6 things to do in Milwaukee this weekend, including Bastille Days and Red Bull Flugtag
1. Bastille Days
Bastille Days brings the beignets, cancan dancers, French culture and more back to downtown's East Town neighborhood this weekend. The popular street festival will have a slightly smaller footprint this year, concentrated in and around Cathedral Square Park, 520 E. Wells St., with a second stage nearby on Wells Street. There'll be three entertainment stages in all, and scores of vendors and purveyors of French-accented food and wine. Bastille Days runs from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Info: easttown.com/bastille-days.
RELATED: What to know about Milwaukee's Bastille Days street festival, from hours to entertainment and food
Speaking of Bastille Day: On July 14, the first Bastille Day West, a street party along West Vliet Street from North 56th to North 60th streets, will feature two music stages, more than a dozen food vendors and even a screening of a classic French film at the Times Cinema. Hours for the free festival are 4 to 10 p.m. Info: bastilledaywest.com.
2. 'Streets of Paris' at Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum is getting in on the Bastille Days action, too, with "Streets of Paris," a weekend of special, French-centric programming tied to its main exhibit, "Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret." Highlights include free museum admission from 5 to 8 p.m. July 15; a beer garden; live music and more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 14-15 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 16-17. Info (including admission prices): mam.org.
3. Red Bull Flugtag at Veterans Park
If you think air travel is getting a little crazy, stop by Veterans Park July 16 for Milwaukee's first Red Bull Flugtag for a whole other level. Forty teams have built their own outrageous, improbable and/or preposterous human-powered flying machines, which will be launched into the air and judged on flight distance, creativity and showmanship. Red Bull Flugtag (German for "flying day") starts with opening ceremonies at 1 p.m.; flights, such as they are, run through 3:45 p.m. Admission is free. Info: redbull.com.
4. Port Washington Fish Day
Port Washington Fish Day is back this weekend and, like Bastille Days, it's occupying a smaller footprint in Lake Park July 15-16, with two entertainment stages, a pair of fish-and-chip stands and a shortened parade kicking off at 10 a.m. July 16 at Woodruff and Franklin streets. On July 15, the entertainment starts at 5 p.m.; Fish Day events start July 16 with the parade at 10 and the grounds opening at noon. Info: portfishday.com.
5. Riverwest Food Truck Rally
The fourth annual Riverwest Food Truck Rally parks at Gathering Place Brewing Co., 811 E. Vienna Ave., 4 to 8 p.m. July 16. Seventeen food purveyors will be on hand, along with live music and beer from Gathering Place and four other Riverwest craft brewers. Info: Riverwest Food Truck Rally Facebook page.
6. Seltzerland in the Deer District
Seltzerland, a touring hard-seltzer festival, pours them out in the Deer District outside Fiserv Forum July 16, with the opportunity to sample more than 100 different hard seltzers. Attendees sign up for one of two sessions, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 3:30 to 6 p.m. General-admission tickets start at $39; VIP tickets, which add an extra half-hour to the session, start at $59. There'll also be games, activities, a DJ and "seltzer swag." Info: seltzerland.com.
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 things to do in Milwaukee this weekend, including Red Bull Flugtag
