By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Jul 15, 2023 at 2:31 PM Photography: Harley-Davidson Museum

Festival City is hopping this summer! OnMilwaukee's Festival Guide is brought to you by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. Escape the heat and step inside! 

Summerfest may be over, but Milwaukee is still roaring thanks to the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival.

Celebrating 120 years of the iconic Milwaukee-based motorcycle brand, the four-day Homecoming Festival will rev engines around the city with parties, events, food and drink, live music – oh, and a giant festival on the lakefront headlined by two of the biggest names in modern rock, Green Day and Foo Fighters. You only turn 120 once – so Harley-Davidson's doing it up big this year. 

To make sure you don't miss anything during this four-day festival of ferocious hogs, furious guitar riffs and friendly good times, here's a guide to Harley-Davidson's 120th anniversary Homecoming Festival – from where it's all taking place to when the music's hitting the stages and more. And for more information, check out Harley-Davidson's website.

Where is the H-D Homecoming taking place?

The Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival will be centered at Veterans Park (1010 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive), the Harley-Davidson Museum (400 W Canal St.) and H-D Powertrain Operations, found at W156N9000 Pilgrim Rd. in Menomonee Falls. The gates will open at Veterans Park on Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m.

Local dealerships will also have their own celebrations as well throughout the weekend, including:

Parking options

When it comes to dropping your kickstand at Veterans Park for the main event, the H-D Homecoming Festival will offer complimentary on-site parking for motorcycles at the park. Cars will have to find their own parking around the area. 

As for the Harley-Davidson Museum, motorcycles will get complimentary on-site parking there as well, while cars will be required to park at American Family Field and shuttle over to the museum.

Here's a map of the grounds for this weekend's full-throttle fun at Veterans Park: 

Homecoming Festival mapX

If you're wanting to avoid all the hubbub of trying to find a parking spot down by the party, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino will offer a shuttle to and from several Harley hot spots – including the museum, Veterans Park and House of Harley-Davidson – through Saturday from 4 p.m. until midnight daily. For more info, click here.

The H-D 120 Homecoming Festival parade

It wouldn't be a proper summer festival – especially one centered around motorcycles – without a parade. And indeed, the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival will host a parade on Sunday, July 16, riding a five-mile trek starting from American Family Field, riding down Wisconsin Avenue and eventually parking once more at Veterans Park. The ride starts at approximately 1 p.m.; for more information, click here

Schedule

Day 3: Saturday, July 15

Veterans Park - Music

  • 2 p.m. – DJ Kev
  • 3 p.m. – Ghost Hounds
  • 3:30 p.m. – DJ Kev
  • 4 p.m. – White Reaper
  • 4:45 p.m. – DJ Kev
  • 5:15 p.m. – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
  • 7 p.m. – Cody Jinks
  • 8 p.m. – DJ Kev
  • 8:45 p.m. – Foo Fighters

Veterans Park - Other Entertainment

  • 2-8 p.m. – The Del Mar Experience, presented by Livewire
  • 2-8 p.m. – MDA + H-D: A Reason to Ride Auction
  • 2 p.m. – Wall of Death, with Kyle and Cody
  • 2:30 p.m. – Nitro Circus
  • 3:20 p.m. – Ball of Steel
  • 4:35 p.m. – Wall of Death, with Kyle and Cody
  • 5:05 p.m. – Nitro Circus
  • 5:55 p.m. – Ball of Steel
  • 6:15-7 p.m. – Matty Matheson's Burger Build Off
  • 6:45 p.m. – Wall of Death, with Kyle and Cody
  • 7:15 p.m. – Nitro Circus
  • 8 p.m. – Ball of Steel

Harley-Davidson Museum

  • 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Mama Tried & Friends Motorcycle Show
  • 11:30 a.m. – Division BMX Stunt Show
  • Noon – AMCA Badger Heritage Chapter Vintage Motorcycle Field Games
  • 2 p.m. – Division BMX Stunt Show
  • 4 p.m. – Division BMX Stunt Show
  • 5 p.m. – Cactus Brothers
  • 6 p.m. – Rustbucket
  • 8 p.m. – Road Trip

Community Events

  • 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Bikes on the Block block party, hosted along Greenfield Avenue in West Allis

Rides

  • 10 a.m. – Women's Ride with House of Harley-Davidson and Susan G. Komen
  • 10 a.m. – Uke's Harley-Davidson H.O.G. Led Ride
  • 2 p.m. – Uke's Harley-Davidson H.O.G. Led Ride

Day 4: Sunday, July 16

Harley-Davidson Museum

  • 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Mama Tried & Friends Motorcycle Show
  • 11 a.m. – The Toys
  • 11:30 a.m. – Division BMX Stunt Show
  • 12:30 p.m. – Division BMX Stunt Show
  • 1 p.m. – Rebel Grace
  • 1:30 p.m. – Division BMX Stunt Show
  • 2 p.m. – Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike Race
  • 4 p.m. – Division BMX Stunt Show

Community Events

  • 1-2:30 p.m. – H-D 120th Motorcycle Parade Spectating Hours

Rides

  • 4 p.m. – Uke's Harley-Davidson H.O.G. Led Ride

For the complete schedule and details – such as location hours and times for regular exhibits – visit Harley-Davidson's website

General admission tickets, in both single day and two-day formats, are still available at Harley-Davidson's website. Click here for more details. 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

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.