Greek Fest at State Fair closed early Saturday after multiple arrests made, the festival's church says

Drake Bentley and Beck Andrew Salgado, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read
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Greek Fest at State Fair Park closed early on Saturday night after a series of fights resulted in multiple arrests — the state fair park officials said in a statement.

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church said in a Facebook post the Greek Fest chairmen made the decision to close early "for the safety of both guests and volunteers."

In a statement on Sunday, the state fair park officials confirmed that the closure was due to a handful of fights that started on the festival grounds.

“Multiple fights at Greek Fest on Saturday evening resulted in four arrests and many ejections," the statement read.

"Due to recent, often tragic, events in our community, we worked closely with Greek Fest organizers to implement several new safety and security measures for this year’s event, including the use of metal detectors at the entrances.

"What should have been a fun-filled evening for thousands of people who came together to celebrate Greek culture with their families and friends, was unfortunately ruined by groups of people who feel the need to congregate for the sole purpose of causing chaos."

Wisconsin State Fair Park Police confirmed the early closure of the park around 9 p.m. The Milwaukee and West Allis Police Departments responded to the park as well. State Fair police have not provided ages for those arrested.

The 58th annual Greek Fest, happening at the same time as Summerfest on Milwaukee's lakefront, ran June 23-25 at State Fair Park, 640 S. 84th St., West Allis. The scheduled closing time for Saturday was 11 p.m.

According to the church, the festival resumed Sunday at 11 a.m. with no rides and reduced hours, closing at 6 p.m. Admission to the festival was free.

Greek Fest moved to the State Fair Grounds in 2006 after spending 40 years at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on the city’s west side.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Multiple arrests made at Greek Fest at State Fair forcing early close