The Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee will host USA Fencing’s national championship, the sport’s largest tournament, from June 28 to July 7.
Festivities kicked off Friday afternoon at a press conference with appearances from Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of Sports Milwaukee and Visit Milwaukee; Marty Brooks, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Center District; Peter Feigin, president of the Milwaukee Bucks; Jeff Weber, minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and competitive saber fencer; and Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing.
The event will bring more than 6,000 male and female athletes of all ages and their families to downtown Milwaukee. The 10-day tournament is expected to draw 11,000 attendees and generate $10.7 million in economic impact, according to Visit Milwaukee.
“Milwaukee is on the rise as a sport tourism powerhouse, and that is no accident,” said Williams-Smith.
Along with USA Fencing, Visit Milwaukee and its sports tourism division Sports Milwaukee, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks and the Wisconsin Center District helped in organizing and promoting the event.
Admission is free to the public for all days of the event.
“USA Fencing chose Milwaukee not only for the incredible space the Baird Center offers, but because our city is second to none,” said Brooks. “Our world class dining and entertainment, the spectacular shores of Lake Michigan and our people’s unique brand of Midwest nice (brings people to the city).”
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- Milwaukee Bucks mascot Bango spars with an Olympic fencing coach at a press conference.
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- Bucks president Peter Feigin and mascot Bango make remarks at Friday’s press conference.
The tournament is one of several large events planned for the Baird Center this season. Already, the Baird Center, which completed its $456 million expansion in May of last year, has been host to large scale events this year like Dancefest/NCA, the RV Show, the Milwaukee Auto Show, Anime Milwaukee, the Annual North American Convention, and the International Public Markets Conference.
A variety of multi-day events are on the calendar at the convention center for the remainder of the year, including:
- 2025 USA Fencing National Championships & July Challenge (June 28-July 7)
- CRU25 National Staff Training (July 12-18)
- 2025 Milwaukee Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show (Aug. 13-17)
- National Guard Association General Conference (Aug. 22-25)
- The Nostalgia Con (Sep. 26-28)
- Tattoo Arts Convention 2025 (Oct. 3-5)
