Competitive Drone Racing Comes To Pettit Center

Drones taking off. Screenshot from Milwaukee Montessori School Ice Storm Drone Racing Competition video.

The weather is heating up and the Milwaukee Bucks are in the playoffs – it’s sure to be an exciting weekend in Milwaukee. There are also plenty of events around the city this weekend. Snag some fresh ink at the Milwaukee Tattoo Festival, where over 200 artists will set up at the Baird Center to show off their work and create some tattoos. The Estabrook Beer Garden is celebrating its season opening all weekend long, and the 22nd Annual Vliet Street Art Walk will showcase the diverse art and retail community in the neighborhood.

April 26-28: Milwaukee Tattoo Festival

Tired of all of that blank canvas space on your skin? Need some inspiration for your next big tattoo? The Milwaukee Tattoo Festival has you covered. Over 200 artists from all over the world will be tattooing, creating art, selling merch and more for three days at the Baird Center. Artists will both be accepting appointments and walk-up tattoos at their respective booths. Each day of the festival, an award will be given to the best tattoos made that day. Do you have a tattoo that you regret? Enter in the Worst Tattoo Contest to find out how your tattoo stacks up against other people’s bad decisions. Tickets to the Milwaukee Tattoo Festival are $30 for a single-day pass or $65 for a weekend pass. The festival will be open from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Milwaukee Tattoo Festival’s website.

April 26-28: Estabrook Beer Garden Season Opening

The temperature will rise up to the seventies this weekend, which is convenient for the Estabrook Beer Garden Season Opening. All weekend long, the Estabrook Beer Garden will be tapping daily kegs, handing out free beer and slinging sausages to celebrate the coming beer garden season. Guests can participate in a variety of contests, like the Bratwurst Eating Team Relay or the Masskrugstemmen Steinholding Contest. There will also be live music courtesy of Twin Lakes Trio, Bigger Boat, The Squeezettes and more. For a full schedule breakdown of the weekend celebration, visit the event’s Facebook page.

April 26-28: Ice Storm Drone Racing Competition

Milwaukee Montessori School’s annual Ice Storm Drone Racing Competition will bring the best drone pilots from across the globe to compete in the Ice Storm Drone Racing Competition. An assortment of competitions will be held, including student racing, Tiny Trainer three-inch drone races and one that will pit the fastest pilots in the world against one another. The Ice Storm Drone Racing Competition will take place at the Pettit National Ice Center. Weekend passes for spectators are $23 and single day passes are $10. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Ice Storm Drone Racing website. To get a handle on what to expect, watch a promotional video.

April 26-27: Vliet Street Art Walk

West Vliet Street is hosting its 22nd Annual Art Walk, a two-day event that will highlight the neighborhood’s diverse art and retail community. The event will feature local artists on site, pop-up sales and shopping promotions for storefronts in the area. Grab a burger at Fred’s Frozen Custard, stop at Valentine Coffee Roasters for a caffeine kick and end with some dessert at Cold Spoons Gelato. The Vliet Street Art Walk will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, including a map of all businesses participating in the walk, visit the Meet on Vliet website.

April 27-28: re:Craft and Relic Spring Market

Time to fill up all the empty space you created when you did your spring cleaning – the re:Craft and Relic Spring Market is here. re:Craft Relic is the largest market of its kind in the area, featuring over 160 booths, live music, food trucks, mobile boutiques and more. Tots on the Street, Chozzie’s Bakery, Ultimate Confections and more will provide food while guests can enjoy tunes from Jake Williams, Kevin Wypiszynski, Jack Tell and more. Vendors will be selling handmade jewelry, sauces, accessories and more. General admission for Saturday runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is $7 at the door. General admission for Sunday runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is $5 at the door. A reduced admission of $1 is available to those who show up for the last hour of each day from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit the re:Craft and Relic website.

April 28: Third Annual Tiki Takedown

Even though the weather is getting warmer, we still aren’t quite at that “let’s go to the beach” level of warmth. Thankfully, the annual Tiki Takedown will help transport Milwaukeeans to a sunny mindset. Local bars and restaurants will compete for the title of Tiki Master by concocting their best original tiki drinks. Guests will sample cocktails and vote for their favorite. Participating establishments include Finks, DanDan, Great Lakes Distillery and more. Live music will be provided courtesy of DJ E. Rich. The event will kickoff at 1 p.m. and will take place at Turner Hall Ballroom. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased by visiting the Pabst Theater Group’s website.