Isthmus' 2026 May-June summer festival calendar

Fun times near and far in early summer. More to come.

by

Arts

Now that we're finally past overnight freeze warnings (right…???), it's time to consider summer plans. Getting out to bask in some community time rather than the glow of a screen is going to make you feel better. Maybe your happy place is a small town parade, a food tasting festival or a music lineup featuring bands you haven't heard. Some summer events offer all three options. Grab a beer and something fried on a stick, shake it all up on a carnival ride, and walk it off at a craft fair or flea market.

Our annual roundup of summer fun is split between festivals in Madison and around Dane County, as well as those farther afield. We're trying something a bit different this year in breaking up the calendar into sections to make it a bit easier to navigate, but you can find the whole summer posted here. And more detailed schedules for music-focused fests can be found as they are announced in the calendar listings and our music/arts summer calendar post, also coming soon. It's advisable to check event websites and social media for schedule changes. Updates to these lists will continue all summer as more information is announced; changes and new events can be emailed to calendar@isthmus.com. 

Dane County

May

WisCon: Annual science fiction convention with feminist/social justice focus, May 21-25, online, with guests of honor Darcie Little Badger, Premee Mohamed. wiscon.net.

World's Largest Brat Fest: Annual fundraiser for local charities, May 22-24, Alliant Center-Willow Island, with entertainment stages (headliners are Priscilla Block, Great White, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and Rhett Walker), kids' activities. bratfest.com.

Hill Farms Art Walk: 30-plus artists, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., May 23, Hill Farms neighborhood. Maps: jamesshulkinarts.com.

Vegan Sausage Fest: Plant-based dishes by local chefs, vendors, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., May 23, Breese Stevens Field, Madison. vegansausagefest.com.

LunART Festival: Celebrating women in the arts, May 27-30, Arts + Literature Laboratory and WYSO Center for Music, Madison, with concerts, panel discussion. lunartfestival.org.

Festa Italia: May 30-31 McKee Farms Park, Fitchburg, with entertainment, Italian food & cultural displays, games and more. iwcmadison.com. 608-258-1880.

Verona Hometown Days: May 29-31 Hometown Festival Park, Verona. Carnival, entertainment, fireworks 9:30 p.m. Friday, parade 11 a.m. Sunday. veronahometowndays.com. 608-845-5777.

June

Mad With Power Fest: Metal and video game blowout hosted by Lords of the Trident, 4:30 p.m., June 5-6 The Sylvee, Madison. madwithpowerfest.com.

Cows on the Concourse: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., June 6, Capitol Square (at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard), Madison, with dairy-themed activities for kids. danecountydairy.org.

DeForest Dragon Art Fair: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., June 6, Fireman’s Park, DeForest, with 100-plus artists, music, kids’ activities. deforestwi.gov.

Cars on State: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., June 6, State Street, Madison. visitdowntownmadison.com.

Free Outdoor Fun Weekend: June 6-7, statewide. Free fishing in all state lakes and streams; special activities at many locations; state park admission and trail fees waived. dnr.wisconsin.gov. 888-936-7463.

Cottage Grove Firemen’s Festival: Annual fundraiser, June 11-14, Fireman’s Park, Cottage Grove. Sports, carnival, entertainment, parade noon Sat. cottagegrovefire.org.

Summer Frolic: June 11-14, Grundahl Park, Mount Horeb, with carnival, beer tent, music, games, fireworks 9:45 pm Sat., parade noon Sun. mthorebsummerfrolic.com.

Madison Symphony Orchestra Centennial Festival Weekend: Musical performances, visual art/art projects, lectures and more, 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m., June 13-14, Overture Center, Madison. madisonsymphony.org.

Midwest Fire Fest: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on June 13 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m., June 14, Westside Park, Cambridge, with art and music. midwestfirefest.com.

Sun Prairie Mural Festival: Community mural painting, 4-7 p.m. on June 18 and 9 a.m.-noon, June 20, Dream Park; artists painting giant murals, June 22-26, various locations; mural reveal block party 10 a.m.-2 p.m., June 27, Cannery Square, Sun Prairie. visitsunprairie.com.

Oregon Art Fair: Juried artist, kids' activities, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., June 20, Waterman Park, Oregon. oregonwiartwalk.com.

Marquette Waterfront Festival: Marquette Neighborhood Association music fest, June 13-14, Yahara Place Park, Madison. marquette-neighborhood.org.

Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival: Featuring artists-in-residence, June 19-27, San Damiano, Monona. harrywhitehorse.com.

Madison Jazz Festival: Concerts, classes, jams & more, June 19-27, at various venues, Madison. madisonjazzfestivalwi.org.

Juneteenth: Celebrating African American heritage and emancipation: parade staging 10 a.m., June 20, Madison Labor Temple, Madison, with parade at 11 a.m. and celebration noon-6 p.m. at Penn Park. kujimcsd.org

Make Music Madison: Annual city-wide outdoor performances, June 21, Madison (and in other Dane County communities). makemusicmadison.org.

Tenney-Lapham Art Walk: 1-5 p.m., June 21, with maps at 408 Washburn Place, Madison. sharonredinger@gmail.com.

Dane Firefighters Festival: June 25-28, Bert Deans Park, Dane, with softball tournament. Saturday: The Dirty Birds 8 pm. Sunday: Parade noon, chicken BBQ & kids' activities follow. danefire.com.

Sun Prairie Pride Fest: Noon-4 p.m., June 27, Sun Prairie West High School, with entertainment, kids' activities, resource fair. sunprairiepridefest.com.

Dirt Camp: Music/visual art/camping festival, 2 p.m., June 27, The Vines, Sauk City, hosted by Free Dirt. instagram.com/dirtcampfest.

Road trips

May

Best of All FestivAll (formerly Feed Your Head: Music/camping festival, May 28-30, Jennings Holler, Eagle. jenningsholler.com.

Country Rising Festival: 4 p.m., May 29, Ballpark Commons, Franklin, with headliner BigXthaPlug, games, line dancing and more. countryrisingfestival.com.

Smoke on the Water: BBQ fest with music by Crossfire and The Playlist, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., May 30, Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee. milwaukeeworldfestival.com.

Dairyfest: May 29-30, downtown Marshfield. Friday: breakfast 5:30-9:30 a.m., picnic 5-8 pm (Columbia Park); Saturday: craft show 9 a.m.-4 p.m., parade 11 a.m. visitmarshfield.com.

June

Door County Contemporary: Art fair featuring studios and galleries from around the Midwest, June 4-7, Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek. doorcountycontemporary.com.

PrideFest: June 4-6, Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee. pridefest.com. 414-272-3378.

Special Olympics Wisconsin Summer Games: June 4-7, UW Whitewater Campus. specialolympicswisconsin.org.

Milwaukee Metal Fest: June 4-7, The Rave, Milwaukee. milwaukeemetalfestival.com.

Montfort VFW Big Days: June 5-7, VFW Post 9298, Montfort, with beer tent, music, sports. facebook.com/VFWPost9298.

Art 64: Bracketed live painting tournament, 5-8 p.m. on June 5 and 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., June 6, throughout Wauwatosa, with public voting. art64tosa.com.

Wisconsin State Polka Festival: Wisconsin Polka Boosters annual event, June 5-7, Sterling Chalet, Richfield, with music, dance lessons & more. wipolkaboosters.com.

Force Fields: EDM festival featuring four stages, June 4-6, Rock Fest grounds, north of Cadott. forcefieldsfestival.com.

Milwaukee Highland Games: Scottish festival, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., June 6, Croatian Park, Franklin. milwaukeehighlandgames.org.

Festa Italiana: June 10-12, Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee. iccmilwaukee.com.

Bonfire Music and Arts Festival: June 11-13, Driftless Music Gardens, Yuba. driftlessmusicgardens.com.

Sparta Butterfest: Entertainment, arts, crafts & flea market, carnival, sports tournaments and more, June 11-14, corner of Montgomery and Rusk streets, Sparta. spartabutterfest.com.

Bluegrass at the Lake: June 11-13, South Wood County Park, Wisconsin Rapids. bluegrassatthelake.com.

Prairie Villa Rendezvous: June 18-21, St. Feriole Island, Prairie du Chien. Buckskinner- and fur trade-era themed encampment. prairierendezvous.com.

Darlington Canoe Festival: June 11-14, throughout Darlington, with entertainment, carnival, fireworks (9:15 p.m. Sat., Riverside Park). facebook.com/darlingtoncanoefestival.

Walleye Weekend: June 12-14, Lakeside Park, Fond du Lac. walleyeweekend.com. 920-923-6555.

Polish Fest: June 12-14, Henry W. Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee. polishfest.org.

Balloon & Blues Rally: June 19-20, Green County Fairgrounds, Monroe, with balloon flying, blues bands, car show, food. monroeballoonandblues.com.

Lakefront Festival of Art: June 12-14, lakeshore near Milwaukee Art Museum. mam.org. 414-224-3856.

Polkafest: June 12-13, downtown New Glarus; includes ticketed Beer, Bacon and Cheese Festival, 1-5 p.m. on June 13. swisstown.com. 608-527-2095.

Sip & Savor Wisconsin (formerly Beer Lovers Festival): Tastings from statewide brewers, 1-5 p.m., June 13, Bavarian Bierhaus, Glendale, with music, food samples. VIP entry noon. sipandsavorwisconsin.com.

Artspire: Juried visual art exhibit and sale, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., June 13, Riverside Park, LaCrosse, with entertainment stage. artspire.thepumphouse.org.

Big Top Parade: 11 a.m., June 13, downtown Baraboo; other events taking place during the weekend. bigtopparade.com.

Merrimac Community Festival: 10 a.m., June 13, Memorial Park, Merrimac, with kids' activities, food, water shows, car show, music. facebook.com/themerrimacfestival.

Summer Soulstice: Music festival, noon-midnight, June 13, along East Kenilworth Place and Ivanhoe Place, Milwaukee. summersoulsticemke.com.

Summerfest: Noon-midnight daily, June 18-20, June 25-27 and July 2-4, Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee. summerfest.com.

Summer Jam: Music/camping festival, June 19-20, Country Jam Grounds, Eau Claire. Headliners: Friday: Third Eye Blind; Saturday: Styx. summerjamwi.com.

ArtJune: Annual juried show, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., June 20, Courthouse lawn, Baraboo, with music, kids' craft area, food. spiritlakearts.org.

Midsummer Celebration: Scandinavian-themed activities, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., June 20-21, Old World Wisconsin, Eagle. oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org. 262-594-6300.

Hoofbeat: Country fest, June 24-27, 24447 County Highway S, Cadott. Headliners Wednesday: Aaron Tippin; Thursday: Kane Brown; Friday: Bailey Zimmerman; Saturday: Jason Aldean. hoofbeatfestival.com. 800-326-3378.

Town & Country Days: June 25-28, throughout Lake Mills, with carnival, music, parade 10:30 a.m. Saturday. facebook.com/lakemillslegion.

Blue Ox Music Festival: June 25-27, The Pines Music Park, Eau Claire, with host Pert Near Sandstone, others. blueoxmusicfestival.com.

Cheese Curd Festival: 4-10 p.m. on June 26 and 10 a.m.-10 p.m., June 27, East End Park, Ellsworth, with arts/vendor market, tastings & eating contest, music, kids' activities. cheesecurdfestival.com.

Cedarburg Strawberry Festival: June 27-28, Cedarburg. cedarburgfestivals.org. 888-894-4001.

Spring Green Arts and Crafts Fair: 200-plus artists, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on June 27 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m., June 28, Jefferson St., Spring Green. springgreenartfair.com.

Columbus Fourth of July: June 30-July 5, Fireman's Park, Columbus, with carnival, entertainment, parade at noon and fireworks at dusk, July 4. columbuswi4th.com.

Most recent update: June 8.