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Chill On The Hill

4.7 (32 reviews)
InexpensiveMusic Venues
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Chillin
Karen S.

This is one of my favorite places to be in Milwaukee in the summertime. There is a huge variety of musical styles and the audiences vary based on who playing. But the constant seems to be a tremendous feeling of community when all of Bay View gathers to enjoy the sunshine, and let their kids run around on the hill. In fact, much of the time, the music is simply a backdrop for the gathering of friends, neighbors and classmates from the area who come to enjoy each others' company. You can bring your own food or drink (including alcohol, which is also available on-site). A thick blanket or folding chair is a must, because the grass can be scratchy early in the year. You can bring a well-trained dog on a leash, but be mindful of the kids running around everywhere. The best free entertainment Milwaukee has to offer!

Rachel F.

'Twas very chill. I did sit on a hill. Two bands, they did play. The people, they did sway. I sat by some friends, which was lots of fun. By the time we got there, there wasn't much sun. Dogs and babies and folks young and old Food trucks and sponsors and music so bold. We brought with us some beer, Good friends, music, and lots of cheer. So many people, lots of Bay View, The result? A really long line for the loo. To summate, Chill is cool, it's community awesome, Nothing rhymes with awesome so eff it I'm out.

Chill
Steve W.

Remember when Jazz in the Park used to be like this? When you brought your own beverages, actually listened to the music while still engaging in casual conversation. Chill on the Hill is all that, and more. While at first i thought "chill" alluded to the temperature because its been so cool lately on tuesdays, but no. It is the actual feeling you'll have while there. tons of food trucks and beer vendors (if you don't bring your own) easy access bathrooms, close parking, and friendly people. OK...the sound quality could be a bit better, but so be it. And I think I appreciate the fact that it is on a Tuesday the most.

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Jennifer C.

I go to Chill On The Hill during the summer to just relax and enjoy the weather & music. (I try to make it to at least one a year) The first one of the 2015 Chill on the Hill season was fantastic. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performed and it was great. I enjoy classical music and to hear MSO, for free, in the park on a nice summer day was fun (although I would recommend spending some money to support the arts in Milwaukee). I know last year (2014), my husband and I went to see the Five Card Studs and it was a fun show to watch as well. (But I can't remember if we to any other ones....ha!) It's always nice to have a variety of food (food truck or stands) to buy from if you are hungry. Or bring your own food and have a picnic. Make sure you bring your own blanket or chair to sit on...otherwise you'll be sitting on grass (unless you like that sort of thing).

a dog laying on a person's lap
Tommy F.

This is the best summertime activity to do in Bay View! It's great to bring a picnic dinner to (or buy food from the many delicious vendors) and relax while listening to local artists. It's great that dogs are allowed to come too! We look forward to going every Tuesday in the summer!

lower part of the seating bowl

Imagine Jazz in the park, but with a diverse group of bands and a bigger crowd sitting in a huge bowl enjoying good music. This is what you get with the relatively new "Chill on the Hill". I went there for the first time yesterday, and was thoroughly impressed by the music selection and how big the event was. I would estimate at least 1000 people were in the park listening to the band.. This event is definitely more family friendly, in that there is relatively no "big crowds" near the concession stands or really any standing around. Everyone is sitting and enjoying the music while most people BYOB. Very few vendors selling any type of alcohol. Almost encouraged to bring your own booze. I highly recommend this for Tuesday nights. This is really the best thing to do on Tuesdays. And of course its FREE!

Absolutely beautiful park and scenery and with great music  kiddos and dogs always welcomed

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Review Highlights - Chill On The Hill

As a new Bay View resident, I'm looking forward to a summer full of Tuesday evenings spent at Humboldt Park!

Mentioned in 8 reviews

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Club Garibaldi

Club Garibaldi

3.5
(90 reviews)
0.8 mi
$

Look, this is the truth. You will never have better wings than the wings they make at Club…read moreGaribaldi. You'll be minding your own business, relaxing at this fantastic joint. Having a cold beer, watching a game, getting banging service... and you'll watch them make you wings. You'll think "man that's a lot of work for wings" then you'll eat them... and angels will sing.

Came in with some friends and family, and one of the women in our group found the women's restroom…read morelocked. She pulled on the men's restroom door to see if it was locked as well. Instead of simply explaining the situation, the older bald bartender immediately started yelling at the two women in our group and clearly making a scene, demanding they come to the bar over something that could have been handled with a simple conversation. What made it especially weird and unwelcoming was how easily the situation could have been resolved with a simple explanation. If the women's restroom was closed, all he had to do was say that. Instead, he immediately escalated the situation by yelling and making a scene before even asking what was going on. He kept escalating the situation, acted rude the entire time, and insisted the women--who were clearly adults--show their IDs without even ordering a drink. It felt less like he was doing his job and more like he was looking for a confrontation. The whole interaction was unnecessarily hostile, unprofessional, and completely out of proportion to what actually happened. It left a terrible first impression and was enough to make us leave. There are plenty of other bars nearby where the staff knows how to treat customers with basic respect, and I'd recommend going to one of those instead.

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Club Garibaldi
Taco Monday
Taco Monday
Club Garibaldi

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Mittenfest

Mittenfest

4.1
(8 reviews)
0.5 mi
$$

Mittenfest is fun, from a people watching perspective, cause that's all we got to do. It's also a…read morecool place to get some grub as Iron Grate BBQ and many other businesses were down there serving up the goods. It's not the place to get your drink on though as the lines are notoriously long, actually more like ridiculously long! I am a grown person and do not, I repeat, do not stand in line, especially for 45 minutes to an hour. Maybe I would for some things, but not just to get a damn beer, no way! We wound up elsewhere to partake in libations and made a general quick appearance just to see what all the fuss is about. Not sure if I'll be attending this again.All I really wanted to enjoy was a few beers but we walked away briefly enjoying only the scene...

First to review! Boom!…read more (Of course, it's because up until now, no one had added a Mittenfest business listing to Yelp, I myself guilty and probably a more culpable culprit than the rest of you alls.) So, a quick FYI before reviewing. (read: this is a Yelpy public service announcement... ) If a business or event - and event not meaning someone's super bowl party or birthday or whatever, but event as in something large-scale and public in nature that occurs each and every year and contributes to the cultural landscape of MKE - is not already on Yelp, you... yes YOU... can just add it. It's super easy on desktop and even easier from your phone. I added a biz listing for a bar on Friday night that wasn't even on Yelp at all and did so in like a minute flat. Internetninja. Alright, now that that's out of the way, Mittenfest! First to review! Bam. I love Mittenfest. It's a great annual event for a great cause that showcases and highlights a few of things about Milwaukee that make me love this town so hard. +An outdoor street festival in the middle of winter? Check. Embrace your Milwaukeeness and your midwesternness and just get down with the snow and cold. It's good for you and it makes you feel alive. +Get a bunch of people together, donate $$/food/clothes for Hunger Task Force and drink some extra crafty beers and enjoy barrel aged Old Fashioneds and value-added Valentine coffee while catching rad local bands and catching up w/ friends? Yes please. +Local artists/crafters selling some locally-made wares? Bonus. +Goodkind's bone broth forever, please and thankyou. +A solid community vibe, stellar people watching, great drinks, and a general "down to hang" attitude despite weather. Someone said it best when they said this yesterday: "Any excuse Milwaukee can get its hands on to be outside and drink, it will gladly take." So yes. This event is a super-fab annual gathering of good times and good cause that aims to either embrace Milwaukee winter or give it a big fat proverbial middle finger, whichever way you prefer to look at it. In the last few years, popularity of this street festival has soared and with humble beginnings now having grown into 2700 "joins" on Facebox, there's no denying the fact that the festival's facing some growing pains. This is normal. Lines (sometimes long) are normal and should be expected at an event of this physical size (small-ish) and attendance (large-ish). A couple thoughts or potential bits of insight for the organizers as they navigate this growth... -set-up: Brandyland is perpendicular to the street, so there's really no doing anything about having a line cut the festival square in half unless you could use the sidewalk as a line instead. For the most part, people are courteous about lines and not cutting, but the organization game could definitely be upped a touch all things considering. Using natural boundaries or DIY stanchions could be helpful insofar as queues go, too. -I feel like a jerk calling this out, but $9 feels pretty steep for those OFs given the size and the wait. I know costs associated w/ putting this thing on are certainly there: Burnhearts probably has to pay the bands and pay for the permits and port-a-potties but, keepin' it real: the price on those puppies definitely made me stop at one when I otherwise might not have. -Is it crazy to suggest pushing this whole shebang a little further? With the good MF does for a solid cause coupled with its local popularity, seems to me that this winter festival definitely has the potential for growth, both in physical size and scale of offerings. If the City permitting office would allow Burnhearts to close Logan from Potter to KK, food trucks or other restaurants could come hang to provide more food, you could offset lines by having more beer choices, more port-a-potties, a larger area for artists/vendors, areas that are more "family-friendly" in nature, etc... just spitballing here, but seems totally plausible to me should it be something the organizers are interested in. Thanks for hosting this thing year over year, Burnhearts! I may be wrong on this, but I believe Mittenfest is MKE's only outdoor winter street festival at this point. People clearly love it and rightfully so; the concept is great, the cause is stellar, it's quality local art and libations, and it's a great excuse for community to come together and drink outdoors in boots and parkas. Well done.

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Mittenfest
Mittenfest
Brandyland!   Only open one day per year!!!  #drinklocal

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Brandyland! Only open one day per year!!! #drinklocal
The Rave / Eagles Club

The Rave / Eagles Club

2.4
(301 reviews)
3.8 mi
$$

Went here for DJ Kyle Cooke. Overall it was fun. The building isn't anything special but the…read moreartists make the experience! Drinks are definitely severely overpriced, as you would expect at a concert venue. The service was alright. Some people were kind and helpful, some refused to speak.

I am writing this review because of a serious safety concern that management needs to be aware of…read more Two young women attended a show here and were approached by a man who would not leave them alone. He was very persistent, and they began to feel unsafe. At the end of the show, they did exactly what you would hope someone would do in that situation -- they asked staff if they could please stay inside until their ride arrived. Their ride was 11 minutes away. One staff member told them they could stay, but another staff member told them they had to leave with everyone else, even after the girls explained that a man was making them uncomfortable and they did not feel safe. The staff member said she "doesn't get into other people's business." They were forced to go outside, and the man found them almost immediately and continued bothering them while they waited for their ride. Thankfully, they made it home safely. But this situation could have ended very differently, and it is very concerning that when two young women asked for help because they felt unsafe, they were turned away. This is not about getting anyone in trouble. This is about policies and training. When someone says they feel unsafe and asks to wait inside for their ride, the answer should never be no. I strongly encourage management to review safety policies and train staff on how to handle situations like this in the future. Guest safety should always come first.

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Patio bar set up
Patio bar set up
Outside
Outside
The Rave / Eagles Club

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Vivarium

Vivarium

4.0
(4 reviews)
4.4 mi

Vivarium is a new live music venue on Milwaukee's lower East Side, and I saw the band Luna there in…read moreabout the third week of Vivarium's existence. Run by the Colectivo crowd, it looks just like the Back Room, high ceilings adorned with metal trusses, fake and real plants, and no soundproofing. Checking in with the app the employees were super nice! Really refreshing. If you follow live music in Milwaukee you've already heard about the talking crowds and bad sightlines from the Buffalo Nickels show and a co-worker said the same about the Charlie Paar show. We were there early so got a good spot closer to the stage, but even close up the stage could stand to be higher. Luna was sounding good but the guitarist was noting a ghost in his equipment, band members seemed to be wincing from sound issues. Something for the club to figure out. Went to watch from the back and the room sound is really good. Sightlines are horrible back there, as the stage needs to be higher. The crowd was so talkative during the whole show, my friend noted people are disengaged from the bad sightlines, so that makes sense. Stand in front of the truss with the wifi device for a better engaged crowd, good sound and better sight lines. Bar offerings are good, bathrooms are clean and stylish. A solid three stars (OK) with room for improvement.

BF and I visited Vivarium to see the band Enter the Haggis. It was the third show at the new venue,…read moreso everything is clean and nice. The interior decor appears to have been moved directly over from the Back Room at Collectivo, with the same ceiling treatment and plants - both real and faux. The bar is also pretty much the same, with mixed drinks, wine, beers and non alcoholic options. Seating at this show was all folding chairs, but the staff brought out more when they saw the size of the crowd in attendance. Perhaps it was our average collective age. There are a few loveseats and high stools along the right side of the room. It is not a fantastic acoustic space, with it's abundance of hard surfaces and no soft finishes, but it is intimate and allows you to get right up by the musicians. The bathrooms, at least the women's, are large with plenty of stalls and flattering lighting. This is a good replacement for the Back Room - essentially a carbon copy - but you have some chance of parking successfully over here as the street is less busy. There are also plenty of restaurants around for pre-show eats.

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Vivarium
Ceiling
Ceiling
Example of true to concert sightlines just part of the way back

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Example of true to concert sightlines just part of the way back
The Tin Widow

The Tin Widow

4.7
(107 reviews)
2.3 mi
$$

We stopped in on a whim after dinner out in the deer district. Driving home when I saw the holiday…read moreinflatables and I thought if I can find a parking spot, we are going in. I had heard about the Tin Widow's holiday pop up being one of the best area, the hype was not wrong. From the entrance to the ceiling and walks, this place is the definition of deck the halls. Unless you get here right when they open it early in the holiday season, I would expect a crowd. The drink menu is so fun with holiday themed drinks served in matching glassware. You can even purchase the glass/mug for an additional fee. A lot of the cocktails looked to be batched cocktails which help with the bartender's efficiency. Highly recommend making this place a holiday stop. I'm also curious to stop in after the holidays to experience it without all the holiday decor.

Stopped in for their Miracle on 2nd St holiday pop-up. We only had to wait about 5-10min for a…read moretable, but it does get busy fast, especially on weekends. They had several seasonal cocktails in special festive cups, which you could also buy to take home. I got the Cheery Cherry Chocosaurus, which was good, but pricey for what it was. Almost all the seasonal drinks were $15 each and didn't seem too big. The venue itself is medium sized, but feels crammed quickly. There's more people let in at a time than there is seating, so you have to move fast to get a seat. I'll likely come back during the summer to try something else.

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Interior
Interior
The Tin Widow
The Tin Widow

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Chill On The Hill - musicvenues - Updated July 2026

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