This Week in Milwaukee: July 14-20, 2022

Here are the Milwaukee events we are looking forward to coming up this week.

by

The return of Bastille Days plus Bastille Day West; guitar wizard Adrian Belew; flying contraptions at the lakefront; WMSE Art & Music auction; World Refugee Day music festival and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, July 14

Bastille Days @ Cathedral Square Park, 11 a.m.

Kicking off on Thursday, Bastille Days returns for four days of French-themed festivities. Expect great food, entertainment, the return of the infamous Storm the Bastille Run/Walk, along with some fresh new twists to create an authentic French flavor.

This year, entertainment includes headliners Terrence Simien & The Zydeco Experience and the Extra Crispy Brass Band. Side stages include Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra, The Hungry Williams, John Stano and Robin Pluer.

With its Eiffel Tower replica, the festival is one of the nation’s largest French-themed celebrations, taking over Cathedral Square Park. The free four-day bash attracts over 250,000 visitors annually who enjoy live music, an international marketplace, French and Cajun cuisine, and roaming busker entertainment. Madame Gigi’s Outrageous French Can Dancers perform every day except Sunday. On Thursday evening the 5-K Storm the Bastille run takes over the streets of East Town at 9 p.m.

Through Sunday. More info here: easttown.com/bastille-days.

Bastille Day West @ West Vliet Street from 57th to 60th St., 4 p.m.

Not to be confused with the East Town shindig, this one-day event began last year by the humble Charles E. Fromage bistro. That rainy day celebration was successful enough for another featuring two stages of music from Robin Pluer with Mrs. Fun and MSO violinist Glen Asch; The Milwaukee Hot Club and Professor Pinkerton.

Other attractions include a French fashion show by Spruced 57, a bike beret ride through Washington Heights coordinated by the Wisconsin Bike Federation, a French film festival at the Times Theater, a French cafe with authentic beignets from the Alliance Francaise, a French wine bistro and more.

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Adrian Belew @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Guitarist Adrian Belew has performed everywhere from Morry’s Celebrity Club to world tours with King Crimson and Frank Zappa, who said “Adrian reinvented electric guitar.” Last year at Summerfest Belew was part of a band paying tribute to his era with the Talking Heads. In June Belew released his 25th solo album, Elevator, playing all the instruments himself. This show will be an opportunity to see Belew and band, up close.

Friday, July 15

WMSE Art & Music @ the Pritzlaff Building, 6 p.m.

The Milwaukee arts community will come together for the 6th annual WMSE Art & Music event which centers around an auction featuring nearly 200 album-sized 12″ x 12″ boards created by locally and nationally famous artists. This year’s contributors include Dan Herro, Emma Daisy, John Kowalczyk, Laila Amin, Lily Solheim and Luke Chappelle. Other standout pieces include a selection of 36” x 36” boards by Ann Baer, Brian Hibbard, Francisco Ramirez, Jim Ford, and Terry Tayler. Artist Shane Walsh has generously donated a large 37″ x 27″ painting from his Black and White series, 2017. Devil’s Teeth and WMSE DJs will provide the music.

More info here: store.wmse.org/collections/auctions.

Saturday, July 16

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER @ 510 E. Pleasant St., 9 a.m.

The “BE KIND” statue was unveiled earlier this summer and Saturday it will be gone to the dogs. This dog-friendly event will include everything from puppy pools to dog treats and toys. Pete’s Pops will provide complimentary “Pup Pops” and have human pops available for purchase. The Wisconsin Humane Society will also be in attendance to share information on fostering, adopting, and volunteering.

Home Music Day @ Lynden Sculpture Garden, Noon

Lynden Sculpture Garden celebrates World Refugee Day with a free program that celebrates Milwaukee’s refugee communities through art, food, fashion, and performance. Emcee Moe Aung, of the Burmese communities, welcomes back returning bands that include Congo Gospel Music Band (Congolese), Golden Melody Music Band U.S.A (Burmese), and Samba Da Vida MKE (Afro-Brazilian percussion) and new participants including Martin Classic (Afrobeat and Bongo Flava) and C&K Music Band (Chin and Karen).

Burmese food will be available for donation to the grassroots efforts for the Myanmar democracy movement—so don’t forget to bring cash!

More information here: lyndensculpturegarden.org/calendar/home-music-day-2022.

Red Bull Flugtag @ Veterans Park, Noon

“

If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.” Mel Brooks

Flugtag (German for “flying day”) challenges wacky engineers and fearless pilots to fulfill their dream of flying. First, they construct their flying machine. Then, they take a leap of faith. Or, as is more often the case, plunge into the waters below. The rules? All crafts must be human-powered—no engines or external energy sources allowed. Prefabricated crafts will not be accepted. Each craft must be less than 22-feet wide and not more than 400 lbs. (including the pilot), and craft pilots must be at least 18 years old.

Judges include Green Bay Packer legend Donald Driver, showgirl and entertainer Janelle Dumott and Kwik Trip's Social Expert Paige Forde.

More info here: redbull.com/us-en/events/red-bull-flugtag-milwaukee/schedule.

Wednesday, July 20

Waukesha County Fair @ Waukesha County Expo Grounds (1000 Northview Road, Waukesha), Noon

The oldest county fair in Wisconsin at 180 years old, the Waukesha County Fair checks off all the boxes. Livestock auction; tractor pull; midway rides; demolition derby; 4-H exhibits and live music. Though Sunday. More info here: waukeshacountyfair.com/2022-fair-brochure.