Family Weekend will take place from Friday, Sept. 23, through Sunday, Sept. 25. Family Weekend is an annual tradition each fall for parents and families to connect with their students, Marquette and the city of Milwaukee. Events are open to all family members of Marquette students.
Family Weekend includes many types of activities that allow you to explore Marquette and Milwaukee. You can decide if you’d like to explore the campus scene, venture out for fun in the city, or a little of both. Many events are free and do not require advanced registration.
For additional information and a complete schedule of events, visit the Family Weekend website.
Family Weekend events include:
Friday, Sept. 23
- Open galleries at the Haggerty Museum of Art
- 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Haggery Museum of Art
- This event is free but does require tickets in advance. Register online.
- Al McGuire Center tours
- 11 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. | Al McGuire Center
- Take a tour of the Al McGuire Center, the home of Marquette Athletics. Opening in 2004, it houses the athletics administration offices as well as the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. See the men’s basketball practice facility as well as the home court for women’s basketball and volleyball. This event is free by does require tickets in advance. Register online.
- Around the Ward in 90 Minutes
- 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. | Third Ward
- Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online. At one time an unfortunate victim to a devastating fire and some bloody history, the Historic Third Ward is now one of the most beautiful and most frequently visited neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Once-empty factories and vacant lots now house delicious restaurants, enticing boutiques, and lavish condos and an official plaque recognizing the birthplace of pizza in Milwaukee. Join for an in-depth experience with one of our local tour guides on our Around the Ward in 90 Minutes tour. Included in the per person price, attendees will enjoy: A one-mile walking tour and one sweet treat, a narrated and guided tour and transportation with city tour commentary from campus to/from the Historic Third Ward for the walking tour.
- City Tour
- 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online. Explore Milwaukee with a fully narrated, 60-minute sightseeing loop of downtown Milwaukee and its key neighborhoods. The bus will depart promptly on the hour from the Marquette campus. No refunds or exchanges will be accepted once a reservation is made.
- Family Weekend Information
- 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. | AMU second floor lobby
- Ask questions about Family Weekend and meet the Family Weekend staff.
- Streetcar History and Treat Tour
- 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online. Locals and visitors alike can join us as we hop on Milwaukee’s streetcar, The Hop, to explore the city. During the fully narrated tour, you’ll see some downtown neighborhoods while riding the streetcar and visit the Milwaukee Public Market and a bake shop to enjoy two sweet treats along the way. Included in the per person price, attendees will enjoy: A one mile walking tour and two sweet treats, a narrated and guided tour, transportation to/from streetcar, as well as streetcar transportation during tour.
- Sprecher Brewery Tour
- 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online. Visit this local brewery known for world-class beer and gourmet sodas for a family-friendly tour and tastings. Tour includes transportation, a tour of facility, beer samples for participants 21 and older with ID and unlimited soda samples for everyone. Snacks will be available for purchase. No refunds or exchanges once a reservation is made.
- Pizza Bus Tour
- 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $80 and can be purchased online. Celebrate pizza with Milwaukee’s bus-driven Pizza Tour. Join as we sample generous portions of pizza at three pizzerias, including the quintessential thin crust and gourmet slices of tomato goodness. We will find our way through historic neighborhoods and point out interesting city factoids and landmarks along the way. Save room for dessert – our excursion concludes with a divine scoop of gelato! No refunds or exchanges once a reservation is made.
- MUSG Film: Tommy Boy
- 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. to 11:55 p.m. | Varsity Theatre
- Free for families of Marquette students, no ticket required. Students, please bring your MUID. Sponsored by Marquette University Student Government.
- Open Bowling
- 8:30 p.m. to midnight | Union Sports Annex
- Join for fun and bowling. Guests can pay for bowling upon arrival to the Annex. Bowling costs $2.75/person and shoes for $1.50/person.
Saturday, Sept. 25
- Barthel Family Fruit Farm: Pumpkin and Apple Picking
- 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | Barthel Family Fruit Farm
- Tickets for the bus are $5 and can be purchased online. Join for some pumpkin and apple picking fun. If you’d like, you’re welcome to drive yourself to Barthel (12246 N. Farmdale Rd., Mequon) and enjoy.
- Family Weekend Information
- 8:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. | AMU second floor lobby
- Ask questions about Family Weekend and meet the Family Weekend staff.
- City Tour
- 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to noon | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online. Explore Milwaukee with a fully narrated, 60-minute sightseeing loop of downtown Milwaukee and its key neighborhoods. The bus will depart promptly on the hour from the Marquette campus. No refunds or exchanges will be accepted once a reservation is made.
- Marquette apartment presentation
- 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | AMU Monaghan Ballroom E
- Learn more about the University Apartment options at Marquette. This event is free and does not require tickets.
- Near West Side Bus Tour
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Come and explore the Near West Side. Marquette is proudly located within the Near West Side community. To showcase the pride of the Near West Side, the Center for Peacemaking is offering a bus tour to explore historical landmarks, places to stay and restaurants to visit while here in Milwaukee. The tour will include a stop for popsicles at Pete’s Pops, one of our Near West Side businesses. The tour, led by leaders of the student organization, CAMPus Impact, will highlight ways students are involved in the neighborhood and the work that Marquette is doing to live out Ignatian values.
- Family photos
- 10 a.m. to noon, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | St. Joan of Arc Chapel
- Capture Family Weekend with a free photo in front of St. Joan of Arc Chapel. We will email you your photo by Saturday, Nov. 1. This event is free and does not require tickets.
- Office of International Education Open House
- 10 a.m. to noon | Holthusen Hall, fourth floor
- Stop by this open house to find out about the different opportunities the Office of International Education provides! This event is free and does not require tickets.
- Tutoring/Academic Support Open House
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Coughlin Hall 145
- Stop by the tutoring and academic services office to learn more about MU Tutoring, Urban Scholars, Emerging Scholars Programs and academic coaching. This event is free and does not require tickets.
- University Apartment Tours
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Campus Town East, Campus Town West, McCabe and The Marq
- Tours of Marquette’s five university apartment options will be leaving every 15 minutes. Meet at the front desk of the apartment building to hop on a tour. This event is free and does not require tickets.
- Open galleries at the Haggerty Museum of Art
- 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Haggery Museum of Art
- This event is free but does require tickets in advance. Register online.
- Brady Street Lunch Tour
- 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $75 and can be purchased online. On our signature guided walking tour that started it all, we stroll through the fashionable East Side neighborhood of Brady Street, the ethnic district that was settled by Italian and Polish immigrants. Along the way, we’ll enjoy delicious tastings at authentic Italian eateries, as well as at several newer establishments that revitalized this community. Included in the per person price, attendees will enjoy: A 1.25 mile walking tour with five to six stops that will include pizza, cannoli, empanadas, salami, prosciutto, olives, cottage pie and a Milwaukee brewed beer, a narrated and guided tour, and transportation from campus to/from Brady Street for the walking tour.
- Sprecher Brewery Tour
- 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online. Visit this local brewery known for world-class beer and gourmet sodas for a family-friendly tour and tastings. Tour includes transportation, a tour of facility, beer samples for participants 21 and older with ID and unlimited soda samples for everyone. Snacks will be available for purchase. No refunds or exchanges once a reservation is made.
- Pizza Bus Tour
- 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $80 and can be purchased online. Celebrate pizza with Milwaukee’s bus-driven Pizza Tour. Join as we sample generous portions of pizza at three pizzerias, including the quintessential thin crust and gourmet slices of tomato goodness. We will find our way through historic neighborhoods and point out interesting city factoids and landmarks along the way. Save room for dessert – our excursion concludes with a divine scoop of gelato! No refunds or exchanges once a reservation is made.
- City Tour
- Noon to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online. Explore Milwaukee with a fully narrated, 60-minute sightseeing loop of downtown Milwaukee and its key neighborhoods. The bus will depart promptly on the hour from the Marquette campus. No refunds or exchanges will be accepted once a reservation is made.
- Open Bowling
- Noon to midnight | Union Sports Annex
- Join for fun and bowling. Guests can pay for bowling upon arrival to the Annex. Bowling costs $2.75/person and shoes for $1.50/person.
- A Day in the Life of a Marquette Nursing Student
- 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Clark Hall 111
- Share the experience of a Marquette Nursing student by attending a pathophys nursing class specially designed for parents and families (Short exam to follow!). Receive a sneak peek into the future home of Marquette College of Nursing. Tour and observe students in the Nursing Simulation Center. Simulation Center tours provided in both Spanish and English. Registration is required as capacity will be limited. Please register online.
- New Student Convocation
- 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Varsity Theatre
- Tickets for the in-person event are sold out, but families can watch via the livestream or by attending the simulcast in the AMU Monaghan Ballrooms. Registration is required to attend the simulcast.
- Family Weekend Mass
- 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Church of the Gesu
- Families are invited to attend the Family Weekend Mass hosted at the Church of the Gesu. This event is free, and no registration is required.
- Volleyball vs. Butler
- 6 p.m. | Al McGuire Center
- Fun Family Bingo
- 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Union Sports Annex
- Join for some fun bingo and have the chance to win some awesome prizes. This event is free and does not require tickets.
- Acatoberfest
- 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Varsity Theatre
- Tickets are $10. Join this family favorite A Capella show featuring all of your favorite student singers, including visiting groups from around the Midwest. Doors open at 7 p.m.
- Fiesta de Noche
- 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. | Central Mall
- Join the brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta as they host Fiesta de Noche. There will be a cultural performance, and food and beverage will be provided free of charge. This event is free and does not require tickets.
Sunday, Sept. 25
- Mass in Spanish
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | AMU’s Chapel of the Holy Family
- Reception to follow.
- Shuttle Service to and from Milwaukee Public Market/Historic Third Ward
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $6 and can be purchased online. Visit Milwaukee’s most unique downtown food destination and stay as long as you’d like. Bursting with unique, high-quality selections of artisan and ethnic products, and freshly made and prepared foods, you’re sure to enjoy shopping the independent merchants of the Milwaukee Public Market. Eat in the Market’s second floor Palm Garden or take your purchases back to campus. Whatever your taste or craving, the Milwaukee Public Market has something to satisfy your appetite. No refunds or exchanges once a reservation is made.
- Open galleries at the Haggerty Museum of Art
- 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Haggery Museum of Art
- This event is free but does require tickets in advance. Register online.
- Annual Family Weekend Band Concert
- 11 a.m. to noon | Varsity Theatre
- The Marquette Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band join forces for a concert of fun and popular music. This concert is presented at a special early time to allow family members to attend before traveling home from the weekend. Don’t miss this chance to hear our best wind and percussion players. This event is free and does not require tickets.
- Brady Street Lunch Tour
- 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Ray and Kay Eckstein Common
- Tickets are $75 and can be purchased online. On our signature guided walking tour that started it all, we stroll through the fashionable East Side neighborhood of Brady Street, the ethnic district that was settled by Italian and Polish immigrants. Along the way, we’ll enjoy delicious tastings at authentic Italian eateries, as well as at several newer establishments that revitalized this community. Included in the per person price, attendees will enjoy: A 1.25 mile walking tour with five to six stops that will include pizza, cannoli, empanadas, salami, prosciutto, olives, cottage pie and a Milwaukee brewed beer, a narrated and guided tour, and transportation from campus to/from Brady Street for the walking tour.
- Catey Ott Dance Collective Performance and Discussion
- 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. | Helfaer Theatre Dance Studio 013
- The 30-minute performances will feature Catey Ott’s solo, “Invisible Mind(escape),” a quartet entitled “Pressures and Pulls Can Alone Control the Whole” with CODC, and a quintet structured improvisation based on the Haggerty Museum of Art’s Tolkien exhibition followed by a discussion. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited. Wheelchair access can be arranged through the loading dock. Free and open to the public.
- Misa en español
- 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Chapel of the Holy Family
- Recepción después de misa.
