Oriental, Downer theaters will go cashless beginning March 10

The 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival is set to run April 24 through May 8 at the Oriental Theatre and Downer Theatre. (Sorry, MFF films won’t be screening at the Avalon or Times this year.) It will feature approximately 200 short and feature-length documentary and fiction films from around the world (and from Milwaukee, of course). Advance ticket packages and passes are available NOW.

Oh, and if you plan to pay cash for tickets to the festival—or to any films at the Oriental and Downer for that matter—you’ll soon be out of luck. Signs posted on both theaters indicate the East Side landmarks will go cashless beginning Monday, March 10.

“Transitioning to cashless operations will allow us to reduce overhead costs and improve our guests’ experience at the Oriental and Downer theaters, especially during our festivals,” Cinema Operations Director Petey Balestrieri tells Milwaukee Record.

So yeah, cash only beginning March 10, folks. And again, that goes for non-festival and festival films alike. Save those dollar bills for this weekend’s Anime Milwaukee (er, never mind, that’s cashless, too) or Summerfest (um, ditto).

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