Midwest Gaming Classic Will Pack Baird Center, Downtown

Photo courtesy of the Midwest Gaming Classic.

Distract yourself from all of the spring-time construction happening around the city with a weekend packed with events. Midwest Gaming Classic will bring thousands of video games, board games, card games and more to the Baird Center, where guests can mingle and meet industry professionals and play against each other in tournaments. The Wisconsin State Fair is giving Milwaukeeans an early taste of its iconic Cream Puff and Rock the Green is once again putting on an eco-friendly Earth Day event that features its pedal-powered stages.

April 24-26: Midwest Gaming Classic

The largest and longest-running gaming event in the region returns to the Baird Center this weekend. Midwest Gaming Classic will bring over 200 vendors and over 100 gaming industry names to Milwaukee, giving guests the opportunity to freely play over 10,000 games. Midwest Gaming Classic is an “all-encompassing gaming” convention, featuring anything from tabletop gaming to retro arcade machines. Featured guests this year include Chris Cartlett (The Mandalorian), Tim Kitzrow (the iconic announcer voice from NBA Jam) and many more. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Midwest Gaming Classic website.

April 24-26: Cream Puff Spring Fling Drive-In

You no longer have to wait until summer to enjoy a Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puff. Not only can Milwaukeeans get a cream puff early, but there’s a brand new flavor to try: Orange Dream Puff. The Wisconsin State Fair will have a drive-thru set up from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. You can preorder your cream puffs now by visiting the Original Cream Puff website.

April 25: Michelada Fest

A lineup filled with some of Milwaukee’s best restaurants and bars will compete for the title of “Best Michelada” at Zocalo Food Park. The fest, which sold out its inaugural entry last year, will also feature live boxing, live music, food trucks and more. Michelada Fest will run from noon to 5 p.m. To purchase tasting tickets, visit the Eventbrite website.

April 25: Rock the Green 15th Annual Earth Day Celebration

Celebrate Earth Day with an eco-friendly concert series courtesy of Rock the Green. The free event will bring live music, cooking demonstrations, baby goat yoga and more to the Harley-Davidson Museum. The event will also feature eco-education from over 40 community organizations and will feature stages powered entirely by bicycles. The celebration will run from noon to 3 p.m.

April 25: Art Walk 

Celebrate the vibrant art community of W. Vliet Street with Art Walk, an event that highlights area businesses and artists. Art Walk will host a number of artists on site as well as pop-up sales, and businesses along Vliet Street will run specials, such as Urban Sense offering 10% off of your purchase when you buy a plant and a pot. Art Walk will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To see a complete list of participating businesses, visit the W. Vliet Street website.

April 26: Turner Hall Tiki Takedown

It’s not quite summer yet, but we’ve had some warm weather and that’s reason enough to enjoy a tiki drink or two. Turner Hall is hosting the sixth annual Tiki Takedown, where over a dozen restaurants and bars will compete for the title of Tiki Master. Guests will sample a variety of tiki drinks while enjoying sunshine-inspired tunes from DJ E.Rich and slices from Ian’s Pizza. Tiki Takedown will kick off at 1 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit The Pabst Theater Group’s website.