And with the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, you select…Milwaukee, Wisconsin! Just a short trip from Green Bay and the hallowed halls of Lambeau Field, the Cream City is not only your No. 1 selection to stay for the big day, but with Milwaukee Tailgate Week Presented by Potawatomi Sportsbook, it’s a whole weekend of unique events and one-of-a-kind experiences that will bring the energy of the draft right here to Milwaukee.
While the 2025 NFL Draft takes place up the road in Green Bay on April 24-26, whether you’re headed to Titletown to celebrate this landmark occasion or looking experience the excitement of the draft in your own backyard, Milwaukee Tailgate Week’s loaded slate of events has everything you need to make the most of this special occasion. To help you make your plans, we’ve created a three-day Milwaukee Tailgate Week itinerary that puts you in the heart of the action all weekend long.
Milwaukee’s Football Roots
Okay, but why is Milwaukee hosting events to celebrate the NFL Draft? Well, Milwaukee’s football history runs deep.
Once home of the NFL's Milwaukee Badgers in 1922-26, the city once hosted the NFL Draft at what is now the Hilton Milwaukee hotel in 1939, the only other time Wisconsin hosted this event. That same year, Milwaukee hosted the NFL Championship game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers, with the Packers taking home the team’s fifth of their eventual 13 titles.
Speaking of the Packers, the team regularly hosted home games at a series of Milwaukee venues between 1933 and 1994, with most coming at Milwaukee County Stadium between 1953 and 1994, before the team made Lambeau Field its permanent home at the end of the 1993-94 season.
So, to celebrate that longstanding relationship with pro football and Draft history, Sports Milwaukee created Milwaukee Tailgate Week presented by Potawatomi Sportsbook as a way to complement what is certain to be an epic week in our great state.
Now that you’ve gotten a little history lesson about the football legacy found around town, here’s everything you need to know and everywhere you need to go to capitalize on this exciting moment for our state.
Day One
Milwaukee Tailgate Central at Potawatomi Sportsbook
Thursday, April 24, 2025 | 7 p.m. - ???
Kick off the 2025 NFL Draft at the Potawatomi Sportsbook for Milwaukee Tailgate Central, over bets, delicious food and beverages as the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway!
The state-of-the-art sportsbook features dozens of self-serve kiosks, plenty of seating and a massive 2,000+ square feet video wall that will make you feel just feet away from the stage in Green Bay. It’s the perfect backdrop to kick off draft week! And be on the lookout, you never know what VIP guests may stop by to celebrate!
While you’re hanging at Tailgate Central placing bets on the next draft pick, be sure to place your bids on Sports Milwaukee’s Milwaukee Tailgate Week Online Auction. Autographed memorabilia, Milwaukee experiences and much more are up for grabs. Click here to get started!
Milwaukee Tailgate Week Online Auction
Support Sports Milwaukee – BID HERE
Day Two
Tailgate Talk Live Lunch with Super Bowl Champion Travis Beckum
Friday, April 25, 2025 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
After a good night’s sleep and a delicious brunch to fuel your football-inspired day, head to the Tailgate Talk Live Luncheon at South Second, one of the city’s outstanding event venues, curated by Saz’s. The luncheon will feature the unique draft perspectives and stories from Milwaukee native, former University of Wisconsin Badgers’ standout Tight End and Super Bowl Champion, Travis Beckum, as well as WSCR 670 The Score’s NFL insider Hub Arkush. This event is a great opportunity to network over a delicious buffet lunch, hear rare insights into the draft from a local Super Bowl Champ and a sports media legend, and enjoy a post-lunch patio meet and greet with Beckum and Arkush.
Tickets are just $40 per person ($350 for a table of 10, even better!). Get your seats before they’re gone!
Shuttles to Green Bay
After your luncheon experience, you’re probably going to be itching to head up to Green Bay to catch the action for yourself. Now’s a great time to hop on one of Milwaukee’s roundtrip shuttles to the NFL Draft in Green Bay for night two of the draft, as it kicks off at 6 p.m. Get your roundtrip tickets from our friends at Milwaukee Food & City Tours, who are picking up and returning daily from almost 40 Milwaukee hotels and locations!
Or, if you’d rather keep the good times rolling in the Good Land, you can head back to Milwaukee Tailgate Central at Potawatomi for the evening’s excitement or head to pretty much any of Milwaukee’s sports bars. If they’ve got a TV, there’s a good chance all eyes are on the draft.
Milwaukee Tailgate Roundtrip Shuttles to NFL Draft
Milwaukee Food & City Tours – TICKETS
Day Three
Shuttles & City Tours
For the history buffs and beverage enthusiasts, you can start day three with one of two custom NFL Draft-themed tours in Milwaukee.
City Tours MKE is offering the NFL Milwaukee Tour, a deep dive into the city's football legacy with stops at historic sites like the Hilton Milwaukee (home of the 1939 NFL Draft), the Milwaukee Mile and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. For $75, you can enjoy draft beer, cheese curds, a ticket to Jordy Nelson's Milwaukee Tailgate to watch “Inside the Huddle” live and discounts on other tours throughout the city.
For those looking for a spirited adventure, Milwaukee Food & City Tours is offering the Draught Tour, a lively Brew City experience featuring local craft beer, spirits and trivia.
Milwaukee Tailgate Week Custom Tours
City Tours MKE “NFL Milwaukee Tour” – TICKETS
Milwaukee Food & City Tours “Draught Tour” – TICKETS
Jordy Nelson’s Milwaukee Tailgate with “Inside the Huddle” Live
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 3 p.m.: Doors Open | 5 p.m.: Live Taping
Grab lunch as day three of the NFL Draft gets underway at 11 a.m. This gives you plenty of time to prep for the main event, the highlight of the weekend, the Packers-palooza to cap off the weekend’s festivities: Jordy Nelson’s Milwaukee Tailgate with “Inside the Huddle” Live!
Jordy Nelson’s Milwaukee Tailgate is going to be a family-friendly experience that brings the carnival atmosphere of a tailgate inside UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, complete with Green Bay Packers legends, a mini combine for kids and great tailgate bites before capping off with a live taping of “Inside the Huddle,” the Green Bay Packers' insider show, hosted by Nelson.
Joining Nelson will be joined by a slate of Packers legends, fan favorites and Super Bowl champions, including the Packers' all-time leading scorer Mason Crosby and three-time Pro Bowler Nick Collins. Together, the three Super Bowl XLV champions will analyze the Packers’ picks and share stories about their time playing together in Green Bay. The taping will begin at 5 p.m., which will be followed by a Q&A from fans just like you!
But before all that, when the doors open at 3 p.m., you will be treated to a special atmosphere, with games from kids, including a mini combine operated by Journey House Packers Flag Football, an adaptive sports area powered by the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association (WASA) and mascot appearances by Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Wave and Milwaukee Milkmen. You will also find delicious food and beverage offerings throughout the arena, along with a merch booth from Team Lammi and giveaways from Visit Milwaukee and Potawatomi Sportsbook.
VIP tickets cost only $75 and include player meet-and-greet opportunities, access to a hospitality area with complimentary food and beverages, and upfront table seats for the live taping of “Inside the Huddle.”
General admission is just $10 and includes access to the floor tailgate zone and limited GA floor seats (first come, first served). And, as if you needed any more reason to book your ticket to this experience, you can get half-off your tickets using code VISIT for 50% off GA tickets now through 12 p.m. on April 26!
