Tour of America’s Dairyland Rolls Into Milwaukee

The 2019 Tour of America’s Dairyland Downer Classic. Photo from TOAD.

Summerfest is here! And while Milwaukee has The Big Gig on the brain, there are still plenty of other fun events to check out in the city this weekend. Tour of America’s Dairyland will host bike races across Milwaukee, Greekfest will take over the Wisconsin State Fair Park. And if you enjoy writing and QWERTYFEST MKE is celebrating all things writing-related at various events across the city.

June 22-24: Summerfest 2023

The Big Gig has arrived! Summerfest is celebrating its 55th year as the world’s largest music festival. This year, the festival continues its run of three sets of weekend shows rather than its traditional format of two full weeks of shows. Headliners this weekend include Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Zac Brown Band and more.

Check out some of the local acts performing this year, such as The Keystones performing on the Uline Warehouse Stage at 7:30 p.m. on Friday or Social Cig performing on the UScellular Connection Stage at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

There are a number of ways to get in for free this weekend – on Thursday, those who arrive between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. can donate a minimum of three non-perishable cans of healthy fruits or vegetables to receive one free admission ticket. On Friday, all patrons arriving between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. will be admitted for free. On Saturday, the first 1500 patrons who arrive between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. and donate new deodorant, socks or menstrual hygiene products will receive free admission.

June 22-25: Kwik Trip’s Tour of America’s Dairyland

The Kwik Trip Tour of America’s Dairyland is an 11-day road bicycle race throughout 11 different communities in Southeastern Wisconsin. This weekend, the races come to Milwaukee County, and participants will race through four different neighborhoods. On Thursday, the Bay View Centraal Classic will run from 10:50 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. starting and finishing where S. Kinnickinnic Ave meets E. Lincoln Ave. On Friday, the Shorewood Criterium Cycling Classic will run from 11:05 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. and will start and finish where N. Oakland Ave. meets E. Lake Bluff Blvd. On Friday, the Cafe Hollander Otto Wenz Downer Classic will run from 11:05 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. and will start and finish where E. Belleview Pl. meets N. Downer Ave. The final race, the Cafe Hollander Tosa Village Classic, will run from 12:35 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. and will start and finish where W. State St. meets N. Wauwatosa Ave.

Professional cyclists take the course for men’s and women’s races at the end of each race day, with speeds exceeding 30 miles per hour.

More details available on the event website.

June 22-25: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Pop-up at The Sugar Maple

Lately, the Sugar Maple has been making a splash with its fun pop-up events that are often themed around cult classic films and animation. For its latest installment, The Sugar Maple is paying homage to the hit Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The pop-up event will feature a curated art show, a costume contest, a curated dance performance and more. Indeed Brewing Co. created a special beer for the event, and a portion of each beer sold will be donated to the Milwaukee Riverkeeper. More details are available in our earlier coverage.

June 23-25: QWERTYFEST MKE

Did you know that the typewriter was invented in Milwaukee 150 years ago? Milwaukee is celebrating that groundbreaking invention with QWERTYFEST MKE, a weekend-long celebration featuring tours, workshops, markets and more. Check out a guided tour of the grave of Christopher Sholes – the mind behind the creation of the typewriter, or check out the “type-in” brunch at Company Brewing. For more information on the various QWERTYFEST MKE events, visit the event’s Facebook page.

June 23-25 : Greekfest 2023

Greekfest 2023 will take over the Wisconsin State Fair Park grounds this weekend, featuring authentic Greek food, live music, dancing and more. Purchase the $25 Unlimited Ride wristband to ensure you get to try every ride and game, or quench your appetite by experiencing the Whole Greek Chicken Drive-Thru. Greekfest will run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit the Wisconsin State Fair website.

June 25: Falcon Flea & the Riverwest Co-op Block Party

Falcon Flea and the Riverwest Co-op are teaming up for a block party. Live music and a flea market will take over Fratney St. between the two businesses. The live music lineup features acts like Max Niemann of Diet Lite and Char and Ducky of Scam Likely. Vendors will also be set up inside Falcon Bowl, whose bar will also be open for business. The Riverwest Co-op will also be open. The block party will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.