WWII Days

WWII Days at Midway Village

Saturday, September 24 . 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, September 25 . 10 am to 4 pm

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Visitors to World War II Days engage in elaborate 1940s displays in historical buildings on the museum’s 148-acre campus, which becomes the backdrop of a European village during World War II. This military re-enactment is known to be the largest in the Midwest and draws thousands of visitors yearly to the Rockford region and the museum grounds.

Visitors do not need to purchase tickets in-advance. You may purchase your admission(s) upon arrival to the museum's special event gates. Parking is free for visitors to World War II Days. To buy tickets in-advance online go to www.midwayvillage.com. You may also purchase advance tickets at the Museum Gift Store.

Costs
$16 Adults
$9 Children (ages 5-12)
Museum Members Free
All Veterans and Active Duty Military $14
Children ages (0-2) Free

Visitors may purchase tickets online (see button above), by calling 815-397-9112, or at the gate on the day of the event. Each individual ticket is good for entrance on either Saturday OR Sunday. All events are rain or shine. No refunds or rain checks.

WWII Troops

Festivities include encampments of Allied and Axis troops in the Midway Village woods, with elaborate and realistic battles complete with tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, and exciting pyrotechnic displays.

Nearly 600 uniformed re-enactors representing soldiers from the United States, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Japan, Italy, and Germany along with vintage tanks, half-tracks and other 1940s military vehicles make this a not-to-miss special event!

Event Highlights:

  • Narrated battles on both days with pyrotechnics (see schedule below)
  • Skirmishes, demos, and displays
  • Lectures on The Holocaust Resistance; Fleeing Persecution in Europe; and Local Men Lost in the War
  • Live 1940’s Era Musical Performances, including the Andrews Sisters
  • Briefings from General Patton’s Mobile Command Tent
  • Rock Valley R/C Flying Club displays of WW2 era model airplanes
  • Militaria Sales Vendors from around the Midwest
  • A special exhibit Shoah, curated by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center
  • Rockford Peaches team reenactors (Sunday only)
  • Rare military vehicles: SD. KFZ 222 German Armored Car, M5A1 Stuart tank, M22 Locust Tank, M8 Armored Car, M 75mm Gun Motor Carriage, LVT4, Hetzer tank, two Halftracks, and a 75mm cannon

Visitor services include food vendors, free parking, ATMs on-site, a VETANK motorized wheelchair available for reservation on a first come, first served basis, and more than 2 dozen dealers selling antiques, military collectables, vintage clothing, and books.

Schedule of Activities:

Saturday, September 24

10:00 am Event Open to the Public
10:00 Woods Battle
10:30 Battle on Main Field
11:00 Presentation- The Holocaust and the Resistance
12:00 Woods Battle
12:00 pm Andrews’s Sisters Concert
12:30 Presentation- The Gold Star Boys of East High School
1:00 Flying Demonstration at Main Battlefield
1:30 General Patton briefing
1:30 Music of the 1940s with Nicole Kramas
1:30 Presentation- Holocaust Victims – Why did they Stay?
2:00 Battle on Main Field
3:00 Woods Battle
3:30 General Patton briefing
4:00 Woods Battle
5:00 Event Closes for the Evening

Sunday, September 25th

10:00 am Event Opens to the Public
10:00 Woods Battle
11:00 am Presentation- The Holocaust and the Resistance
12:00 Andrew’s Sisters Concert
12:00 Woods Battle
12:30 pm Presentation- The Gold Star Boys of East High School
1:00 Flying Demonstration at Main Battlefield
1:30 General Patton briefing
1:30 Music of the 1940s with Nicole Kramas
1:30 Presentation- Holocaust Victims – Why did they Stay?
2:00 Woods Battle
2:30 Battle on Main Field
4:00 Event Closes