1. Downtown Dining Week
ALL WEEKEND | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
You can support local restaurants and eat good food at the over 30 restaurants participating in this year’s Downtown Dining Week. Restaurants will feature discounts and special menus for one week only, from June 1-8. Find a full list of participating restaurants on Milwaukee Downtown’s website. Multi-course meals range from $15 to $25 for lunch and $35 to $55 for dinner. Diners who submit an online survey are entered in a gift-card giveaway.
2. Encore at Milwaukee Ballet
ALL WEEKEND | 128 N. JACKSON ST.
The ballet Encore closes the 2022/2023 season at Milwaukee Ballet at the Baumgartner Center for Dance. The performance features excerpts of classic and contemporary ballets. There are eight opportunities to catch this show, which runs through June 11.
Nominations are open for the 2024 Unity Awards!
Know an individual or group committed to bridging divides in our community? Nominate them for a Unity Award by Oct. 31.
3. Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web
ALL WEEKEND | SUNSET PLAYHOUSE
Agatha Christie’s murder mystery Spider Web opens tonight (Thursday) at Sunset Playhouse and blends elements of suspense and humor. The show runs through June 18. Get tickets on Sunset Playhouse’s website.
4. Arnez J Improv Show
ALL WEEKEND | MILWAUKEE IMPROV
Improv comedian Arnez J, who has a new comedy special on Netflix called “Racially Motiavted,” has a five-show set at Milwaukee Improv this weekend. Food and drinks are available at the event. Tickets are available on Milwaukee Improv’s website.
5. Uptown Nights
ALL WEEKEND | BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
Vocalist Carmen Bradford and tap dancer Leo Manzari will join the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra this weekend to play swing jazz inspired by Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. On Friday and Saturday, the show starts at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday there’s a matinee at 2:30 p.m. Reservations for Sound Bites, the MSO’s fine dining offering in the Bradley Symphony Center Atrium, are available Friday and Saturday night.
6. Pokémon Regional Championships
ALL WEEKEND | WISCONSIN CENTER
Pokémon players will compete for $65,000 in scholarships and prizes in the trading card, video games and Pokémon GO this weekend at the Pokémon Regional Championships. This event is family-friendly and anyone with a Pokémon Trainer Club account can participate. Players under 18 receive a free spectator pass.
7. PrideFest
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY | HENRY W. MAIER FESTIVAL PARK
Dance on over to the Summerfest grounds for Wisconsin’s largest LGBTQ+ festival. Artists will perform on five stages, including performances from Totally Neon, Cazwell and Coven. Maybe you’ll even spot some of the PrideFest regulars that we spotlighted in our June issue.
8. Mamá Said: A Reflection on Maternal Figures
FRIDAY FROM 10:30 A.M.-7:30 P.M. | LATINO ARTS, INC.
Friday is the last day to see this exhibition that features work from artists and friends of Latino Arts. The art in this exhibit highlights the impact of maternal figures and how they foster and shape us.
9. Bay View Gallery Night
FRIDAY FROM 5 P.M.-MIDNIGHT | CHECK LISTINGS
This city-wide night of galleries, concerts and brewery specials features over 70 locations. To name a few: New Baron Brewing Coop will have live music from pop-rockers Moonglow and Tigera, photography by Kelley Curran, food trucks and a DJ. Voyageur Book Shop will preview Milwaukee’s first typewriter festival, QWERTYFEST MKE (June 23-25), with copies of the Qwerty Quarterly Zine available. And the Milwaukee Makers Market will bring together local small businesses in Zillman Park. Find the full list of participating galleries and businesses on their website.
10. Bay View Jazz Fest
FRIDAY FROM 5-10 P.M. | CHECK LISTINGS
Milwaukee Jazz Vision and Bay View Gallery Night are coming together to create a new event: Bay View Jazz Fest. It’ll feature performances in seven venues around Bay View, including Adekola Adedapo at Twisted Path Distillery at 6 p.m., Andrew Trim Trio at the Magnet Factory (2424 S. Graham Ave.) at 8 p.m. and more. Find the full list online.
11. Forging the Future
FRIDAY AT 7 P.M. | WOODLAND PATTERN BOOK CENTER
Woodland Pattern Book Center is showing a series of short films by Janelle VanderKelen and Takahiro Suzuki, who both earned their graduate degrees from UW-Milwaukee. The creators will have a Q&A during the screening. Read more about the films here.
12. Wisconsin’s Largest Sports Card Show
SATURDAY FROM 9 A.M. – 4 P.M. | 8853 S. HOWELL AVE.
Over 130 dealers will sell sports cards and memorabilia on 180 tables at Wisconsin’s Largest Sports Card Show. Food and drinks will be available at the concession stands in the center with proceeds going to the Salvation Army. Admission is a $1 donation to the Salvation Army.
13. The Great Riverwest Spring Rummage Sale and Flea Market
SATURDAY FROM 9 A.M.-5 P.M. | E. BURLEIGH ST. AT FRATNEY ST.
Over 150 vendors are a part of this large flea market in Riverwest, selling everything from soaps to vintage comic books. Jam out to live music and grab a bite to eat from food trucks. The Art*Bar Sidewalk Satellite Bar will also be serving up alcoholic drinks.
14. Milwaukee Highland Games
SATURDAY FROM 9 A.M.-9 P.M. | CROATIAN PARK
Milwaukee’s annual Scottish festival will have bagpipe bands, traditional Scottish food and working sheepdogs in Croatian Park. Plus, there will be unique athletic games like the hammer throw and ancient weapon demonstrations from Kingdom of the Shire Medieval Celebrations.
15. Party in the Park – 10 Years of Transformation in Three Bridges Park
SATURDAY FROM 10 A.M.-2 P.M. | THREE BRIDGES PARK
Celebrate Three Bridges Park’s 10th anniversary with food, music and community. The Urban Ecology Center will have family-friendly activities to help attendees learn about how the park became the thriving green space it is today. And you can explore the park while you’re there.
16. Patio Party at MOTOR Bar & Grill
SUNDAY FROM NOON-5 P.M. | THE MOTOR
MOTOR, Harley-Davidson Museum’s bar and grill, kicks off summer with live music from DJ Joey Hollywood and BBQ. They’ll be serving up Usinger’s meats and cocktail specials, and DJ Joey Hollywood plays from noon to 3 p.m.
17. Milwaukee Pride Parade
SUNDAY AT 2 P.M. | SECOND STREET
Kick-off Pride Month at this mile-long parade that celebrates Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ community. It starts at 2 p.m. on 2nd Street in Walker’s Point between Greenfield Ave. and Seeboth St.
18. All Time Low Concert
SUNDAY AT 7 P.M. | THE RAVE/EAGLES CLUB
Sing along to All Time Low’s hits like “Dear Maria, Count Me In” and “Weightless” at their concert on Sunday. This is the group’s 20th appearance at the Rave. Their act in this all-ages show is joined by Mayday Parade and Games We Play.
