A Spooky Weekend of Halloween Fun

Humboldt Park pumpkin pavilion. File photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Happy Halloween! While you can likely walk into any bar this weekend and stumble upon a Halloween-themed event, there’s plenty of other happenings to check out as well. The Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is celebrating its annual Xtreme Raptor Day, a celebration of its winged residents. Maker Faire Milwaukee will showcase the creations of makers from various fields and mediums and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will perform the score to Disney Pixar’s Coco in tandem with a screening of the popular film.

October 31: Vanguard Halloween Popup

Every Halloween, Bay View’s house-made sausage restaurant Vanguard “dresses up” as an entirely different concept with a new menu. This year, Vanguard is teaming up with Paul Zerkel of Goodkind for Crying Tiger, a thai-themed pop-up. The menu features takes on the usual Vanguard fare like the Vanguard Thai Sausage and the Dirty Burger Laab but also offers fried trout, curry, beef jerky and more. Specialty cocktails, like the Drinking Bird (made with Mekhong Thai Rum), will be available to order as well. Vanguard’s Crying Tiger will open at 5 p.m. and will be available until close or until the food runs out.

November 1: Dia de los Muertos x Non-pop Six-Year Anniversary

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos and Non-pop!’s sixth anniversary with a party at Crossroads Collective. The night will be filled with dance music, live canvas and face painting and visual projections. A lineup of DJs will provide the tunes for the evening, featuring sets by Getmoses, Tista, Nico at Nite and more. The celebration will run from 8 p.m. until close and is free to attend.

November 2: Xtreme Raptor Day

Meet the resident raptors at the Schlitz Audubon as part of Xtreme Raptor Day – an annual festival celebrating the center’s airborne hunters. Guests will have the chance to meet owls, hawks, falcons and eagles, and meet the center’s two new American Kestrels. Xtreme Raptor Day will feature interactive and educational experiences for the whole family, and there will be opportunities to take photos with your favorite bird. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for children ages three through 17. Children ages two and under will be granted free admission. Xtreme Raptor Day will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

November 2: Uncorked Wine Festival

Sample over 100 wines at the Harley-Davidson Museum at the nationally-touring Uncorked Wine Festival. Over 40 premium brands will offer unlimited wine sampling, and guests can dance to and enjoy live music throughout the night. The event features two sessions – an early admission session starts at 7 p.m. and includes four hours of full access to wine sampling as well as exclusive bonus wines. Tickets to the early admissions session are $85. The general admission session starts at 8 p.m. and features three full hours of unlimited wine sampling. General admission tickets are $70. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Eventbrite website.

November 2-3: Maker Faire Milwaukee 2024

Billed as the “Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth”, Maker Faire Milwaukee will feature anyone from engineers to artists to scientists to crafters sharing what they do and create. Guests can check out LEGO exhibits and 3D printing stations and can learn how to solder, build and launch rockets. Maker Faire Milwaukee will take place at Discovery World and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

November 2-3: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Presents Coco

Experience Disney Pixar’s Coco in a whole new way as the film’s score is performed live by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. As the film is screened, the orchestra will follow along and perform hits from the movie like the Oscar-winning “Remember Me.” There will be two separate screenings, with Saturday’s performance taking place at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday’s performance taking place at 2:30 p.m. Both performances will take place at the Bradley Symphony Center. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra website.