MAM After Dark Will Transport You To The 1980s

Photo by CJ Foeckler courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum

The end of February – a time when spring feels so close, yet so far away. Luckily there are some events this weekend that’ll remind us that warm weather is on the horizon.

Flat Out Friday and Mama Tried will bring hundreds of motorcycles and motorcyclists to Milwaukee, and Milwaukee Art Museum will host an after-hours night of breakdancing. The beer will flow and the food will be aplenty in the parking lot of Ray’s Wine & Liquor for the annual Wückfinter, and Vivarium is celebrating its one-year anniversary as the Pabst Theater Group’s newest venue.

February 21: Flat Out Friday

More than 300 motorcycle riders will take part in an indoor racing event billed as “part race, part rock show and part circus.” Flat Out Friday, which began in 2014, sees racers participating in a number of classes on a sticky soda syrup track. Classes include the Boonie (which features minibikes) and the Goofball (which has featured unique builds like a porta potty with wheels in the past). Flat Out Friday will take place at Fiserv Forum at 7 p.m. Afterwards, The Cooperage will host an afterparty featuring live music, tattooing, spaghetti wrestling, animal racing and more. That event will start at 10 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Fiserv Forum’s website.

February 21: MAM After Dark

After regular museum hours, the Milwaukee Art Museum will transport back to the 1980s for this month’s MAM After Dark event. The setting is New York City, and breakdancing is on the rise. Guests will dance to all of the iconic hits from the ‘80s and have the chance to show off their costumes on a catwalk. The event will also feature ‘80s trivia, DJs, caricature drawings and more. MAM After Dark will start at 7 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Milwaukee Art Museum’s website.

February 22: Vivarium One Year Anniversary Party

It’s been one year since the Pabst Theater Group opened its newest venue, Vivarium. The venue is celebrating its birthday with a showcase of local Milwaukee artists featuring performances by Caley Conway, The Erotic Adventures of the Static Chicken and Holy Pinto. Proceeds from this event will benefit Friendship Circle of Wisconsin in remembrance of the late Alderman Jonathan Brostoff. The show will start at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Pabst Theater Group’s website.

February 22: Milwaukee Comic Con

Over 200 tables will sell video games, card games, board games, collectible figures and all other things nerdy at the Milwaukee Comic Con. The convention will host artists, creators and special guests, including Brennan Mejia, known for his role as the red Power Ranger, and animator Jeff Balke. Comic Con will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center. For more information, visit the Wisconsin State Fair website.

February 22-23: Mama Tried 

The weather might not inspire a motorcycle ride this weekend, but the Mama Tried show will help you stay hopeful for the warm weather to come. The Mama Tried event will showcase over 100 custom-built motorcycles and over 70 vendors will sell motorcycle parts, accessories, merchandise and more. Mama Tried will set up at The Rave and will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Singles-day passes and two-day passes are available and can be purchased on The Rave’s website.

February 23: Wückfinter

At this point, most of us are tired of winter. Ray’s Wine & Spirits and 3 Floyds Brewing certainly are, hence the cheeky name of those companies’ annual winter festival – Wückfinter. The seventh annual Wückfinter will feature a variety of 3 Floyds beers on tap in the parking lot. Restaurants like Bavette, La Dama and Morel will be on site serving food, and live music will be provided courtesy of DJ Fuzz Logic. Wückfinter is free to attend and will run from noon to 5 p.m.