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I feel the need. The need ... for the Air & Water Show. (And also speed.)
Yes, in case the roar of Harleys wasn't enough this weekend, Milwaukee will also feel the roar of fighter jets as the 2024 Air & Water Show will soar up as well as splash down around the lakefront on Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28.
The famous Air Force Thunderbirds will once again take to the skies over the weekend – their first visit since 2019 – along with helicopter demos, the U.S Army Golden Knights parachute team, the Trojan Thunder T-28 Trojan, the F/A-18 Super Hornet Rhino Tactical Demo Team, the show's first visit from the official aerobatic team of the Italian Air Force and much more. And that's just what you'll find far above Lake Michigan, as there's plenty more to find on the lake itself this weekend, with Robby Allen's Ski Extreme Show and others hitting the waves.
Here's the current schedule for Saturday and Sunday's high-flying Air & Water Show on the lakefront:
- 7:30 a.m. – Milwaukee County Parks lots open
- 9 a.m. – Seating areas open
- 10 a.m. – Water show
- Noon – National anthem, followed by the Army Golden Knights
- 3 p.m. – USAF Thunderbirds Squadron
In case of inclement weather, the Air & Water Show will still go on – though individual acts may be grounded due to safety and visibility concerns.
In addition to all the action in the air and water, the nearby Lincoln Memorial Drive drag and surrounding areas will also be filled with related exhibits, food and drink vendors, and displays.
Limited tickets for reserved seating and reserved parking locations are still available at the Air & Water Show's website – though, as always, the views from Bradford Beach as well as parts of McKinley Beach are free and open to the public throughout the weekend. In fact, just about all of the lakefront and rooftop Downtown areas become great seats for watching the sky-sprawling event – here are some patio options around town.
For more information about the Air & Water Show – including even more performers, presentations and beyond, as well as guidelines for show attendees and parking ideas for a busy lakefront weekend – visit the event's website.
And for even more summer fun this weekend, check out our summer festival guide ... or just meander around the rest of the lakefront and Downtown where Harley Homecoming, Brewfest, German Fest, Potawatomi Amplified's second show, several Amp concerts and even more will all be partying away. Whether sea, sky or land, it's going to be a great Milwaukee weekend!
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.