© 2024 Milwaukee Public Media is a service of UW-Milwaukee's College of Letters & Science
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

5 Things To Do This December 2020 In Milwaukee

Henryk Sadura
/
Adobe Stock

The holiday season is here. And although this year looks different, there are still a lot of ways to celebrate the season in Milwaukee.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Adam Carr from the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has joined Lake Effect to talk about community events in Milwaukee. The list includes a wide array of things to enjoy, both virtually and in-person.

"When we first started remotely speaking to each other for this segment about remote community events in north and south side neighborhoods in Milwaukee, we thought that might be a temporary thing. But we're locked in now," says Carr, laughing. 

1. Winter Market and Holidays at the Domes

While many public spaces are closed down due to the pandemic, people can still experience everything the Mitchell Park Domes have to offer - as long as they make a reservation.

Carr says, "The classic Dome experience is still there, but they have create precautions where they’re limiting the number of people inside. So you can actually go visit the Domes, including actually on holidays."

By making a timed reservation, the Dome is able to accommodate masked patrons in a safer environment. 

The Domes will also be home to the annual Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market, with a variety of local and regional businesses. The market will be at the Mitchell Park Domes through March 27 on Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

2. New shops at Sherman Phoenix

Although the Sherman Phoenix space in Sherman Park is only 3 years old, Carr says it's already become a staple for the community. The space has a wide variety of businesses, including restaurants, art studios, and stores. That includes two new shops: Underground Makers Market and Kujichagulia Producers Cooperative, which both feature a collection of work from small businesses and entrepreneurs.

"Each of them has a collection of all these different local brands, different local products," says Carr. "They have body products, they have hot sauce, they have art - all different kinds of things."

3. "Los Rostros Ocultos/The Hidden Faces" exhibit at Latino Arts

Once again, Latino Arts is inviting the public into its space to experience its latest art exhibit, "Los Rostros Ocultos/The Hidden Faces." The exhibit has a virtual component and can be seen in-person, but requires a free registration to ensure distanced timeslots. 

The exhibit features artwork by California-based artist Angelica Contreras and will be at Latino Arts through Feb. 19. 

"It's very dense and packed with imagery," Carr says. "There's kind of a darkness to them, but they're also inspired kind of by pop culture imagery, they're portraits. They're the kind of images that make you want to get up and look closer."

4. "A Very Scary Holiday Kind Of Show" with Heard Space

Heard Space is a performing arts collective in Milwaukee. According to the collective's website, their productions are "led and produced by womxn of color." This is the third annual holiday show from Heard Space and it has a 2020 twist. The virtual event will feature scary storytelling, exploring supernatural occurrences.

"You know, for some of us [during] the holidays you might go to Bing Crosby or the Motown Christmas record or something classic like that, but for other folks it takes them into different spaces," Carr says. "So I'm really interested to hear how their approach to holidays was interpreted into a scary show of storytelling."

"A Very Scary Holiday Kind Of Show" will be held Friday, December 18 at 7 p.m..

5. Kwanzaa 2020 celebration with Wisconsin Black Historical Society

Since the 1988, the Wisconsin Black Historical Society has been celebrating Kwanzaa. In light of the pandemic, this year's celebration will be virtual and include the traditional Kwanzaa ceremony. 

"This has become kind of a staple within the Black community in Milwaukee and just a time to be together and kick off Kwanzaa together," says Carr. 

The Kwanzaa 2020 celebration will be on Dec. 26 and start at 6 p.m. 

Joy is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.