Ditch hibernation.
*A dose of joy in deep winter *
an annual community festival in Milwaukee, Wisc.
Milwaukee needs something to look forward to after the holidays have ended, but the grey skies have not.
After the winter holidays, Milwaukee hibernates as unpredictable weather keeps people indoors for weeks, straining local businesses and isolating residents. This prolonged inactivity takes a toll on both mental and physical health, weakening community well-being.
All areWelcome
Winter Break invites you to ditch hibernation for a free festival for all ages, experience levels, bodies, and genders. We offer activities that are gentle, fun, and surprising.
Winter break offers outdoor and indoor activities that are suitable for ages 1 to 100. All outdoor activities flex with the weather so we don’t cancel the event unless it’s an emergency. The forecast doesn’t need to look golden. If we have cold, snow, and ice, that just unlocks more activities!
PAST EVENTS
Ways to support the festival…
Milwaukeeans need something to look forward to in deep winter. This event is free and open to all, goes on no matter the weather, and brings free recreation, fun, education. Most importantly, it’s a chance to get out of the house and be in community.
New for 2026
All-Terrain Wheelchair for anyone who has difficulty with snow, ice, uneven terrain.
For 2026, we are borrowing an All-Terrain Wheelchair for use on the Havenwoods Trails for event attendees. This is thanks to our partnership with Access Ability Wisconsin. They are a nonprofit creating opportunities for individuals with mobility challenges to explore and enjoy the great outdoors with their loved-ones and solo!
Partners and Sponsors
WE ACKNOWLEDGE
the stewards of these lands
& waters that came before us
Milwaukee and Wisconsin are or have been home to people from the sovereign nations of:
| Oma͞eqnomenew-ahkew (Menominee) | Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi) | Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Dakota/Lakota) | Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) | Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) | Myaamia (Miami) | peewaareewa (Peoria) | Ojibwe (Chippewa) | Onyota'a:ka (Oneida) | Odawa (Ottawa) | Meskwaki (Fox) | Muh-he-ka-neew (Mohican) | oθaakiiwaki (Sauk) | and more. |
Today, 7,000+ Milwaukeeans identify as Native, the largest concentration of Native people in Wisconsin. We recognize that the ancestors of the peoples of these nations preceded and survived European Colonialism, enduring racist and xenophobic policies aimed at cultural genocide and cultural erasure, like re-education at boarding schools, destruction of sacred sites, land seizures, and forced relocation. We acknowledge this traumatic history, the effects of which can still be seen today in the form of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, adverse health outcomes for native peoples, and the cycle of intergenerational poverty resulting from dispossession of their land and thus the resources on it.
We attempt to further dismantle white supremacy by educating ourselves about the sovereign nations whose land we are on, by reading work by native scholars and writers, and by donating to native causes and supporting native-owned businesses. We invite everyone to do likewise.