By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Dec 07, 2023 at 5:06 PM Photography: Milwaukee Air & Water Show Facebook

Everyone's eyes may be on the skies for Santa and his reindeer right now – but next summer, they'll be on the lookout for roaring jets, acrobatic aircrafts and more with the return of the Milwaukee Air & Water Show, zooming back to the Downtown lakefront on July 27-28 next year. 

After staying grounded in 2020 and 2021, the annual Air & Water Show has returned to the skies and seas above and around McKinley Park and Bradford Beach the past two summers, featuring aerial displays from the Navy Blue Angels, aquatic appearances from the U.S. Coast Guard and much more. 

Next summer's gatherings will be headlined by the return of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, taking to the Lake Michigan skies at the Air & Water Show for the first time since 2019's edition. (The team was originally scheduled as the headliner for 2021 before the show was canceled.) The record-breaking United States Army Parachute Team – more famously known as the Golden Knights – will also make their Brew City return next summer, flying in the show for the first time since 2018.

They'll be joined in the Air & Water Show by the world-renowned Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force's official aerobatic team, flying in for their first Milwaukee appearance. 

“Milwaukee’s Hometown Air Force, the 128th Air Refueling Wing, is also a long-time strategic partner to put on this incredible event – and we thank them for their great support," said Paul Rogers, the Air & Water Show’s president and founder, in a release. "We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing commitment to our community and are thrilled to see the USAF Air Force Thunderbirds and all the other military and civilian performers back in action again next summer. It will be a thrilling and historic moment to see them all return to the skies of Milwaukee over the lakefront.” 

“We are very honored and excited to perform for the first time in Milwaukee,” said Lt. Col Massimilliano, Frecce Tricolori’s Pilot #11, in the release. "Our multi-colored colored smoke will form a beautiful arrangement over the blue waters of Lake Michigan."

For more information, early performer details and updates about next summer's Milwaukee Air & Water Show, visit the event's website

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.