MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee food truck operators are fearing for their livelihoods after city leaders voted to limit their hours of operation in the name of public safety.

The Common Council unanimously passed a rule that will force food trucks downtown to close by 10 p.m.

It goes into effect May 9. Aldermen argue it will help prevent people from gathering after bars close.

Food truck owners showed up at City Hall on Thursday morning to say they’re not the problem.

Abdallah Ismail runs the Fatty Patty food truck. He said closing his truck at 10 p.m. will be devastating for his business.

“Most of our sales happen during that time,” said Ismail. “It’s the core of our business at 10 p.m. We need the city to let us talk. We need them to listen to us and find a better solution for us if they can.”

Ismail confronted Ald. Robert Bauman at the city hall demonstration.

Bauman represents downtown, and he said the curfew was put in place at the request of the Milwaukee Police.

He also said the police department believes late-night gatherings at food trucks are a contributing factor to the downtown violence.

Bauman said safety is a top priority.

“If the causation issue is correct that they are a part of the problem then we need to act and if there is collateral damage, that’s unfortunate,” said Bauman. “We regret that but the bigger issue here is economic viability of an entire downtown.”

Ismail said the curfew is unnecessary. He said that’s because the food truck operators have always been willing to cooperate with the police.

“When the police came to us and say close it because there is a problem, we close right away even if it’s a busy day, even if we have a line of people,” said Ismail. “We are already helping the city.”

Bauman said the curfew will move forward as planned, and if it doesn’t work, the Common Council could reconsider the measure.

In the meantime, the food truck operators just hope they can protect their financial livelihood.

Prost! Maifest, Derby Day, Spaces & Traces, and fine art shows converge this weekend along with Revolutionary War Days in Menomonee Falls. Here are a handful of things to do in the Milwaukee area.

Estabrook Park Maifest

Cue the polka music; it’s opening weekend at Estabrook Beer Garden, 4600 N. Estabrook Parkway. Start hopping to Carol & The Keynotes at 5 p.m. May 1, and raise your stein for free beer at the Lakefront Maibock keg tapping at 6 p.m. The Squeezettes perform at 11:30 a.m. May 2, followed by a Third Space Happy Place keg tapping and free beer at noon. The polka continues with Polka Steve at 3 p.m. May 3. discoverthemorthshoremke.com

Foxtown Derby Day & Maifest

It’s beer and dogs at Foxtown Brewing, 6209 W. Mequon Road, Mequon, from noon to 10:30 p.m. May 2. Watch dachshunds “ruff for the roses” at the first annual Wisconsin Dachshund Derby, and enjoy performances by the Happy Shotski Combo, the Dorf Kapelle Band, and The LoveMonkeys. The Maifest menu includes bratwurst, giant pretzels, grilled Chicago dogs, brisket and pork schnitzel, with mint juleps, Oaks Lily cocktails, and Foxtown Brewing’s Maibock and lagers to drink. foxtownhospitalitygroup.com

Downtown Derby Day

Don your best derby hat and watch the Run for the Roses on May 2. Saddle up to the Bar in Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel at 139 E. Kilbourn Ave. for a 1 p.m. Derby Day bash with bites and specialty drinks available for purchase, then watch the race on Saint Kate’s grand projector screen. Or at 4 p.m. trot over to the Lobby Lounge of the Pfister Hotel at 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. and sip a mint julep in the sophisticated atmosphere of the hotel. The main race takes place around 5:45 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Visit thepfisterhotel.com or saintkatearts.com.

Historic Milwaukee Spaces & Traces

Tour unique homes on Milwaukee’s upper east side from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2. Guided by docents, the tour features nine homes, and a lecture by historian Brian Fette at 2 p.m. at Plymouth Church UCC, 2717 E. Hampshire St. Tickets are $40 and are available online at historicmilwaukee.org/spaces-traces-2026.

Old Falls Revolutionary War Days

The redcoats are coming to Old Falls Village Park, Pilgrim Road and County Line Road Q in Menomonee Falls, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 2 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3. As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, watch the planting of the Liberty Tree ceremony and see Revolutionary War reenactors bring early America to life with battles, weapon demonstrations, encampments and uniform presentations. The event includes military vendors, historical displays, music and a beer garden. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children (ages 5-11). oldfallsvillagepark.org

Free Range Art Show

A century-old farmstead hosts a fine art and craft spring show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2-3. View jewelry, pottery, fiber art, mixed media, wood work, paintings, cut metal art and sculptures in a historic Wisconsin barn at 6503 Pleasant Valley Road in Grafton. Free to attend. thefreerangeartshow.com

Art in the Garden

Shop the annual art and craft fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 3 at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Whitnall Park, 9400 Boerner Drive in Hales Corners. The fair includes over 50 local artists, crafters and vendors showcasing a wide selection of handmade home decor, garden art, jewelry and artwork. Admission to the fair is included with regular admission to the gardens. boernerbotanicalgardens.org

What’s new in Milwaukee-area theaters this weekend

“Animal Farm”: George Orwell’s 1945 novella warning about the dangers of communism traces how a movement for equality is systematically corrupted as truth is erased. See it at AMC Mayfair Mall; Marcus Theatres’ Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2”: Sequel to the 2006 film follows the shifting power dynamics in the fashion industry, with veteran employees facing a digitally driven landscape. See it at AMC Mayfair Mall; Marcus Theatres’ BistroPlex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.

“Deep Water”: A plane en route from Los Angeles to Shanghai is forced to make an emergency landing in shark-infested waters. See it at AMC Mayfair Mall; Marcus Theatres’ Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.

“Hokum”: A writer navigates a chilling game of deception after he is locked in the abandoned, haunted honeymoon suite of a rundown hotel. See it at AMC Mayfair Mall; Marcus Theatres’ Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.

“The Story of Everything”: Documentary film exploring the origins of the cosmos and humanity, arguing that scientific evidence points to intelligent design rather than random chance. See it at Marcus Theatres’ Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.

• Milwaukee is introducing new flood prevention measures after experiencing historic rainfall.
• The city will require residents to bag leaves for pickup instead of raking them into the street.
• A set monthly street sweeping schedule will be implemented on streets that allow parking on both sides.
• The new leaf policy will start in the fall, but the street sweeping changes could take up to three years to fully implement.

After a month of historic rainfall in Milwaukee, the city’s Department of Public Works is introducing two measures aimed at assisting in flood prevention.

The city will transition to bagged leaf pickup in the fall and will implement a set monthly street sweeping schedule on the city’s “exception streets” that allow parking on both sides.

The new leaf bagging policy changes Milwaukee’s current leaf collection policy of asking residents to rake leaves into the street for pick-up.

Leaders from the Department of Public Works discussed the measures and fielded questions from council members at the city’s Public Works Committee meeting April 29. Many of the questions were related to concerns over flooding across the city, and what more could be done to stop it.

Several council members voiced frustrations shared by residents in their districts who have repeatedly experienced flooding that impacts their homes and workplaces.

“When we add up all of this pain and suffering, there is a major impact to the city of Milwaukee,” said Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, who represents the 14th Distrtict.

Milwaukee City Engineer Kevin Muhs said city leaders are still working out logistics for the changing protocols for leaf pick-up and street sweeping, but wanted to give residents a heads-up that the new measures will be coming.

The new leaf pick-up will start in the fall, while the change in street sweeping schedule will likely take at least a year to fully implement – and potentially as long as three years – as it will require paying for and installing new signage across 25% of the city, Department of Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke said.

The street sweeping change will be a gradual roll-out, impacting some streets before others, Department of Public Works spokesperson Tiffany Shepherd said. Vehicles that illegally park during the monthly street sweeping on the “exception streets” will be ticketed and towed.

The announcement of the new measures come after a record-breaking April rainfall for Milwaukee. From April 1-28, Milwaukee logged 9.39 inches of rain surpassing its April record – from NOAA data available since 2000 – of 7.38 inches, set in 2013.

April storms caused about 2.7 billion gallons of sewer water to flow into local waterways and Lake Michigan – a part of Milwaukee’s Deep Tunnel system that prevents backups in resident basements, Kruschke said.

The changes to leaf pick-up and street sweeping aim to reduce a contributing factor to flooding, since leaf debris can clog sewer drains and catch basins.

Kruschke said that during 2025-26 leaf pick-up, the city collected 13,569 tons of leaves – about 1,500 tons more than the previous year. However, he said, DPW crews were not able to access leaves in many areas of the city where vehicles are permitted to park on both sides of the street.

He pushed back against the notion that the city isn’t doing enough for leaf clean-up and other types of flood prevention.

“Our staff has been working around the clock, 12-hour days, pretty much nonstop, basically since October,” Kruschke said.

“Mother Nature has not been our friend in April, period,” he said.

In addition to rolling out changes to leaf pick-up and street sweeping, the Department of Public Works is partnering with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District on projects throughout the Milwaukee area, and continues to seek opportunities to improve stormwater management, Muhs said.

“We’ve not just been sitting around. … Obviously, the Deep Tunnel is the most siginificant initial investment in managing water drain routes in the city’s history, but that type of work is continuing to happen,” Muhs said.

Milwaukee’s intense rain leads to 2.7 billion gallons of sewage released

Kevin Shafer, MMSD executive director, said among those projects is the construction of a 30-million gallon stormwater basin at North 35th Street and West Capitol Drive that, along with two other basins completed in 2018, will slowly drain water from major storms into Lincoln Creek. Another project underway, in partnership with Milwaukee County, is carving a basin in Jackson Park to store floodwater before it moves into the Kinnickinnic River.

Each project costs $40 million to $50 million, Shaker said. MMSD began accelerating them after the city’s August 2025 record-breaking rainfall.

“We’re going to need them six, seven years from now,” he said.

Still, Shafer acknowledged that Milwaukee’s recent severe rainfall totals from April 2026 and August 2025 are more than the city’s infrastructure has been able to handle.

“We’ve got great partnershps throughout the communities, but 15 inches of rain, 7 inches of rain – there’s no system in the country that can handle that much rainfall,” he said.

Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.