What to do in Madison this weekend: July 9-12, 2026

La Fête de Marquette, The Monster Comedy Roast and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • La Fête de Marquette, July 9-12, McPike Park: The midsummer landmark La Fête de Marquette is, improbably, even more packed with music in 2026 with the addition of Madison Irish Fest to the lineup, including Conor Mallon & the Unearthed, singer-songwriter Ger O’Donnell, and local faves Lochanside. Musique Electronique returns to La Fête, with three days of electronic artists including headliners Special Request and Sterac (and the traditional late night shows at High Noon July 10-11). Those stages are only part of the full lineup, featuring two concerts by Los Lobos, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band and Rockin' Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters; Madison faves such as The Earthlings, VO5 and Mr. Chair; and many, many others. Find the full schedule at wil-mar.org.
  • Tom Antell, Romano Johnson, through July 12, James Watrous Gallery: The power of color leads the conversation as the James Watrous Gallery features a pair of exhibitions by Wisconsin artists. Romano Johnson’s collection “Gospel Love Heart” goes big — angels, racing cars, church clothes, and plenty of glitter — in large-scale imagery that fills a room and will keep your eyes moving. Tom Antell’s “Democratic Vistas” blends playful imagery with dark themes considering Indigenous history as shaped by colonization. Regular gallery hours are noon-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.
  • Wisconsin Women’s Voices, Thursday, July 9, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: This two-night poetry event (the first reading was June 4) features eight Wisconsin writers gathering for readings and conversation. Wisconsin Women’s Voices continues July 9 with Cathryn Cofell, past president of Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and Appleton's first poet laureate; Emilie Lindemann, whose most recent book is Ghost(ed) Woman & the Electric Purple Pants; Wendy Vardaman, past Madison poet laureate and author of the 2025 collection thread me an exit; and Lisa Vihos, Pushcart Prize-nominated former poet laureate of Sheboygan. RSVP at mysterytomebooks.com (where a livestream link can also be found).
  • Anvil, Thursday, July 9, Crucible, 7 p.m.: Were it not for a 2008 documentary, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the straightforward metal trio that formed in 1978 and always took a back seat to their Canadian brethren in other single-name bands like Rush, Triumph and Saga, might not be around today. The film featured Slash, Lemmy, Lars Ulrich and other musicians citing Anvil as a major influence and jumpstarted the band’s career. Now Anvil brings its “Pounding the Past Tour” to Madison with the promise of playing cuts from the band’s first three albums: 1981’s Hard ‘n’ Heavy, 1982’s Metal on Metal and 1983’s Forged in Fire. With no-frills headbangers Midnite Hellion and Madison hard rockers Sabotage opening, this will be a show for diehard metalheads. Tickets at events.ticketleap.com.
  • Olbrich Home Garden Tour, July 10-11, Verona area, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: If you’ve ever tried to keep up with even a little landscaping, you know how much work a beautiful garden can be. Every year Olbrich highlights valiant home gardeners in a different area of town with its home garden tour. This lets others see their ingenuity in attracting pollinators, making rain gardens and overall their boundless creativity. This year we set our scene in fair Verona. The gardeners will be on hand to explain their plants and creations. For info on advance tickets, see olbrich.org; day of tickets at 303 S. Marietta St. and 1310 Red Tail Drive.
  • Robin Shepard, Friday, July 10, Capital Brewery, Middleton, 4:30 p.m.: It’s no surprise that Wisconsin has been home to a lot of breweries over the years, but you may be shocked that you can get a robust compendium of breweries from Dane County alone. Our own beer columnist, Robin Shepard, has brought them all together in his latest book, A Keg of Their Best: Brewing in the Beer State Capital. Surely no one knows more about Dane County’s beer than Robin, and he’s always eager to share a funny story. Drop by to say hi, ask a question, and have him sign a copy of his book.
  • LAB^4 exhibitions, through Aug. 29, Arts + Literature Laboratory; reception July 10, 6-8 p.m.: The multidisciplinary ALL mixes it up in its visual arts gallery with four 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 a duo exhibition. A reception takes place from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, July 10.
  • (X)posed, July 10-11, Madison Circus Space: This showcase from Madison Aerial Alliance combines circus arts, dance and burlesque as performers “bare their hearts, dreams and more,” according to the description for “(X)posed.” Comedian and improviser Jessy Bradish emcees, and RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center will be on hand for “Pasty Bingo” (donations to play benefit RCC); Friday also include guest performers from Les Femmes de Flamme. Shows at 7 and 9 p.m. July 10 and 8 p.m. July 11; tickets at madisoncircusspace.com.
  • Zebra, Friday, July 10, Atwood Music Hall, 8 p.m.: Formed in 1975, Zebra is one of the longest-running American rock bands still performing with all of its original members. Initially a cover band playing songs by Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull, this trio shot to fame in 1983 with a fast-selling, self-titled debut album featuring the singles “Who’s Behind the Door” and “Tell Me What You Want.” Despite releasing only a handful of subsequent albums (and none since 2003’s Zebra IV), the band’s current tour marks more than 50 years as an active unit. And that, especially in today’s ever-shifting musical landscape, is certainly worth celebrating. With Donnie Vie. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.
  • Tony Monaco-Fareed Haque Trio, Friday, July 10, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: This long-running project pairs musical explorer Fareed Haque, on guitar, with Tony Monaco, who developed his own fiery Hammond B-3 style drawing on the swing of mentor Jimmy Smith. Both are inventive jazz soloists who can pull from a deep well of other musical styles for color, and are also gifted at laying down a funky groove in support — as is Chicago area drummer Rob Dicke, rounding out the trio. Tickets at eventbrite.com.
  • The Monster Comedy Roast, Friday, July 10, Crucible, 9 p.m.: Cheshire Cat Comedy puts its own spin on the comedic roast tradition by presenting a slate of stand-ups in costume as characters, real and fictional. The theme this time around is monsters, with a lineup planned to include infamous entities ranging from Satan and Bigfoot to Erika Kirk and enablers of Elon Musk. It should be freewheeling fun (and you can also double down by attending CCC’s 7 p.m. Oh My variety show). Tickets at eventbrite.com.
  • Art Fair on the Square + Art Fair Off the Square, July 11-12, Capitol Square + MLK Boulevard/Monona Terrace: Most everyone knows there’s a friendly rivalry between the concurrent art fairs happening on and just off the Capitol Square. One circles the Capitol with hundreds of artists and crowds thick enough to test your people skills. The other sprang up as a scrappier alternative and still carries a slightly more laid-back vibe along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Monona Terrace. The truth is that most art lovers don't choose — they wander both. Whether you're hunting for a statement piece, a handmade gift, or simply an excuse to spend a summer weekend downtown, Madison's biggest art weekend remains one of the city's signature traditions. Both shows are open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. July 11 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 12.
  • The Partially Examined Life Live, Saturday, July 11, Craftsman Table & Tap, Middleton, 1 p.m.: This long-running podcast features a group of regular hosts (including Madisonian Mark Linsenmayer, who also performs music as Mark Lint) discussing topics of philosophy/philosophers. This special in-person episode taping of The Partially Examined Life uses America’s 250th birthday as a starting point, with a focus on The Federalist Papers, the Declaration of Independence and more. Seating is limited, and an RSVP is required at partiallyexaminedlife.com.
  • Northwoods League Softball All-Star Game, Saturday, July 11, Warner Park Duck Pond, 5:30 p.m.: Rolling into the middle of its third season of summer softball action, the Northwoods League’s six teams celebrate with their first ever All-Star Game. Players from the Madison Night Mares (with an incredible 22-2 record through Tuesday) will team up with players from La Crosse and Wausau to face the all-stars from teams in Grand Forks, Mankato and Minot. The evening starts with a home run derby at 5:30 p.m. and first pitch for the game just after 7 p.m. Tickets at madison-night-mares.nwltickets.com.
  • ‘Tomfoolery’ + ‘Ordinary Days’, July 11-19, Middleton-Cross Plains Performing Arts Center: Middleton Players Theatre is putting two musicals in one black box theater and letting them glare at each other across a repertory schedule. Adam Gwon’s Ordinary Days follows four New Yorkers looking for connection in the daily blur, while Tomfoolery raids the songbook of Tom Lehrer, where the jokes come with teeth and the pigeons should probably be nervous. It’s a smart split-screen: one show earnest and searching, the other gleefully poisonous. Kate Jajewski directs and choreographs both productions, with Thomas Kasdorf handling music direction and piano. Tomfoolery performances are at 7:30 p.m. July 10-11 and 2 p.m. July 18-19; Ordinary Days runs at 2 p.m. July 11-12 and 7:30 p.m. July 17-18. Tickets at middletonplayers.com.
  • Art Paul Schlosser, through July 31, Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse; reception July 12, 2-4 p.m.: If you’ve spent any time on State Street in the last several decades, you’ve likely stopped to check in on what stream-of-consciousness singer-songwriter Art Paul Schlosser is up to while busking. Schlosser has become as prolific at visual art as songwriting, and a collection of paintings of “Famous Celebrities” can be viewed at Mother Fool’s in July. A reception takes place from 2-4 p.m. on July 12. (Also: A second series of summer-themed paintings can be found from July 10-Aug. 31 at Madison Senior Center.)
  • Horse Lords, Sunday, July 12, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: The recently released album Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! finds the instrumental ensemble Horse Lords inspired by shape-note singing (perhaps unexpected for longtime listeners) and inventively exploring polyrhythms and tone intervals (perhaps less unexpected). The Baltimore-born group is currently based in Germany, so experimental music fans won’t want to miss this chance to catch them stateside. Tickets at zeffy.com.
  • Lucy Dacus, Sunday, July 12, The Sylvee, 8 p.m.: Lucy Dacus, one-third of boygenius, is just as pleasurable on her own. The singer-songwriter falls somewhere between indie rock and indie folk, and sings without affectation or quirkiness, letting her mezzo-soprano shine. Smidley (St. Louis-based Conor Murphy, of Foxing, in a band named after his dog) opens. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

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