What to do in Madison this weekend: Aug. 20-23, 2026

Ukraine Fest, Josh Wolf and more Isthmus Picks

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Arts

  • Madison Night Market, Thursday, Aug. 20, State Street area, 5-9 p.m.: Downtown Madison hosts regional makers, vintage vendors, food carts and restaurant pop-ups, kids' activities, and entertainment at Madison Night Market. Taking place on State and Gilman streets and the adjacent Capitol Square, the August edition celebrates UW-Madison’s back to school season. Entertainment includes music by Bear in the Forest, the Bill Roberts Combo and others, dance by the Hitterz Collective, and “human statue” Amanda Gatewood. Future dates are Sept. 17, and Oct. 15; find vendor lists and more info at madisonnightmarket.com (and if you want to double your market fun, The Bodega is also taking place several blocks east at Breese Stevens).
  • Tradition Bearers, Live! Thursday, Aug. 20, Madison Youth Arts, 5:30 p.m.: This event highlights the work and lives of 11 visual and performing artists participating in Wisconsin Humanities' Wisconsin By the People Initiative. Meet artists creating Turkish mosaics, Mexican paper sculpture and traditional music, Aztec dance and much more during a reception beginning the evening. It’s followed by onstage performances, demonstrations and conversation with artists Alejandra Jiménez, Jennifer J. Jordan and Vesile Yilmaz. Isthmus is a sponsor of this event; registration required at wisconsinhumanities.org.
  • Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival, Aug. 19-23, Angell Park, Sun Prairie: The name might be a bit misleading — steamed sweet corn will be available only on Saturday and Sunday — but this five-day festival celebrating Sun Prairie’s agricultural roots still brings in visitors from all over Wisconsin and even other states. The event kicks off on Wednesday with a downtown parade and block party beginning at 6 p.m. Highlights include carnival rides, live music, a beer tent, food vendors, local exhibitors, a kids corner with inflatables and other activities, a corn-eating contest, and uncooked corn by the bagful. All told, 80 tons of corn are expected to be served. Visit sunprairiecornfest.com for a complete schedule of events.
  • Josh Wolf, Aug. 20-22, Comedy on State: Perhaps best known for his baseball cap-wearing days trading just-under-the-skin digs with Chelsea Handler on Chelsea Lately, Josh Wolf has since become one of stand-up's most dependable storytellers. His comedy mines the chaos of family life, relationships and the everyday absurdities that somehow become hilarious when accompanied by his easygoing charm. With plenty of audience interaction and room for improvisation, no two shows are exactly alike. Shows at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Aug. 21-22; tickets at madisoncomedy.com.
  • Ben Katzner, Thursday, Aug. 20, Local Motive, 7:30 p.m.: It helps when the folks with the comedy club are well connected. Chris Calogero and Emily Winter, the duo behind the TrainCar Comedy series at Local Motive, are. They’re bringing pal Ben Katzner to town on the heels of his first comedy album, Supple Harlot. Currently based in Minneapolis, Katzner has a light touch but a definite spark, and manages to be both funny and pointed in dealing with racism and what’s weird about the Midwest. Wisconsin comedians Darrell Cochran and ARJ open. Tickets at ticketleap.com.
  • Trevor: The Musical, through Aug. 22, Overture-Playhouse: Before it became a musical, Trevor was an Academy Award-winning short film that inspired the creation of The Trevor Project, one of the nation's leading organizations supporting LGBTQ+ youth. In its Wisconsin premiere, Music Theatre of Madison brings the story to the stage, following 13-year-old Trevor Nelson, a theater-loving teen whose life is thrown into turmoil after a humiliating incident at school. Set in 1981, the coming-of-age musical balances humor and heart while exploring identity, acceptance and the courage it takes to be yourself. More than four decades later, Trevor's journey still resonates. Final performances at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 20-22; tickets at overture.org.
  • Dane Dances, Fridays, Aug. 7-28, Monona Terrace, 5:30-9:30 p.m.: The positive, celebratory and inclusive atmosphere that Dane Dances brings to Madison each summer is needed more than ever this August. And the volunteer-led series is more than delivering with a packed entertainment lineup; still to come is Klymaxx featuring Joyce Irby (one of the long-running group’s original lead singers) in a double bill with Slave (Aug. 21; note: moving inside due to weather); and Orquesta SalSoul del Mad and Cold Sweat & the Brew City Horns (Aug. 28). Each week features a DJ and dance lessons at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., and food will be available. Find more info on the bands and volunteer opportunities at danedances.org.
  • Adult Swim, Friday, Aug. 21, Madison Children’s Museum, 5:30 p.m.: Madison Children’s Museum presents another installment of its periodic playtime for ages 21 & up, with a pet-themed extravaganza. “Dog Days” at Adult Swim features Q&A sessions with both dog and cat experts, “poorly drawn” pet portraits by local celebs (including Cooper Talbot, host of Her Infinite Variety on WORT-FM, and Isthmus' own Jason Joyce), crafting, trivia, a human agility course, adoptable pets, and more. Tickets at madisonchildrensmuseum.org.
  • Wisconsin Pottery Association Show and Sale, Saturday, Aug. 22, Alliant Energy Center, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: If you've ever been thrown by a piece of pottery sitting on your shelf, the Wisconsin Pottery Association's annual show and sale is your chance to turn the tables. Bring up to two mystery pieces to the ever-popular “What Is It?” table for informal identification and evaluations by knowledgeable collectors. Even if you don't have a pottery mystery to solve, the show is worth the trip. More than 50 dealers will fill the Alliant Energy Center with everything from Rookwood, Roseville, McCoy and Fulper to contemporary ceramics, dinnerware, stoneware, tile and figurines. It's an enjoyable Saturday morning browse — and you just might discover the story behind a piece you've owned for years.
  • Ukraine Fest, Saturday, Aug. 22, Olin Park, 2-6 p.m.: There might be no easier way to show support for Ukraine than by attending the fifth annual Ukraine Fest, a bountiful celebration of traditional Ukrainian food, music and dancing. A day of activities for kids and adults will be capped off with a performance by local klezmer legends Yid Vicious. Friends of Ukraine-Madison Inc. also will offer raffles and a silent auction. Items up for grabs include a flag signed by members of Ukraine’s armed forces in gratitude for Wisconsinites’ support. Friends of Ukraine volunteer Alex Krichevsky brought it to Madison following his second mission with Jeeps for Peace; he drove a vehicle from Scotland through Europe to Western Ukraine to be donated to Ukraine’s military. Visit friendsofukrainemadison.org for more details.
  • Summer Suite, Saturday, Aug. 22, WYSO Center for Music, 3 p.m.: Madison Ballet is putting a little more purpose behind its pirouettes with “Summer Suite,” a fundraiser offering a peek at where the company is and where it might be headed. The truly adventurous can start the afternoon by trying a few moves themselves in a beginning ballet class; following some social time, professional dancers share the stage with students from the School of Madison Ballet. Along with ticket sales, a silent auction, raffle and refreshments help raise money for scholarships for young dancers. You may not leave ready for Swan Lake, but you might help someone who someday will be. Tickets at madisonballetspecialprojects.com.
  • MASCP Pupusa Dinner and 40th Anniversary Celebration, Saturday, Aug. 22, Aubergine, 5-7:30 p.m.: The Madison and Arcatao, El Salvador, sister city relationship celebrates its 40th year with this pupusa bash. Pupusas, if you haven’t had the pleasure, are thick patties made of masa harina and stuffed, usually with cheese, beans, pork, or a combo of those, and are set off with a hot sauce and a spicy fermented cabbage slaw called curtido. Meat and vegetarian pupusas will be available along with other entrees. Learn more about El Salvador at the celebration while supporting the program. Register at mascp.org/rsvp.
  • Mellow Harsher, Saturday, Aug. 22, Crucible, 6 p.m.: This edition of the “Kohlchella” mini-fest is anchored by a rare appearance by Stoughton mayhem merchants Mellow Harsher, who got back together earlier this year for an East Coast tour and career-spanning LP reissue. They’re joined by other seven more Midwest extreme metal and hardcore bands: Adrenochrome, At the Bottom of the Great Lakes, I Owe This Land a Body, Livid, Milorganut, Stomach and Sublet.
  • A Great Disturbance: The Life and Writings of Simone Weil, Saturday, Aug. 22, Muso, 7:30 p.m.: Fermat’s Last Theater, consistently one of our area’s most innovative companies, gives a “back-to-school” vibe with this heady presentation featuring Sonia Baku (honorary fellow at the UW-Madison’s George L. Mosse/Laurence A. Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies) reading from Simone Weil’s key essays, Alex Hancock narrating the timeline of Weil’s life, and Isaiah Dobbins providing a soundtrack on the piano. Weil’s leftist, anarchic, sometimes contradictory philosophy is as fascinating as her dramatic life (she died during World War II of causes that have been variously described as heart failure, TB and self-starvation). The production should be thought-provoking for Weil fans and newbies alike.
  • Hot Dish + The Prairie Fire, Saturday, Aug. 22, Harmony Bar, 9 p.m.: Hot Dish serves up delicious country rock (sorry, but after all the band’s debut is called Get it While It’s Hot) that can sound like a shaggy Wilco or loosey-goosey Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen. The Prairie Fire is a little more indie Americana, with real fire coming from vocalist Lyndsay Evans. Together they are a perfect summer double bill for the Harmony.
  • Nitzer Ebb, Sunday, Aug. 23, Majestic, 8 p.m.: Electronic body music pioneers Nitzer Ebb have proven in recent years to be as resilient as they have been influential since coming together in the early ‘80s. The band today is anchored by founders Bon Harris and David Gooday, following the loss of co-founding vocalist/guitarist Douglas McCarthy in 2025. With an opening set by Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly, this is a must see for fans of electronic music. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect the location change for Dane Dances.