Summerfest organizers confirmed attendance of this year's "Big Gig" dropped significantly from Summerfest 2019. According to Milwaukee World Festivals, 409,386 fans attended the nine-day run.That number is far below the 718,144 fans reported for the 2019 festival. Organizers canceled last year's festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The pandemic prompted organizers to change the festival's dates and format. Instead of the traditional 11-day festival, this year's Summerfest was spread over three Thursday-Sunday weekends in September.Festival organizers say the September move, concerns about the delta variant, COVID-19 protocols to enter the event, the loss of MCTS shuttles to and from the grounds and poor weather on Labor Day weekend all contributed to the drop in attendance.In a news release, organizers said, "given these extraordinary circumstances, MWF was excited to be able to produce Summerfest in 2021, and bring a diverse lineup of the world’s biggest acts to Milwaukee’s lakefront. While the results were not what the organization anticipated, it was significant to be able to operate Summerfest in September, during the pandemic. MWF would like to thank the fans, vendors, and sponsors for their support this year, and look forward to seeing them next summer."While Summerfest 2022 will return to its traditional late June to early July time frame, it will repeat the three-weekend format used this year. Next year's festival is scheduled for June 23-25, June 30-July 2 and July 7-9.Justin Bieber is already scheduled to headline the June 24 lineup. The Canadian singer will perform at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. He canceled this year.