What to do in Madison this week: Aug. 3-6, 2026

Madison Comedy Week, Lanterns for Peace and more Isthmus Picks

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Arts

  • Laminal Animil, Monday, Aug. 3, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: It’s been a few years since the free and experimental music trio Laminal Animil visited a Madison club, so adventurous listeners will want to note this early Monday show celebrating the July release of the trippy, hypnotic new recording Of Extra - Human Feelings. The group is a collaboration by keyboardist-geographer Luke Leavitt, bassist Ari Smith, and drummer Tim Russell; all are gifted improvisers, composers and collaborators.
  • Madison Comedy Week, Aug. 3-8, various venues: The annual Madison Comedy Week packs in more than 20 shows from Aug. 3-8, and offers delights for veteran showgoers and scene insiders as well as newcomers to the region’s ever-expanding panorama of artists. If you want to pack in a big sample with one show, “Tight Fives on State” (8 p.m. Aug. 4, Comedy on State) features a range of stand-ups from throughout the fest schedule. Know the scene well and want to hear someone new? The “Fresh Faces Showcase” (7 p.m., Aug. 4, Bur Oak) may be your jam. If a special headliner is in your sights, musical comedian Luke Null is coming to town (8 p.m., Aug. 6, Yahara Bay Distillers, Fitchburg). Looking for something weird? Get thee to “In Memoriam: An Experimental Comedy Fiasco” (9 p.m., Aug. 7, Bur Oak). Choose your own laugh adventure at madisoncomedyweek.com.
  • LAB^4 exhibitions, through Aug. 29, Arts + Literature Laboratory: The multidisciplinary ALL mixes it up in its visual arts gallery with a new selection of shows this summer. “You Are Sitting Here With Us: A Comics Show” is an ode to comic great and UW-Madison prof Lynda Barry, with works from six artists in painting, sculpture, woodworking, puppetry, ceramics, textiles and film. “Threading Solidarity: Tatreez from Teejop to Palestine” focuses on traditional Palestinian embroidery, seen as resistance, and pieces shown are from Palestinians and allies in the Teejop community. “Let Go” is a solo exhibit from Madison’s Liubóv Szwako, better known as Triangulador. And works by Tom Jones and Jennifer White Eagle will be featured in solo exhibitions.
  • Laura Kostelnik Biskupic & Katherine Biskupic, Tuesday, Aug. 4, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: With the gridiron season right around the corner, a new book by mother-daughter team Laura Kostelnik Biskupic and Katherine Biskupic should help fans get ready for some football. Lambeau Ladies offers a new side of the story of the legendary Packers teams of the 1950s and 1960s — that of the wives of the players, who played a big role in keeping the team operational in the days before big money in professional sports; they also played a larger role in the community at large, from helping integrate the city during the Civil Rights era to founding community organizations or businesses. Hear more about the book at this talk by the authors; a livestream is available, and RSVPs recommended at mysterytomebooks.com.
  • Home Grown, through Aug. 8, Textile Arts Center: Fiber and textile artists in the Midwest don’t always have the opportunity to work with materials from their own home areas; the Midwest Linen Revival collective is working to change that. As part of its annual Field to Frock events series that took place in June, the organization partnered with the Textile Arts Center on “Home Grown,” an exhibition featuring contemporary artists incorporating Midwestern fibers and dyes in their work. Regular gallery hours are noon-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
  • CANCELED: Jazz at Five, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 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 features two back-to-back shows, starting at 5 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Youth combos play at 4 p.m. On opening night, Aug. 5, the mellow jazz of the Tom Gullion-Doug White Quartet should loosen up the crowd, just in time to rev up with a funk chaser by Madison-based Rare Element. Find the full series at jazzatfive.org. Aug. 5 update: Opening night is canceled due to the rainy forecast.
  • The Two “Gentlemen” of Verona, through Oct. 3, American Players Theatre, Spring Green: Early Shakespeare meets jug band? If that sounds too offbeat for you, trust APT to wave its magic wand and make it seem inevitable. This new adaptation of the play is by Madison-born Aaron Posner, director/playwright and founding artistic director of Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company, and Greg Kotis, a Tony Award-winner for Urinetown. Despite the influx of Americana, there are still two couples who must find their way to their proper romantic unions. The next performance is at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5; in repertory through Oct. 3. Tickets at americanplayers.org.
  • Lanterns for Peace, Thursday, Aug. 6, Tenney Park, 6:30 p.m.: There are plenty of summer events built around loud music and fireworks. Lanterns for Peace is memorable for being a simple, beautiful annual Madison tradition that reminds us how powerful quiet moments can be. As darkness falls over Tenney Park, hundreds of handmade paper lanterns are set afloat on the lagoon in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and in hope for a more peaceful future. The evening also features music by the Spring Green area collective Backyard String Band, the politically aware Raging Grannies, and Japanese taiko ensemble Beni Daiko, plus a talk by Steve Leeper, former chair of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. It’s hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin.
  • Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Thursday, Aug. 6, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: The Fly Rite-Boys have long been one of the most versatile bands in the roots music scene, able to capture the sound and feel of vintage country, R&B, rock ‘n roll, border music…basically, anything the song requires. With equally versatile vocalist Robert Williams, aka Big Sandy, a good time is guaranteed. The uninitiated should check out their most recent album, What a Dream It’s Been, for a sample of their wide-ranging musical adventures. Tickets at eventbrite.com.
  • Sapsucker single release, Thursday, Aug. 6, High Noon, 8 p.m.: Madison quintet Sapsucker plays catchy pop-leaning rock, and celebrates the release of a new single, “Potentially,” at this show. Also worth checking out is a well-crafted and charmingly goofy (at least, until the wizard burning!) new music video for the song “Little Wool” from the 2025 album Pour Your Soul Out to an Empty Room. The bill overall makes for a good sampler of Madison bands on the rise, also including Quokka, creators of the excellent bird-themed LP Lifer in 2025; and Cause & Control, who released the crunchy-catchy Locus of Control EP in May. 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 due to the cancellation of Jazz at Five.