As the holidays are just around the corner, Milwaukee is ready to celebrate with festivities throughout month of December. If you are looking for a way to celebrate the holidays locally and, on a budget, here are ten events in Milwaukee this holiday season with admission of $10 or less. From a bus tour of the downtown’s light displays to a planetarium show right on campus at UWM, all of the events are sure to bring plenty of holiday spirit and cheer to the city and its people.
Christmas in the Ward
Broken Bat Brewing Company is hosting an event full of Christmas spirit and fun in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. There will be reindeer, a tree-lighting, Santa, and more.
Where: Catalano Square
When: Friday, Dec. 6
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
Light up the Branches
Each of the five branches of service will be honored in a tree lighting ceremony at the Veterans Gallery in Milwaukee’s War Memorial Center. There will be caroling, hot chocolate and ornament decorating as well.
Where: Veterans Gallery of the War Memorial Center
When: Friday, Dec. 6
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
Flint, Gipps and Nutcracker
The UWM Symphony Orchestra is to perform a holiday concert featuring music from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, as well as Suite for Strings by Carl Nielsen and more to ring in the season.
Where: Helene Zelazo Center for Performing Arts
When: Saturday, Dec. 7
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Admission: General – $10 / Senior & faculty and staff – $8 / Students & under 18 – Free
MIAD Holiday Sale
Various art and design work from students and alumni of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design will be for sale to the public at the university in the Historic Third Ward. The proceeds support students, alumni, and student scholarships for MIAD. Additionally, the art galleries at MIAD will be open during the sale for attendees.
Where: Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
When: Friday, Dec. 6 / 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7 / 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
Photo: The Pfister
Pfister Holiday Marketplace
The Pfister Hotel will be filled with local artists, vendors and music at the Pfister Holiday Marketplace. There will be over 60 local artists and vendors, selling an abundance of unique and crafted items. Some examples of items being sold include handcrafted soaps, prints, pottery and upcycled wool mittens. The lobby will also be full of the sights and sounds of Christmas, including a giant decorated tree.
Where: The Pfister Hotel Lobby
When: Dec. 14 & 15
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
Celestial Celebrations
The Manfred Olson Planetarium at UWM is showing “Celestial Celebrations,” a show about the winter solstice, the traditions we celebrate during this change of seasons and the astronomy behind it all.
Where: Manfred Olson Planetarium at UW-Milwaukee
When: Every Friday night from Nov. 8 to Dec. 13
Time: 7 to 8 p.m. & 8:15 to 9:15 p.m.
Admission: $6 (available online)
Christkindlmarket
“The Christkindlmarket unites cherished German and European tradition with international flair and local charm.” This is how the event website describes this on-going event in the heart of the Deer District. A German-style marketplace, Christkindlmarket features entertainment, shopping, imported food and wine and more.
Where: Milwaukee Deer District
When: Nov. 15 through Dec. 24
Time: Sunday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. / Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission: Free
Photo: Milwaukee Downtown
Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival
Downtown Milwaukee is filled with over 500,000 shining and sparkling lights for its 21st season of the Holiday Lights festival. Scenes are set up throughout downtown, and people can walk, drive, or take the Jingle Bus (see below) to experience the holiday spectacles these lights create.
Where: Downtown Milwaukee
When: Nightly, Nov. 21 through Jan. 1
Time: Beginning at 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
Jingle Bus
A highlight of the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival, this tour narrated by Milwaukee’s Downtown’s Public Service Ambassadors points out Downtown Milwaukee landmarks and the best of the decorated scenes in the area. The tour is 40 minutes long. There is also a tour offered in Spanish. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, and there will be treats and holiday coloring books to enjoy while waiting for the next bus.
Where: Tours begin at the Warming House location at The Avenue (161 W. Wisconsin Ave.)
When: Thursdays through Sundays, Nov. 21 through Dec. 29
Time: Tours run from 6 to 8:20 p.m.
Admission: $2 per person (cash only)
Candy Cane Lane
Since the 1980s, a neighborhood in West Allis, Wisconsin (a city just 15 to 20 minutes from Milwaukee) has been decorating their houses to create Candy Cane Lane. Not only do the festive and sparkling homes spread holiday cheer to families from all over Southeast Wisconsin, but they also collect donations for the Milwaukee Athletes Against Childhood Cancer fund. From pop-up visits from Santa to red and white striped trees, Candy Cane Lane is full of festivities, and it is just a quick drive from UWM.
Where: 96th St. to 92nd St. & Montana Avenue to Oklahoma Avenue in West Allis
When: Every day, Nov. 29 through Dec. 28 Time: Hours vary (see website)
Admission: Free – Donations Accepted
For a complete list of all the holiday happening in Milwaukee, view the 2019 Milwaukee Holiday Festival Guide here.