Photo by Ben Slowey
Riverwest 24 T-shirts hanging in Riverwest
Riverwest 24 T-shirts hanging over the street and sidewalk in Riverwest for the festival (2026).
Known as “the People’s Holiday,” the Riverwest 24 is a 24-hour bike race, team-building exercise, multi-block party and celebration of community around the Riverwest neighborhood that takes place every year on the last weekend of July.
Started in 2007, the race is entirely volunteer-run and comprises teams of cyclists who ride along a 4.6 mile recommended course, earning points as they pass through four checkpoints. Riders may choose to visit dozens of ephemeral bonus checkpoints around the community where activities, meals, workshops and performances take place, while a dedicated team of volunteers “noodle” at intersections to make sure pedestrians, riders and vehicles see one another.
The RW24 takes place from 7 p.m. Friday till 7 p.m. Saturday, bringing together friends, strangers and neighbors alike in a powerfully eclectic way.
Don’t Be a Jerk
Photo by Ben Slowey
Anti-Fascist Pasta Party sign - Riverwest 24
A sign for an "Anti-Fascist Pasta Party" at Riverwest 24 (2026).
The RW24 motto is “Don’t Be a Jerk!”, and as this simple yet solid concept suggests, the spirit of this occasion is contagiously exuberant and magical. Most conversations you have with people over those 24 hours either start or end with an enthusiastic “Happy People’s Holiday!” as you discuss which checkpoints you plan to check out or are curious about. You do not have to live in Riverwest to participate. As long as you are safe, responsible and respectful - and not a jerk - you are invited to the party!
This year was the 19th RW24. On Friday, once the race started and everyone hit the streets to celebrate, it really felt like going out for recess in elementary school. Anywhere you go, whichever street you go down, you are guaranteed to stumble upon something cool. You find your friends while making new ones. It is truly a choose-your-own-adventure, and you would be wise to plan ahead which checkpoints you know you want to be at and when because time flies during the RW24 and there is so much happening at once. Even if you are not racing, riding your bike (if you have one) is highly encouraged, as it will get you from one destination to the next a lot faster. Otherwise you may rent an e-bike, grab a scooter, put on some rollerblades or just walk/roll around and take in the sights and sounds.
Lots of Surprises
Photo by Ben Slowey
Riverwest 24 - Riverwest Arby's station
The "Riverwest Arby's" station for Riverwest 24 (2026).
Part of the fun with the RW24 is that you never quite know what to expect, no matter how many times you experience it. Some riders modify or decorate their bikes in amusing ways; this year I saw one bike fashioned to look like a cow and another like a fish. Other riders wear costumes. You might encounter silly attractions like Jump the Cheese (where riders jump over a puddle of nacho cheese in the street off a ramp) and live music at Riverwest Arby’s (the empty lot between Mad Planet and High Dive on Pierce and Center). This year there were bonus checkpoints like Get Rad with Brad (where we cheer this dude on as he does BMX stunts in Gordon Park), Truth or Dare (which involved shots of condiments), Know Your Tool (tool bingo at the Milwaukee Tool Library) and Beat the Rich (late night, leftist-flavored carnival games in the alley). The RW24 also includes family-friendly activities like the kid’s lap hosted at La Escuela Fratney, plus Riverwest Radio 104.1 live broadcasts programming focused on the event and its participants the entire 24 hours.
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Community Oriented
In line with its anti-capitalist, mutual aid-oriented ethos, wholesome community meals take place throughout the RW24 in gathering spaces and at peoples’ houses. This year we had Antifascist Pasta, where folks were invited to roll and cook their own pasta in a backyard setting while zines about food sovereignty were passed out. There was Midnight Donuts (artisanal baked goods) as well as Lemonade at Kilbourn Garden (refreshing infusions laid out on a table along with homemade blueberry muffins). Official and bonus checkpoints alike offered cereal and pancake breakfasts, and if you needed water or coffee, there were a number of stations to fuel up.
Many neighbors also have canopies set up in the street to watch the race and might pass out food and water; some bring their grills out and will literally be cooking breakfast for people at 8 in the morning.
Music and Art
Live music and art takes place everywhere during the RW24. A massive crowd gathered Friday night for the Dead Man’s Carnival circus variety show in the street outside Art Bar, which entailed music, magic, comedy and sideshow performances. You could have also gone out dancing or caught a show at local haunts like High Dive, Club Timbuktu, The Daily Bird, Bremen Cafe, Veggas Pub, Quarters Rock ‘n Roll Palace or the new Diaspora Sports Bar.
You may have also immersed yourself in the outdoor dance parties of any of the official checkpoints or those in makeshift backyard settings like Club Meinecke and Jurassic Park. This year there was a tintype pop-up by photographer Amber Ascher at Pumping Station Park and live painting by Jupiter Sunsets at the Wright Street block party. Others bring art straight to people in the streets; my friend Meg, for example, rode around Riverwest with her Stamp Mobile carrying art supplies which she set up at different locations.
Some bonus checkpoints offered wellness or recreational activities like yoga, dance classes, haircuts or pickup sports. If you wanted to get inked with the iconic RW24 tattoo, you could have booked an appointment with Riverwest Tattoo, Patchwork Collective, Elysium Tattoo or the secret location Create Moto. For those who wanted to do something more low-key this year, the underground film club Saint Jawn Cinema screened science fiction movies for the whole 24 hours, plus there was a screening of the locally-made documentary Now! More! Yes! under the Holton Bridge on Friday night. There are too many bonus checkpoints to list them all, but the point is, there is something for everyone.
Photo by Ben Slowey
Riverwest 24 2026 Gaza Cookout booth
A cookout for Gaza booth, raises funds for relief efforts with food at the Riverwest 24 (2026)
Though there is lots of fun to be had during the RW24, there is also time and space to mourn and grieve. This year’s RW24 held a candlelight vigil for Corey Ruiz, the Black man who was killed by Madison police in broad daylight last week over an alleged stolen bike. There was a memorial lap and ofrenda erected for Alex Pretti (who had participated in the RW24 in the past) and other fallen comrades taken by ICE and police brutality this past year. There was also a lap for Palestine on Saturday afternoon led by pro-Palestine organizers in solidarity with the Gaza Sunbirds, a bike team delivering humanitarian aid in Palestine. On Friday night, the MKE Queer Ceasefire Choir led a song circle at a community altar. A Saturday cookout for Gaza on Humboldt Blvd. raised money for Palestinian mutual aid group The Sameer Project. Local immigrant rights group Comité Sin Fronteras hosted a bonus checkpoint where they screenprinted anti-ICE messages onto clothing.
The RW24 is a fine glimpse into the future we want to see, fortifying a community with a profound sense of joy and connectedness. Everyone is out and about talking to their neighbors and taking care of one another. If you are hungry or thirsty, you will not have to look far to find what you need. If you need help with something or have an emergency, the wonderful team of volunteers wearing lime green vests may assist. We have all sorts of fun and whimsy while also being intentional about how we build solidarity, sharing skills and talents that may prove useful within the context of our current political climate. To be quite frank, the RW24 embodies the exact kind of radical, collectively-minded spirit that we need more of everywhere in society and at all times of year.
Thank you to every single person who organized and/or participated in the People’s Holiday this past weekend—y’all are badasses. The RW24 is healing as it is mesmerizing, year after year, and I am already looking forward to seeing everyone out there again in 2027. Congratulations to all the winners of the race in their respective categories.
