What to do in Madison this week: Aug. 10-13, 2026

Isabelle Spotts, The Last Revel and more Isthmus Picks

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Arts

  • Parks Alive, Aug. 10-12, various locations, 5-7 p.m.: The Madison Parks Division offers a range of free activities, food, music and more for kids all summer with its Parks Alive program. August features an arts and culture theme, with stops this week at Allied Park on Aug. 10, Aldo Leopold Park on Aug. 11, and Warner Park (on the Trailsway side) on Aug. 12. Find the schedule through Aug. 24 at cityofmadison.com.
  • Isabelle Spotts, Tuesday, Aug. 11, A Room of One’s Own, 6 p.m.: Madison author Isabelle Spotts will celebrate the publication of her atmospheric debut novel, Saint Delilah — a small-town “feminist supernatural suspense” tale that blends elements of horror, mystery and romance. The plot focuses on the title character, a murdered woman who can’t truly pass on until she tracks down and kills her killer with the assistance of a spirit medium named Magda. Spotts attended Madison College, where she received the Literary Arts Student of the Year award and had multiple poems published in the Yahara Journal. She will be in conversation with fellow Madison author Amy Pease. This is a free event, but RSVPs are encouraged: roomofonesown.com.
  • tommy oeffling, Tuesday, Aug. 11, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: While studying at Marquette University in Milwaukee to become a teacher, tommy oeffling was also piling up streams on Spotify — millions of ‘em, in fact, for several songs. For many of the prolific oeffling’s musical projects, he performs and records most of the music himself; the fuzzed out bedroom pop of his 2025 album, Picture of Health, is jangly and catchy in the best ways that '90s slacker rock and shoegaze could be. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
  • NeuroArts Festival & Sound Garden, Aug. 12-15, Olbrich Gardens: Art Lit Lab's community curation project brings a series of free workshops and activities to Olbrich combining art with the outdoors. Take a stroll through the gardens while listening to Fresco Opera (6:30 p.m., Aug. 14), join a poetry reading among the flowers (3 p.m., Aug. 15), or experience composer JG Everest’s Sound Garden installation (1-8 p.m. on Aug. 14 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Aug. 15) playing music specifically composed for Olbrich through spatial speakers throughout the grounds. Workshops focus on poetry writing, spatial sound and music, and weaving and meditation practice. Find more info and workshop registration at artlitlab.org.
  • Jazz at Five, Wednesdays, through Sept. 2, Capitol Square-King Street, 4-8 p.m.: Before autumn leaves start to turn, we can enjoy the last days of summer listening to jazz on the Capitol lawn with Jazz at Five. This free performance series happens on Wednesday evenings through Sept. 2. Each concert opens with a youth combo at 4 p.m. followed by back-to-back performances at 5 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.; performers this year include the “typhoon jazz” of Hornado (Aug. 12), Brasilian-inspired Canção (Aug. 19), Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra (Sept. 2), UW Jazz Ensemble All-Stars (Aug. 26), and others. Find the full schedule at jazzatfive.org.
  • Madison Black Restaurant Week, Aug. 9-16, various locations: For more than a decade Madison Black Restaurant Week has put the spotlight on Black-owned restaurants, food carts and other food makers. Participating restaurants offer special deals and dishes from Aug. 9-16, and patrons can vote on favorites through Aug. 17. As part of the week, the Heirloom Collard Greens Tasting returns from 5-7 p.m. on Aug. 12 at the Black Business Hub. For a full schedule of events, ticket info and list of participating restaurants, visit mbrw.madisonblackchamber.com.
  • Historic Tavern Tour and Social, Wednesday, Aug. 12, Essen House, 5:30 p.m.: Is your problem with historic walking tours the walking part? Do we have the event for you. This sit-down history-and-social-hour encompasses the history of the storied block of hotels and taverns on the 500 block of East Wilson Street. It’s happening at the Essen Haus, a site that at this time is still escaping redevelopment. Trust Historic Madison to know everything there is to know about the area. Happy hour pricing on drinks; an historic beer (well, the recipe is historic, the beer is fresh) will be on hand, too. No RSVP required…just show up. Guided tours of the building follow the presentation at 6 p.m.
  • Nate Gibson & the Stardazers + Ladyslipper, Wednesday, Aug. 12, Shitty Barn, 7 p.m.: Author and ethnomusicologist Nate Gibson knows his stuff when it comes to vintage roots music of many kinds, and as the frontman of a band puts on a rockin' good time at which you might also learn a thing or two about a favorite song. His band, the Stardazers, is an all star ensemble featuring members of The Ramble, Nick Brown Band and Gin Palace Jesters. Madison-area folk-pop artists Ladyslipper released the tuneful, vocal harmony-forward album Understory earlier this year. And there were still tickets available a week ahead of the show (which very occasionally will be the case with mid-week local shows at the usually sold-out Shitty Barn)…but waiting until the last minute to snag one is not recommended: shittybarnsessions.com.
  • Overture Center summer exhibitions, through Aug. 30, Overture: It’s summer at Overture and the galleries are packed with new art. In Gallery I, Fatemeh Fani and R-Lo offer “Echoes Between Us,” a look in varied media at what often goes unnoticed. In Gallery II, “Natural Bodies,” a themed show from Blue Naga and Ciel Skål examines the boundaries between the human body and the natural world. In Gallery III, Nika McKagen and Chele Ramos also embrace the unseen and unexplored. In the Playhouse Gallery (through Aug. 23), the Mexican Folk Art Collective offers “Corazona: Art and Heritage of Mexican Women.” All shows should prompt interior reflection on all things seen and unseen.
  • The Last Revel + Harmonious Wail, Thursday, Aug. 13, San Damiano, Monona, 5 p.m.: The Concerts on the Shore series wraps up for the summer with a heck of a double bill. Opening is Harmonious Wail, a long-running Madison group blending Romani jazz and American roots music and built around Sims Delaney-Pothoff’s fleet fingered mandolin playing and Maggie Delaney-Pothoff’s indelible vocals and percussion. They are followed by The Last Revel, a trio grounded in folk/string band tradition who write and sing heartfelt story-songs featuring plenty of three-part harmony. Note: Parking is available at Monona Grove High School.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.