Sunday, January 1, 2023, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: FREE
The Cool Fool Kite Festival will take place again this year at Veterans Park. This 36-year Milwaukee tradition will feature Jake the Kite Guy flying kites that are over 100 feet long, professional ice carvers, plus free hot cocoa, coffee, and snacks courtesy of Gift of Wings.
There will be hot food available for purchase and a 30% off sale on all kites in the colorful Gift of Wings store.
If you arrive right at 11:00 a.m., you may be able to catch another Milwaukee tradition: the Polar Plunge – where hundreds of people jump into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan!
There is plenty of free parking in Veterans Park for the festival.
We found a few places that are offering kid-friendly New Year’s Eve celebrations. Here are a couple of our favorites:
New Year’s Eve at Noon at Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
Dec. 31, 2022, 9:30 a.m.-Noon
Admission: Adults & Children $12; Seniors $11; Members and Children Under 1 FREE
Enjoy a dance party, followed by a ball-drop ceremony at noon. Create your own DIY noisemaker in the Be A Maker space so you have something to ring in the New Year when the countdown begins.
Kid Boogie Down’s Noon Year’s Eve Dance Party at Bavarian Bierhaus
Dec. 31, 2022, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Admission: Children (1-17) $10; Adults $5; Babies under 12 months FREE
There will be live music and a video show by DJ Lukewarm, complete with lights, lasers, bubbles and more! The first 100 kids will receive FREE light-up gear, and there will be a special guest from Fairytale Birthday Company on hand. Sugar Spun will be making fresh cotton candy on-site. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.
More Ways to Ring in the New Year >>
Saturday, December 31, 2022, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Admission: $23-$140
Every year the Harlem Globetrotters come to Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve. This year they will be at the Fiserv Forum for their larger-than-life world tour, full of amazing basketball skill, outrageous athleticism, and a non-stop good time.
Join the Globetrotters as they go head-to-head against the Washington Generals, who will stop at nothing to try and defeat the world’s winningest team!