Milwaukee Youth Sports Alliance, Sherman Phoenix, American Cancer Society, Milwaukee Yard, Playworks WI., Wellpoint Care Network, Nystrom Counseling, Overeaters Anonymous, Honey of the Heart Coaching, Verdic Meditation with Jason Gember, and more.
For further information and the schedule of activities and classes for PULSE, A Health & Wellness Fest For All - please visit MilwaukeeWorldFestival.com/PULSE.
MWF is currently accepting applications from local nonprofits and businesses in the health, wellness, food, and fitness industries to join the event as vendors or programming partners. Learn more HERE.
About Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. is an independent, private 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1965 that produces Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance, a three-weekend music festival featuring over 600 artists across 12 stages. Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. also maintains and improves Henry Maier Festival Park, located on 75 acres on the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI. In addition to Summerfest, Henry Maier Festival Park hosts a variety of ethnic and cultural festivals, concerts, family programming, walks, runs, and other special events. The mission of the organization is to promote an understanding of different ethnic cultures, the histories and traditions of various nationalities, harmony in the community, civic pride as well as to provide a showcase for performing arts, activities, and recreation for the public and employment opportunities for the youth of the community. For more details, visit MilwaukeeWorldFestival.com or Summerfest.com, and on socials @MilwaukeeWorldFestival or @Summerfest.
About Aurora Health Care
Aurora Health Care is the largest health system in Wisconsin and a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. The state's largest private employer, the system serves patients across 18 hospitals, more than 70 pharmacies and more than 150 sites of care. Aurora Health Care, in addition to Advocate Health Care in Illinois and Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.