MidwestWeekends.com — Your Travel Guide to the Upper Midwest

Events for "Milwaukee, WI"

January

  • Cool Fool Kite Festival (Jan. 1)

    Milwaukee, WI

    In addition to kite-flying, there will be ice sculptures, ice-carving lessons and free hot chocolate, coffee and snacks in the lakefront Veterans Park.


March

  • St. Patrick's Day parade (Mar. 14)

    Milwaukee, WI

    The big parade starts at noon, starting at Third and Wisconsin downtown and followed by music, dancing and pipes and drums at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center.


April

  • Egg Day (Apr. 11)

    Milwaukee, WI

    There will be crafts, face-painting, bubble art and treats at the Hop-to-it Bunny Hunt, plus a parade at the Milwaukee County Zoo.


May

  • Ride for the Arts (May 31)

    Milwaukee, WI

    This bicycle ride along the Lake Michigan lakefront includes routes of 5, 12, 25, 40 and 66 miles. The longest route goes as far north as Port Washington.

    The rides start and end at the Summerfest grounds, and there's a party afterward.


June

  • Polish Fest (Jun 12 – 14)

    Milwaukee, WI

    This big festival on the lakefront features lots of hearty food, a piano contest, storytelling, vodka-tasting, folk arts and polka dancing.


July

  • Bastille Days (Jul 9 – 12)

    Milwaukee, WI

    Look for minstrels, cancan dancers, French lessons, a Mardi Gras parade and a 43-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower in Cathedral Square Park.


  • Festa Italiana (Jul 17 – 19)

    Milwaukee, WI

    At the lakefront Henry Maier Festival Park, there's cannoli-eating and pizza-making contests, celebrity chefs, a bocce ball tournament, parades at 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, nightly fireworks and music and dance on five stages and an opera tent.


  • German Fest (Jul 24 – 26)

    Milwaukee, WI

    Look for dachshunds, dirndls and lots of oompah music at this big party at Henry Maier Festival Park on Lake Michigan.

    Canceled in 2020.


  • Air and Water Show (Jul 25 – 26)

    Milwaukee, WI

    This show, between Bradford and McKinley beaches on the lakefront, features many aerobatics and features the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and, on the water, the Badgerland Ski Team.


August

  • Irish Fest (Aug. 13 – 16)

    Milwaukee, WI

    The nation's largest Irish festival features 100 acts on 16 stages, plus children's activities, red hair and freckle contests and demonstrations by Irish dog breeds. In Henry Maier Festival Park.


  • Mexican Fiesta (Aug. 21 – 23)

    Milwaukee, WI

    Enjoy the best of Mexican culture at the Henry Maier Festival Park: mariachi, arts and crafts, spicy foods and contests: dance, costume, jalapeno-eating and el grito, or shouting.


September

  • Summerfest (Sep. 3 – 5)

    Milwaukee, WI

    They call this the world's largest music festival. More than 800 acts perform on 11 stages along Lake Michigan. 


  • Summerfest (Sep. 10 – 12)

    Milwaukee, WI

    They call this the world's largest music festival. More than 800 acts perform on 11 stages along Lake Michigan. 


  • Summerfest (Sep. 17 – 19)

    Milwaukee, WI

    They call this the world's largest music festival. More than 800 acts perform on 11 stages along Lake Michigan. 


  • Bay View Bash (Sep. 19)

    Milwaukee, WI

    This street festival in the Bay View neighborhood includes music on four stages, a children's area, cooking demonstrations and a strong man competition.


  • Doors Open Milwaukee (Sep. 26 – 27)

    Milwaukee, WI

    More than 150 historic buildings — theaters, breweries, mansions, cathedrals, hotels, museums — are open to the public, and many offer free guided tours.

    More than three dozen in-depth walking tours also are offered but sell out quickly. Check in July for the program.