Milwaukee, what a year. As the clock ticks down on 2024 and we come to its final days, we’re reminded of what a remarkable 12 months this year has been for our city. The $456 million expansion to Baird Center opened its doors. The Milwaukee Brewers, Bucks and Marquette Golden Eagles Men’s Basketball team all achieved sporting success, making headlines and bringing home hardware all year long. And we once again ascended the world’s stage, hosting the 2024 Republican National Convention that brought over 45,000 visitors to our destination and broadcasted Milwaukee as a leisure and meetings and conventions destination to a global audience. It was a special year for our city.
But there is no finish line to success, no limit to record-breaking years and no expiration date on signature moments for our city. Make no mistake, Milwaukee’s just getting warmed up, and we’re ready to thrive in 2025. The watershed moments of 2024 will serve as a benchmark, urging us forward to foster further growth and insisting that together, in 2025, we thrive.
With another exciting year on the horizon, here are some of the destination-defining developments and events Milwaukee has in store for 2025.
Sports
On the heels of a banner(-raising) year for Milwaukee, there are even more wins in store for the city in 2025.
Iron District Stadium
Iron District Stadium is forging ahead, with a groundbreaking set to take place during the spring of 2025. Once complete, the 8,000-person stadium will usher in a new era of soccer in Milwaukee as we welcome a soon-to-be-named USL Championship club, set to join the second division of U.S. soccer for the 2026 season. In addition to Milwaukee Pro Soccer, the stadium will serve as the home base for the Marquette University Men’s and Women’s soccer teams. The launch of Iron District Stadium marks the completion of phase two of this multi-faceted development. With apartments already built and the stadium on the horizon, plans are underway for a hotel, shopping and a potential new venue, all in the Westown neighborhood.
American Family Field Winterization
Then, after the Milwaukee Brewers wrap up what is hopefully a deep postseason run in 2025, American Family Field will begin a winterization project that could take as long as two offseasons to complete. This upgrade to American Family Field will turn the 42,000-fan field into a year-round space to host concerts and live events, adding yet another to the city’s already admirable stable of venues. With American Family Field’s capacity, it will be the largest year-round entertainment venue in the city.
Entertainment
Milwaukee’s about to raise the curtain and change the game on the city’s entertainment scene.
FPC Live Music Venue
In addition to Iron District Stadium and the year-round venue created by winterizing American Family Field, another new venue is about to tip off in Deer District. Coming soon is the new FPC Live venue, a $70 million, 4,500-person concert hall. Located in the shadow of Fiserv Forum and built by FPC Live, owners of the Sylvee in Madison, construction is already well underway. The newest addition to the city’s live music scene is slated to open its doors in the fall of 2025.
Associated Bank Theater Center
Meanwhile, just a few blocks away in the Milwaukee Theater District, the Associated Bank Theater Center renovation is well underway and slated to open in 2025 as well. Home of the Milwaukee Rep, the $78 million project was funded entirely by public donations. Lighting the marquee of the project is the new exterior RiverWalk signage, welcoming visitors to the theater, along with updates to the admin offices, dressing rooms, common areas and kitchen, including ADA and accessibility compliance throughout the venue.
Parks, Beaches, Walkways and Trails
In 2025, the city is blazing a new trail with improvements to many of its parks, beaches, walkways and trails.
South Shore Beach
On the list of possible developments on the bingo card, it doesn’t seem like beach migration would make a shortlist. However, South Shore Beach is headed more south. To ensure a clean swimming environment for beachgoers in the popular public space, South Shore Beach is relocating in the spring of 2025. In addition to cleaner waters, the $8 million project will include a foot wash station, enhancements to the Oak Leaf Trail and more open spaces for public rec.
Milwaukee County Parks’ Trail Enhancements & Expansions
Speaking of the Oak Leaf Trail, the wheels are in motion, and many new additions and improvements to the city’s 135 miles of trails. At least six extensions, conversions or redesigns are underway, with many of them set to open for runners, walkers and rollers in the coming year and more on the way in 2026.
Milwaukee Riverwalk Extensions
In more good news for lovers of public pathways, a couple of new Riverwalk extensions are coming soon to the Harbor District. The first is a wood plank Riverwalk section along the Kinnickinnic River behind Boone & Crockett. Alongside the bar’s outdoor patio space and beer garden seating, this public walking path will provide visitors with an oasis to relax and enjoy a beverage before continuing along the public walkway.
The Harbor District will also add to the city’s Riverwalk with a two-phase, two-year extension that, once complete, will add a 0.75-mile walkway to the neighborhood just south of downtown. Taking place in 2025, the first phase will pave the way, laying down the multi-purpose trail and adding a new bridge for visitors to walk, ride or roll over. Then, in 2026, the second phase will plug in amenities such as a public gathering space, a restroom, an improved kayak and canoe dock launch, but most crucially, a unique feature referred to as the “Node,” a relaxing new green space.
Moss Universal Park
While the new Riverwalk extensions will add more fully accessible public spaces to the city, Moss Universal Park is raising the bar on inclusivity, creating the country’s first fully universal park. Designed to be a park where all people of all ages and of all abilities have a space to play, the 18-acre Moss Universal Park will feature a fully accessible playground, three inclusive sports fields and a challenge course. Located in the charming suburb of Wauwatosa, the project will be completed in phases over the next few years and, once complete will be the first of its kind in the country.
Thomas Dambo Toll Sculpture in Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa is also about to welcome a lore-laden gentle giant in 2025, and if we’re all very lucky, it won’t ask us to answer any riddles along the way. For years now, acclaimed artist Thomas Dambo has been trolling the world by making, well, trolls, out of recycled materials and leaving behind surreal works of art that encompass a sense of wonder, whimsy and a little mischief that we know of these mythical beings. The first work of its kind in Wisconsin, the Dambo Troll will welcome visitors to a new park on 116th Street beginning in the spring of 2025.
Milwaukee’s Downtown Dog Park
Finally, downtown Milwaukee is turning into downtown Mil-paw-kee this spring as the city unleashes the first downtown dog park. A previously vacant lot underneath I-794 will soon have tails wagging and the hounds around town bounding across this new enclosure. Costing around $2 million, the park will have spaces for both large and small dogs, pet turf with a washing system and a Milwaukee RiverWalk connection, extending the Milwaukee River’s western walkway. The downtown dog park is expected to open sometime in early 2025.
Bars and Restaurants
With the airing of “Top Chef: Wisconsin,” 2024 was the year of culinary in Milwaukee. But in 2025, the city’s dining scene is turning up the heat, ready to serve the visitors looking to savor the fresh, flavor-forward dishes our city has to offer.
Cassis
Coming to the Historic Third Ward in 2025, the owners of Birch, James Beard-recognized chef Kyle Knall and his wife Meghan Knall have announced their plans to open the doors of a French bistro-style restaurant named Cassis. Located in the 333 Water apartment building near the Milwaukee Public Market, Cassis will be able to host around 200 guests with a menu of staple French dishes and new twists on European cuisine alongside the Milwaukee River. The restaurant is slated to open in the fall of 2025.
Draft & Vessel at Vel R. Phillips Plaza
In 2024, Milwaukee celebrated the life of a lifelong civic leader, Vel R. Phillips, with the opening of a plaza in her name across from Baird Center on Wisconsin Avenue. As a part of this development, the plaza also included food and beverage vendor space, which will soon be known as Draft & Co. The building in the heart of Milwaukee is the project of Nat Davauer of Draft & Vessel and will feature classic Milwaukee staples like beer, burgers and cheese curds. Beyond Draft & Vessel’s selection of brews, the restaurant space will welcome East Side burger joint Crave Café to partner with kitchen ops while also ushering in the return of a fan favorite, the original Soup Brothers from Walker’s Point.
Projects Underway
In addition to all these exciting additions to the Milwaukee area over the next year, there are a few projects on the horizon that have already begun to develop.
Milwaukee Public Museum
The home of the new Milwaukee Public Museum has gone vertical. Located just blocks away from Deer District, the $240 million project is completely reimagining the state’s largest natural history museum. Boasting five stories, tons of natural light, and a distinct design that imitates some of the shapes found throughout nature across Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Public Museum will take visitors back to the future beginning in early 2027.
Moxy Hotel
It wasn’t long ago that Deer District greeted the opening of its first new hotel. Now, it’s getting another. The fun, vibrant counterbalance to the luxurious Trade Hotel, Moxy, will add a second Marriott property to Deer District. Situated on the opposite end of the entertainment district, the hotel will serve as a hub for visitors attending shows at the FPC Live venue and provide even more offerings for fans attending sporting events and concerts at Fiserv Forum. With an anticipated groundbreaking of late 2025, the nine-story, 162-room hotel is slated to open in 2027.
Events
While 2024 was a massive year for Milwaukee, it’s game on for our city in 2025. In a year headlined by sporting events, here are just some of the highlights of what to expect.
- NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First & Second Rounds at Fiserv Forum on March 21 and 23
- Midwest Gaming Classic at Baird Center, April 4 – 6
- 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, April 24 – 26
- 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, May 28 – June 1
- 2025 USA Fencing National Championships at Baird Center, June 28 – July 7
- 2025 USA Triathlon National Championships, August 5-10
- Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250, August 30 – 31
Major Anniversaries
As we ring in the new year, we’d also like to recognize some of our partners celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2025.
- Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s 50th anniversary season
- Milwaukee Historical Society’s 90th anniversary
- Milwaukee Public Market’s 20th anniversary
- Sprecher Brewing’s 40th anniversary
- Miller Brewing Company's 170th anniversary
Did we miss something? Let us know, and we'll add it to the list! Send us your development updates, major upcoming events and anniversaries here.
