6 things to do in Milwaukee this weekend, including Doors Open Milwaukee, Festa Italiana, Harvest Fair at State Fair Park and Fromm Petfest
1. Doors Open Milwaukee 2022
It's time for Milwaukee's most popular peep show: More than 100 places will open their doors, appropriately enough, for Doors Open Milwaukee Sept. 24-25. Most stops are free; some are open only to ticketed tours. For a full list of participating venues and tour schedules, see Historic Milwaukee's website. Info: historicmilwaukee.org/doors-open.
RELATED: Go behind the scenes of these 11 places beyond downtown during Doors Open Milwaukee
2. Festa Italiana
After canceling its traditional summer lakefront dates, Festa Italiana is back, in a smaller form, a new location — and a new season. Festa comes to the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago St., from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 24 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 25. There are a half-dozen music performances and a bunch of foodie-first events, including a kids' pizza-making contest (3 p.m. Sept. 25) and Festa's popular cannoli-eating contest (4 p.m. Sept. 24). Admission is $5 at the gate. Info: iccmilwaukee.com/festa-italiana.
RELATED: Festa Italiana will happen in 2022 after all, but smaller and no longer on Milwaukee's lakefront
3. Wisconsin State Fair Park's Harvest Fair
It's going to start looking and feeling more like fall — good timing, then, for the Harvest Fair at State Fair Park. There's live music on multiple stages, a lumberjack show, pumpkin bowling, rides and an array of eats, including pumpkin spice and latte cream puffs. Hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 24, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 25. Admission is free. Info: wistatefair.com/harvestfair.
4. Fromm Petfest at Maier Festival Park
Fromm Petfest returns for its ninth year to Maier Festival Park Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Doings include dock diving, lure and agility courses, a pet-centric marketplace, live entertainment, and more. Admission for people and their four-legged friends (well, dogs and cats, on a leash and current with vaccinations), is free. Info: petfestmke.com.
5. Mac & Cheese Fest
Mac & Cheese Fest serves up one of nature's perfect foods at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park, 1011 Blue Ribbon Circle N, Oconomowoc, from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 24. More than 10 mac-and-cheese purveyors will be peddling their wares. VIP tickets are sold out, but "Mac and Beers" tickets (with tokens for seven mac-and-cheese samples and five beer and hard cider samples) are $45 and "Just the Mac" tickets (good for seven mac-and-cheese samples) are $35. Info: wisconsinmacandcheesefest.com.
6. Milwaukee Comic Con
Close to 100 vendors, comic-book dealers, illustrators and related aficionados will be on hand at Milwaukee Comic Con at State Fair Park's Wisconsin Expo Center 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24. Admission is $8, free for kids 12 and younger; attendees receive a free comic book at the door. Info: mightyconshows.com/show/milwaukee.
Contact Chris Foran at chris.foran@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cforan12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 6 Milwaukee events this weekend includes Doors Open, Harvest Fair
