April is typically a period of rebirth. Brewers baseball is back, the first full month of spring is upon us, and rampant festival announcements combine with extended daylight and occasional days of unseasonable warmth to signal the city’s best days are soon to come. While we’re still two months removed from happenings like Locust Street Festival and PrideFest (the official start of festival season), April brings about other reasons to celebrate.
This particular April will shower the city with tremendous entertainment options, including Midwest Gaming Classic, another Milwaukee Film Festival, a release event for a new Milwaukee Record beer, and a ton of excellent touring musicians and comics. There’s a lot happening this April, but here are 17 events that stand out to us.
Wednesday, April 1
Matt Pryor + Small Uncle, Human Ant Farm @ Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery
There’s no April fooling here, people! Matt Pryor, the singer and founding member of seminal Midwest emo outfit The Get Up Kids, is coming to Milwaukee for a headlining solo performance at Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery on Wednesday, April 1. Pryor will be preceded by Small Uncle and Human Ant Farm.
Thursday, April 2
Milwaukee Record Beer Release with HOSTS, Gold Steps, and Dana Ehrmann @ Ope! Brewing
We’re partnering with Ope! Brewing in West Allis to produce a collaborative beer we think a lot of you are going to love. “Milwaukee Record Bee-Side Honey Lager” is a light-bodied lager that gets a dash of locally sourced sweetness from Kallas Honey. The beer will officially hit tap lines and cans on April 2. That same night, Milwaukee Record will host a beer release event at Ope! Brewing’s taproom. In addition to being able to enjoy Bee-Side Honey Lager for the very first time, there will also be performances by HOSTS, Gold Steps, and West Allis-born comedian Dana Ehrmann. The fun kicks off at 7 p.m. and the show is FREE.
Saturday, April 4
Maximiano (album release) + Field Report, Ava Brennan @ Cactus Club
In 2024, Maximiano—the eponymous project of Milwaukee-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Maximiano Janairo—burst into local music consciousness with the release of their formal debut album, The Real Truth. While matching the quality and overwhelmingly positive response of that record will be tough to do, Janairo seems up to the task. They’ll take the stage at Cactus Club on Saturday, April 4 to formally release Rokeby, a collection of homespun songs written in the Hudson River Valley during “a 10-day dog-sitting gig.” Field Report and Ava Brennan will play in support.
Friday, April 10
Snail Mail + Sharp Pins @ Turner Hall
Last summer, Snail Mail came to Turner Hall as a support act for Dinosaur Jr.’s tour. Less than a year later, the project helmed by Lindsey Jordan will return to the Milwaukee ballroom to kick off a full-fledged headlining U.S. tour just two weeks after the release of Snail Mail’s third studio album, Ricochet. Sharp Pins will open.
Sunday, April 12
Stavros Halkias @ Riverside Theater
Fresh off his role in Bugonia, comedian, actor, Giannis super fan, and the host/namesake of the hilarious Stavvy’s World podcast Stavros Halkias will return to Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater as part of his extended “The Dreamboat Tour.” Don’t miss it!
Wednesday, April 15
Milwaukee Record Presents ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’ @ Avalon Theater (and Post Credit After Party @ Sugar Maple)
We’ve done it before and we’re doing it again! Yep, we’re showing Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story at Avalon Theater on April 15. The 2007 film traces the amazing (and entirely fictional) life of Dewey Cox—played by John C. Reilly at his finest—in a parody of early 2000s musical biopics like Walk The Line and Ray. Walk Hard has caught with audiences in the 19 years since its release en route to achieving cult comedy status. Whether you want to see it again or you’re itching to catch it on the big screen for the very first time, you’re cordially invited to join us. After the movie, follow us to nearby Sugar Maple, where we’ll be hosting a free 21+ “Post Credit” after party event from 9-11 p.m. that features specials on WYNK, activities inspired by the film, and a performance by Pete from Ladybird.
Thursday, April 16 through Thursday, April 30
Milwaukee Film Festival @ various locations
The 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival is set to run April 16-30. It will feature approximately 200 short and feature-length documentary and fiction films from around the world (and Milwaukee, of course). Advance ticket packages and passes are available NOW. The full lineup has been released and it’s going to be great.
Thursday, April 16
Off With Their Heads + Toys That Kill, Panel @ Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery
Last April, accomplished Minneapolis punk outfit Off With Their Heads came to X-Ray Arcade to perform its 2010 album In Desolation in its entirety. Almost exactly a year later, they’ll return to the region to play at Anodyne’s Walker’s Point Roastery as part of a bill that also features Toys That Kill and Panel.
Friday, April 17
The Plastic Constellations + Tornavalanche, Group Of The Altos @ The Cooperage
It’ll be a night of nostalgia at The Cooperage on April 17, as Minnesota-based The Plastic Constellations and short-lived early aughts Milwaukee outfit Tornavalanche will each treat listeners to reunion performances. Group Of The Altos—who are an active band, but don’t play out all too often—will open things up.
Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18
Monet X Change @ Milwaukee Improv (three shows!)
Following a memorable run on the latest season of The Traitors, accomplished drag queen Monet X Change will treat Brookfield to some of her sidesplitting stories and hilarious musings over the course of three Milwaukee Improv performances during her High Heels, Bad Knees Tour.
Sunday, April 19
High Score: A 4/20 Market @ Falcon Hall
Milwaukee Record is proud to be bringing our High Score event to Falcon Hall. From 12-3 p.m., this “4/20 Market” will feature a wide variety of local, regional, and national vendors who offer botanical, plant-infused products with “added ingredients” that are 100 percent legal to purchase and consume in Wisconsin. The 21+ event is a great opportunity to both sample and stock up on (we repeat: totally legal) items while also learning more about this rapidly growing industry from those in the know.
Tuesday, April 21
Ty Segall @ Turner Hall
Ty Segall stays active. When the tireless garage rocker isn’t releasing records (his catalog currently stands at 19 albums!), he’s touring in support of them. Segall will pay Milwaukee yet another visit on Tuesday, April 21, when he returns to his now-familiar Turner Hall haunts.
Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26
Midwest Gaming Classic @ Baird Center
In a city absolutely stuffed with events, the annual Midwest Gaming Classic is one of our favorites. Want to relive the 2025 installment? Read our one-day minute-by-minute report HERE. Want to experience all the video games, pinball, tabletop games, panels, music, and more for yourself? Then drop by the downtown Baird Center April 24-26. Yep, MGC is BACK.
Saturday, April 25
Tech N9ne + E-40, King ISO @ The Rave/Eagles Club
It’ll be a night multiple generations of hip-hop appreciators can enjoy when Tech N9ne and E-40 take the stage at The Rave on April 25 as part of their co-headlining Strange Wid’ It Tour 2026. The accomplished emcees with more than 75 years of combined on-stage and in-studio experience will be joined by Omaha-based rapper King ISO.
Sunday, April 26
Mick Foley @ Milwaukee Improv
After a lengthy, body-busting tenure in professional wrestling, Mick Foley (f.k.a. “Mankind”) made the move from the ring to the stage. Foley—who’s now an author, comedian, spoken word artist, and storyteller—will come to Milwaukee Improv in nearby Brookfield April 26 to share tales and humorous musings from his wrestling career and beyond.
Sunday, April 26
Turner Hall Tiki Takedown @ Turner Hall
Following five successful installments, Turner Hall Tiki Takedown will once again be bringing warm vibes and cool cocktails to the eponymous downtown ballroom this spring. Yes, you can take your taste buds on an early spring trip to the islands when the cocktail competition and rum-fueled celebration officially returns. From 1-4 p.m., Turner Hall will host mixologists from a variety of local bars and restaurants, each of whom will be serving up their own unique tiki cocktail creations using TIKI LOVERS spirits as they compete for votes from those in attendance so they might claim the coveted Tiki Takedown Trophy and Tiki Master title.
Tuesday, April 28
Waxahatchee + MJ Lenderman, Brandon Wedl @ Riverside Theater
What could be better than seeing Waxahatchee—Katie Cruthfield’s outstanding indie folk project—at a historic Milwaukee theater on a Tuesday night in late April? How about seeing Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman together at a historic Milwaukee theater on a Tuesday night in late April? Well, you’re in luck because these rapidly rising talents (who are also collaborators) will be coming to Riverside Theater on Tuesday, April 28. Brandon Wedl will open.