Remember when the end of summer was also kinda-sorta the end of Milwaukee’s festival season? Those were simpler (and much more boring) times. Thankfully, the city’s already-bursting list of festivals, block parties, and other ambitious entertainment undertakings is extending well beyond summer. As you get ready to have an awesome autumn, Here is Milwaukee Record’s fall festival guide.
Now-October 17
China Lights @ Boerner Botanical Gardens
The ever-popular China Lights display will return to Boerner Botanical Gardens from September 13 through October 27. The 2024 edition brings about a celebration of The Year Of The Dragon.
September 26-29
Dialogues Documentary Festival @ Oriental + Downer Theaters
The annual Milwaukee Film Festival has long been the star of Milwaukee Film’s year-long programming, but a new festival is poised to become another big event for the ever-busy nonprofit. Enter the inaugural Dialogues Documentary Festival, coming to the Oriental and Downer theaters. The four-day fest will feature more than 30 new and critically acclaimed documentaries, complete with a host of in-cinema talkbacks and panels. Timely topics tackled in the lineup include AI, reproductive rights, gender expression, the Electoral College, and gentrification. Docs focused on music, e-sports, and nature round out the bill, as do a handful of shorts programs.
September 27
Bay View Gallery Night @ various locations
Though there was already a 2024 installment of Bay View Gallery Night in May, we’re pleased to report Bay View Gallery Night will return for a fall version on Friday, September 27. To prepare you for the bustling night ahead, we’ve assembled this quick-hitting and to-the-point guide to tell you what to expect to see, hear, experience, and drink at each of the 70-plus participating sites during this year’s Bay View Gallery Night festivities.
September 27-29
Harvest Fair @ Wisconsin State Fair Park
Does the idea of a less-crowded Wisconsin State Fair that takes place in early fall sound appealing to you? It should, because State Fair Park’s annual Harvest Fair is always a delight. Music, food, lumberjack shows, animal races, and oodles of vendors are all included in this free three-day fest.
September 28-29
Doors Open Milwaukee @ various locations
One of Milwaukee’s most unique events is Historic Milwaukee’s annual Doors Open Milwaukee, a citywide “open house” where folks can explore the normally off-limits insides of theaters, museums, art galleries, and random businesses. This year’s edition will boast more than 150 participating sites. The complete list of sites can be found HERE.
September 28
8th Anniversary Party @ Third Space Brewing
This weekend, Third Space Brewing will celebrate its eighth birthday—while simultaneously starting the first weekend of fall in style—with a full day of beer releases, food trucks, philanthropy, and live entertainment. The 8th Anniversary Party will feature two new beer releases to enjoy, an eclectic mix of local food trucks serving up tasty eats and treats, and opportunities to donate to YMCA Camp Minikani (where Third Space’s founders first met). Best yet, the brewery’s outdoor deck will host 10 hours worth of live music from great acts in Milwaukee and elsewhere in the state. And there’s no cover!
September 29
Harbor Fest @ Harbor District
Celebrate all things boats, fish, and water at this family-friendly festival. Harbor Fest will take place on Sunday, September 24 in front of UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences (600 E. Greenfield Ave.). From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., attendees can enjoy baby sturgeon releases (and a “sturgeon blessing”), music performances, free boat tours, a children’s makers tent, and food from local vendors.
October 1-6
Milwaukee Comedy Festival @ various locations
Originating long before the city had anything resembling a sustainable comedy community, Milwaukee Comedy Festival has grown and evolved along with Milwaukee’s standup scene. Along the way, the annual comedic undertaking has also brought in noted national talent to headline some of its shows. This year’s festival—which will be taking place October 1-6—is no different, as Adam Cayton-Holland, Matty Ryan, and more will take part in the 19th annual Milwaukee Comedy Festival along with great local comics and up-and-coming humorists from all over the country.
October 4
Fall Fest 2024 @ Perspective Brewing Company
Out in nearby West Allis, Perspective Brewing Company is hosting its third annual Fall Fest. The 2024 installment will feature a food truck, live music, and an array of fall-suited beers and seltzers to enjoy inside the brewery or around a roaring fire pit near Perspective’s patio.
October 4-6
Milwaukee Oktoberfest @ Cathedral Square Park
Swarmm Events is bringing Milwaukee Oktoberfest to Cathedral Square Park for three days of Germanic fun that includes live polka music, plenty of beer and food from Kegel’s Inn, and contests like a bratwurst eating competition and a Wiener Dog Beauty Pageant. Prost!
October 4-6
Milwaukee Tattoo Arts Festival @ Baird Center
The 14th annual Milwaukee Tattoo Arts Festival is a celebration of all things ink, as body illustration enthusiasts and renowned tattoo artists take over the Baird Center for three days of fun, connection, and tattoos.
October 5
Beet Street Harvest Festival @ Cactus Club
The Bay View block party—hosted by Cactus Club, Palomino, and Goodkind—is set to bring about a day of live music, local food and retail vendors, community organizations, and pie-based competition to a parcel of Wentworth and Potter avenues outside the aforementioned businesses. The family-friendly event will run from 1-7 p.m., with an 18+ after party to take place at Cactus Club once Beet Street concludes. See the whole music, food and vendor lineup HERE.
October 5
The Low Down 5: Indeed’s 5-Year Anniversary Block Party @ Indeed Brewing
Indeed Brewing is celebrating five years in Milwaukee by bringing back The Low Down block party. On October 5, a portion of Second Street situated outside Indeed’s Walker’s Point brewery/taproom will host live music, food and retail vendors, an Adventure Rock climbing wall, and beer releases (some of which can get the “Beer Brûlée” treatment by being caramelized with a hot fire poker).
October 6
Brady Street Pet Parade @ Brady Street
Attention, four-legged creatures and the two-legged creatures who love them: The beloved Brady Street Pet Parade will return to the bustling East Side street on Sunday, October 6. Dogs, cats, pigs, ferrets, rats, lizards, and humans are all welcome. The big event will take over a multi-block parcel of Brady Street from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors, and oodles and oodles of adorable pets will be involved. Similar to years past, there will also be judged contests and a pet blessing. The event is free to attend, though you’ll need to buy tickets if you want to enter your pet(s) in the contests. Get those tickets HERE.
October 6
MILK Comic Fest @ The Cooperage
On Sunday, October 6, the third annual MILK Comic Fest will take place at The Cooperage. The event, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will include a wide array of area artists and vendors, as well as independent or small press exhibitors from all over the Midwest. The event is free to attend and open to the public.
October 13
Curd Fest 2024 @ Drink Wisconsinbly Pub
While it’s always Curd Fest in Milwaukee as far as we’re concerned, the folks from Drink Wisconsinbly Pub are going the extra mile with a deliciously cheesy festival devoted to the almighty curd. Enjoy samples from a stacked cast of local vendors, watch the Packers take on the Cardinals, and have a few drinks while celebrating an iconic Wisconsin delicacy at the Deer District.
October 14
Milwaukee Paracon @ various locations
Milwaukee Paranormal Conference is back! The celebration of the strange and unusual is set to take place October 13-15 at various locations in and around Milwaukee. This year’s installment is described as “a celebration of the ghost stories of Milwaukee, urban legends, Milwaukee UFO sightings, Wisconsin folklore, all kinds of paranormal and all centered on phenomena that happened in the Brew City.”
October 16-20
Pumpkin Pavilion @ Humboldt Park
“This four-day, family-friendly event brings over 2,000 Bay View residents and Milwaukee neighbors to Humboldt Park Pavilion. Guests come to carve pumpkins, admire the display of 1,000 lit pumpkins, enjoy live music, eat local food, and embrace the fun that is Halloween.”
October 17-20
Boo At The Zoo @ Milwaukee County Zoo
This “merry not scary” event brings after hours fun to Milwaukee County Zoo from October 17-20. Enjoy a “trick-or-treat trail,” pumpkin carving demonstrations, light shows, and (of course) lots of animals. All who attend are encouraged to come wearing a costume.
October 18-19
Fall Gallery Night & Day @ Historic Third Ward
Calling itself “Milwaukee’s original gallery hop event,” Historic Third Ward’s Gallery Night MKE returns this fall with two days of art and entertainment scattered throughout a wide range of galleries. While you’re out and about, make sure to work in some shopping, dining, and drinks at some of the nearby Third Ward haunts.
October 18-20
Hunting Moon Pow Wow @ Potawatomi Casino Hotel
“Hunting Moon Pow Wow is three days of excitement, bringing together a host of Native American cultures for a celebration of singing, drumming and dancing in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Long a part of Native culture, the pow wow is an important social gathering; it’s a chance for Native people to connect with one another, connect with their vibrant history and traditions, and to connect with non-Native people through the power, beauty and pageantry of the event.”
October 19
Flannel Fest @ Boone & Crockett / The Cooperage
Boone & Crockett’s “Flannel Fest” will return for its fourth in-person installment on Saturday, October 19. Enjoy live music, food vendors, and local retailers in the Boone/Cooperage lot during this free, family-friendly festival. The lineup has not been released yet, but we’ve always been impressed by it and we’re sure this year’s will be no different.
October 26
Dia de los Muertos Festival @ Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum
“The Dia de los Muertos Festival is a FREE family friendly event that aims to bring together the south side community to celebrate the traditions of Dia de los Muertos and enjoy the space that the Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum has to offer. The event will kick-off in the morning with a 5k Run/Walk through the grounds of the cemetery. After the run, the festival begins with food trucks, local vendors, arts and crafts for kids and families, traditional music and dance, altars to the dead, face painting, community resource booths, and so much more.”
November 22-24
Holiday Folk Fair International @ Wisconsin State Fair Park
“Holiday Folk Fair International, America’s premier multicultural festival and a program of the International Institute of Wisconsin, celebrates the cultural heritage of the people living in southeastern Wisconsin. You can explore the ways music, food, dance, and art weave together a message of welcome.”
November 23-24
Trainfest 2024 @ Baird Center
All aboard! Trainfest 2024 is chugging into Baird Center for two days of miniature railroading fun for the whole family. Children, modelers, collectors, and anyone else with a passing interest in this niche hobby are invited to check out booths from manufacturers and retailers, see exhibits, and partake in activities and seminars centered around model trains.
December 1
Hover Craft @ The Pritzlaff Building
Since 2009, Hover Craft has brought skilled local artists, crafters, retailers, and others residing beneath the broad “maker” umbrella together to bring Milwaukee-made goods to area consumers during the holiday season. It’ll return to The Pritzlaff Building for another installment on Sunday, December 1.
December 1
Milwaukee Krampusnacht @ Best Place and Historic Brewery District
Since 2017, Milwaukee Krampusnacht has celebrated the half-goat/half-demon Krampus—a.k.a. a figure from Alpine folklore who punishes naughty children and acts as a foil to the do-gooding Saint Nicholas—with a family-friendly night of costumes, music, food and drink, and arts and crafts. This year’s Milwaukee Krampusnacht will take place in the Brewery District (between 9th and 11th Streets on Juneau Avenue) on Sunday, December 1.
December 6
Christmas In The Ward @ Catalano Square
Seasonal music, theatrical performances of holiday classics, a visit from Santa, and a tree lighting ceremony all await you in Historic Third Ward at the Christmas In The Ward event. There’s also hot chocolate and beer available for purchase.