Events

January
Mid January:  Annual Madfest Juggling Festival. For nearly 50 years, audiences have watched juggling talents toss knives, chainsaws and flaming batons. Also workshops, vendors, parties and other events. Tickets for this popular event sell out quickly. For information, call 608-240-0606 or 608-833-8944. For tickets, call 608-262-2201.

Mid January:  Madison Auto Show. Showcase of new models and the latest technology in trucks, cars and sport-utility vehicles. Also appearances by top NASCAR drivers. Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way.
 

February
Mid February:  Wisconsin Public Television Garden Expo. More than 200 exhibitors display the latest garden products and give nearly 130 seminars, demonstrations and workshops on landscape design, gardening, lawn care and more. Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way. For information, call 608-262-5256.

Mid February:  International Festival. This free annual festival reflects the diverse cultures of Madison with more than 25 theatrical performances and cultural demonstrations. Also a craft bazaar offering ethnic clothing, crafts, jewelry and cuisine. Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St. For information, call 608-258-4177. 
 

March
End of March:  Wisconsin Film Festival. Four day Festival.  Screenings of independent and experimental features, documentaries and shorts by Wisconsin, national and international filmmakers. Various cinemas. For information, call 608-262-9099, or toll-free 877-963-3456.
 

April
Early April:  Annual Children's Art Festival. This annual festival presents theater, dance, music, artistic performances and workshops by and for children. Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St. For information, call 608-258-4177.

Mid April:  Midwest Horse Fair.  More than 50,000 attend this showcase of 1,500 horses of nearly 50 breeds. Also 550 vendors and seminars with leading industry experts from throughout the U.S. Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way. For information, call 920-623-5515.

Late April – late November:  Dane County Farmers Market. This extraordinarily popular year-round market comes outdoors to Capitol Square every Wednesday and Saturday during the summer and fall. More than 300 vendors sell fresh homegrown Wisconsin produce, meat, fish and cheese in one of the U.S.' largest producers-only farmers market. For information, call 608-455-1999

May
Mid May:  Syttende Mai. An offbeat pairing of a road race and Norwegian culture, Syttende Mai means "17 May" in Norwegian, the date in 1814 when Norway achieved independence. A 20-mile run begins on Capitol Square and ends in the Norwegian enclave of Stoughton, where there are traditional Norwegian arts, food and dancing. For information, call 608-873-7912, or toll-free 800-873-7912.

Mid-Late May through early September:  Mad City Ski Team Water Ski Shows. The Mad City Ski Team performs acrobatic waterskiing tricks on Lake Monona in Law Park on Sunday evenings. Free admission. For information, call 608-663-8326.

Memorial Day weekend:  Mad City Marathon. Full, half, relay and wheelchair marathons, and 5K and 10K races with runners from more than 40 states and five countries start at Capitol Square and end at Olin-Turville Park. Followed by food, drinks, music and award ceremonies at the Capital Brewery Finish Line Festival. For information, call 608-850-4900.

Early May:  Celebrate Madison. Music, dance, cultural demonstrations, crafts, workshops and other activities showcase the cultures of Madison's Italian, Hispanic, Native American, German, Asian-American and African-American communities. Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive. For information, call 608-261-4000. 

July
Early-Mid July:  Art Fair Off the Square. Approximately 135 artists working in a variety of styles showcase ceramics, paintings, drawings, sculptures, jewelry, engravings and other works. Also live music, refreshments and children's entertainment. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, between Dotty and Wilson streets, between Capitol Square and Monona Terrace Convention Center. For information, call 608-798-4814.

4 July:  Fireworks. This Independence Day festival begins at 10:30 am with aerial displays by the Wisconsin Air Guard, parachute jumps, music, children's activities and carnival rides. But the highlight is the fireworks display: the largest in the Midwest with more than 15,000 fireworks set to a 35-minute musical score. Warner Park, Northport Drive and Sherman Avenue. For information, call 608-833-6717.
 

August
Mid August:  Great Taste of the Midwest. Beer enthusiasts flock to the second-longest-running beer festival in the U.S. Around 100 breweries and pubs give samples of more than 400 brews. Also food and entertainment. Ticket sales start in May, and they usually go quickly. Olin-Turville Park, John Nolen Drive.  608-255-8041.

Late August – Early November:  University of Wisconsin Football. The popular University of Wisconsin Badgers play home games at Camp Randall Stadium, 1440 Monroe St. Tickets can be difficult to come by. For information and tickets, call 608-262-1440, or toll-free 800-462-2343.

 
September
Labor Day Weekend:  Taste of Madison. Madison chefs from more than 60 restaurants serve dishes reflecting the city's global culture. The state's largest free music festival features acts on four entertainment stages. For information, call 608-850-4900.
 
Late September – early October:  World Dairy Expo. This massive international trade show features the latest in dairy technology and innovations. Nearly 70,000 visitors from almost 80 countries participate in cattle judging, shows, exhibits, contests and educational seminars. Alliant Energy Center of Dane County, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way. For information, call 608-224-6455.  

October

Early October:  Wisconsin Book Festival. Approximately 100 free events feature more than 200 leading writers, editors and illustrators in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, journalism, illustration and publishing. Activities include readings, lectures, panel discussions, storytelling, open-mike poetry slams, writing workshops and autograph sessions. Various venues. For information, call 608-265-5595.  

November
Mid November:  Winter Art Festival. More than 140 artists working in a variety of styles showcase their works in pottery, watercolors, fiber, wood, glass, graphics and other media. Monona Terrace Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive. For information, call 608-798-4814.
 

Sports

Recreation
Madison and surrounding Dane County are known for exceptionally beautiful parks and numerous lakes. Regattas are popular on the bigger lakes, and you'll see plenty of people sailing and sailboarding. The city also maintains 13 free public beaches on area lakes.

Fishing goes on year-round. In summer, you can cast from the railroad trestle as well as from public and private docks and the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. In winter, the lakes are dotted with ice-fishing shanties.  License required in order to fish.

Spectator Sports

608-262-1440.
The University of Wisconsin's men's and women's basketball and hockey teams draw large crowds, but the football team brings out the entire city as well as many out-of-town visitors, The ticket office is at the Kohl Center, on campus. 

Skiing

Parks Department

608-266-4711

The city grooms about 18 miles of cross-country ski trails at seven parks and two municipal golf courses. Many skiers also use Madison's lakes, which are usually  frozen over by mid December. Call the parks department for maps

Golf

Courses usually open around 1 April, and the season continues until mid October or even November.

Beaches

For directions, hours and updated information 608-266-4711.
Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Monona Bay and Lake Wingra (by the zoo) all have free public beaches with lifeguards posted in the summer. Most of Madison's beaches are open daily early June-late August.

Bicycling
Madison, known as the bike capital of the Midwest, has spent more than a decade making itself more bicycle-friendly: New trails are being added all the time (most are shared by joggers and hikers). Even in the dead of winter, residents refuse to give up their bicycles. The best-known path is a 12-mile scenic loop that skirts the edge of Lake Monona, beginning at the convention center.

Golf
 
University Ridge Golf Course

9002 County Road

Verona.

608-845-7700.
This par-72 course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., has rolling greens for the front nine, while the back nine runs through a forest. Club rentals, lessons and golf supplies are available. Call at least six days in advance for tee times. Open daily, with twilight golf available. Fees vary by day of the week and time of year

Yahara Hills Golf Course

6701 E. Broadway (off Highway 12/18, east of Interstate 90), Madison

608-838-3126.

Two 18-hole courses with fairways suitable for championship play.  A course for serious golfers. Call for information about fees, discounts and tee times.

Hiking and Walking
Indian Lake Park
One of Dane County's largest parks with miles of nature trails, including an elevated boardwalk that circles the lake. Another trail leads to a gorgeous hilltop view and a historic chapel.

 
Elver Park

1240 McKenna Blvd.,West Side, Madison

The best hill in the city for sledding and snowboarding, but it tends to get crowded, especially now that skiers are joining those on sleds.

DayTrips
Frank Lloyd Wright self-tour.

Fans of architect Frank Lloyd Wright often make pilgrimages to Wisconsin to see the many buildings designed by the legendary architect who founded the Prairie School and designed some of the world's most innovative buildings.

Wright designed 32 structures for Dane County, but only 11 were built and just eight survive. The homes are not open to the public, but the Unitarian Church has tours.

The other Wright buildings include The Robert Lamp Residence, a simple cube brick home at 22 Butler St. (downtown), one of his early design was built in 1903.

E.A. Gilmore Residence, also known as "The Airplane House" because its wings look like those of a biplane, was built in 1908 in University Heights. It's the only local example of the architect's fully evolved Prairie style.

Jacobs Residence is an unassuming L-shaped house built in 1937 was the first authentic Usonian house, which was meant to be affordable to the average American. It has a flat roof and a carport, both of which have been tested by Wisconsin's harsh climate.

Pew Residence is situated on a ravine overlooking Lake Mendota at 3650 Lake Mendota Drive. This limestone and cypress dwelling is small but full of interesting detail.

Spring Green.

608-588-7900.

One of the loveliest spots in Wisconsin, best known for Frank Lloyd Wright's hilly 600-acre estate, Taliesin. (He lived and worked there during most of his life.) Tours begin at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center at the intersection of Highway 23 and Highway C. Daily May-October, with limited group tours in November, weather permitting. 

 Arts and Entertainment

Madison Opera

Overture Hall, Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St.

For information, call 608-238-8085. For tickets, call 608-258-4141

One of the finest regional opera companies in the country, it typically stages three productions each season.  Continues through late April

Overture Center for the Arts

201 State St.

For information, call 608-258-4177

The Madison Symphony Orchestra performs regularly in the recently built Overture Hall.  For information, call 608-257-3734. For tickets, call 608-258-4141.