What to do in Madison this weekend: Oct. 1-4, 2026

The Moth Madison GrandSLAM, UW Homecoming Parade and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • As You Like It, through Oct. 4, American Players Theatre: APT launched its 2026 repertory season on June 6 with As You Like It, and the Shakespeare mainstay also will be the final outdoor performance for the year. It’s a silly into-the-woods comedy, with a woman masquerading as a man and then finding her true love (male); confusion abounds, and as this is a comedy, all is set right in the end. Read Katie Reiser's review here. Performances at 10 a.m. Oct. 1 and 6 p.m. Oct. 4; tickets at americanplayers.org. (There's also final performances this weekend for The Matchmaker and The Two “Gentlemen” of Verona.)
  • D. Leah Steinberg, Thursday, Oct. 1, Lake City Books, 6:30 p.m.: The name D. Leah Steinberg may not be familiar, but how about Clyde Stubblefield? Famed as James Brown's “funky drummer,” Stubblefield was a longtime Madisonian, playing regular club gigs and mentoring many local musicians until his death in 2017. He is the most sampled drummer in the world, hence giving hip-hop its backbone. Steinberg has written Clyde Stubblefield: Rhythms of the Funky Drummer, the first biography of the music legend, detailing his life from a difficult childhood in Tennessee, to his on-the-job musical education to reminiscences from those who knew him. Steinberg will discuss the project at Lake City. RSVP at lakecitybooks.com.
  • Bicycle Film Festival. Thursday, Oct. 1, Barrymore, 6:30 p.m.: This touring program featuring short films related to cycling has been around for more than 25 years, and has included a stop hosted by Madison Bikes each year since making its debut here in 2024. This year’s film lineup features several stories on the power of a bicycle to transform lives, when gained, lost, or creating community. There will be a pre-show social at Starkweather Brewing at 4 p.m. and afterparty at Working Draft. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.
  • John Green, Thursday, Oct. 1, Overture-Capitol Theater, 7 p.m.: This is a huge get for the Wisconsin Book Festival (in partnership with A Room of One’s Own) — and the perfect pregame for the fest’s 25th annual four-day Fall Celebration from Oct. 15-18. John Green, known for his bestselling young adult (The Fault in Our Stars) and nonfiction (Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection) books, is on the road promoting his first novel for adults, Hollywood, Ending. It’s the story of two young actors cast in a buzzy Andy Warhol biopic and explores the challenges of finding someone to trust in an untrustworthy world. Pre-signed copies of Hollywood, Ending will be distributed free to attendees. Doors open at 6 p.m., so plan to arrive early!
  • Gigi Mosconi, through Oct. 3, Textile Arts Center: The Textile Arts Center is a worthy venue centering the fiber arts. Its latest gallery exhibit, “Moving the Needle,” showcases the quilts of Gigi Mosconi, in this retrospective of four decades of making. Mosconi started with more traditional quilts, moving to embrace geometrics, bold colors and improvisation to create exhilarating, invigorating, thoughtful and contemporary works of graphic and textile art. Gallery hours are noon-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
  • Nick Brown Band album release, Thursday, Oct. 1, Bur Oak, 7 p.m.: Longtime Madison music fans have likely heard Nick Brown play and sing in covers-focused bands such as longtime Crystal Corner resident honky-tonkers Brown Derby or, more recently, Canyon Arrow and This is Gary. For his eponymous solo/band project, Brown writes songs that are empathetic, wryly humorous, and economically drilled down to seemingly small details that combine to paint a big canvas. The new album Short Long-Term Memory continues Brown and band’s winning streak, featuring 10 new songs featuring beautifully laid-back country-folk playing and Brown’s burnished vocals and keen storytelling. With Bigtooth. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
  • Michael Mayo, Thursday, Oct. 1, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 7:30 p.m.: Singer and composer Michael Mayo is among a new generation of artists reviving the art of the jazz vocal. Mayo put his elastic tenor to good use on the 2024 album Fly, which featured both original songs and creative reinterpretations of classic melodies by Miles Davis (“Four” picked up a Grammy nod), Thelonious Monk, and others. For a sample of what he can do live, watch Mayo’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.
  • Fortune Feimster, Friday, Oct. 2, Overture Hall, 7 p.m.: Fortune Feimster can make you laugh before she even gets to the punchline. Her wonderfully relatable stories about marriage, family, and the awkwardness of everyday life somehow manage to be sweet and a little wicked at the same time. Feimster returns to Overture with her “Takin’ Care of Biscuits” tour, adding to a résumé that includes three Netflix specials and the popular Handsome podcast with Tig Notaro and Mae Martin. If you need a night when laughing feels guaranteed, here's your chance. Tickets at overture.org.
  • ALL 10th Anniversary Retrospective, through Nov. 7, Arts + Literature Laboratory: This exhibition brings together work by more than 50 artists who have been a part of the wide-ranging visual arts scene at ALL since its opening in 2015, from Native Art Market participants and Bridge Work emerging artists to LAB community curation project creators. A closing reception is set for fall Gallery Night, 5-9 p.m. Nov. 6.
  • UW Homecoming Parade, Friday, Oct. 2, Gilman & State streets, 6 p.m.: One of the most festive events of fall is the annual parade celebrating homecoming week at UW-Madison. You can bet on a Bucky Badger sighting, music by the UW Marching Band, and appearances by the UW Dance Team and many other student organizations. It starts on Gilman Street and heads down State Street toward the Memorial Union. The parade and other activities lead up to the resurgent football team’s matchup with Michigan State, at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Camp Randall. Find more events at uwalumni.com and wiscohoco.com.
  • The Moth Madison GrandSLAM, Friday, Oct. 2, Barrymore, 7:30 p.m.: Nobody tells a story quite like the storytellers who will take the stage for The Moth Madison GrandSLAM storytelling championship. Ten participants — past StorySLAM winners at monthly events at High Noon Saloon this year — will tell stories on the theme “Fuel to the Fire.” Sarah Batarfi, Ria Dhingra, David Eckstein, Jeanne Gomoll, Liam Granlund, Ali Muldrow, Noel Mariano, Alice Pauser, Jon Pollack and Emily Zona will bring their hottest stuff for what promises to be a communal evening full of surprises, laughs and tears. It’s the antidote we all need right now. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.
  • Heather the Jerk (album release) + Baby Tyler (7-inch release), Friday, Oct. 2, Ohio Tavern, 8 p.m.: In bands including Proud Parents, Boo/Hiss and The Hussy, Heather Sawyer has proven to be one of Madison’s most consistently engaging songwriters, creating catchy rock-punk-garage songs that say a lot in a refreshingly concise and straightforward way. Sawyer’s current main project, Heather the Jerk, brings more goodness on Scroll If You Love Devil, first released last winter as a very limited tape and now out on a snazzy new LP with bonus tracks. Baby Tyler also has a new 7-inch, “Ignoring Signs,” coming in October via the Goodbye Boozy label. Both bands are back from a European tour for this release show.
  • Eurydice, Oct. 2-17, Bartell Theatre: Playwright and author Sarah Ruhl’s work has been regularly featured on Madison stages over the last couple decades. Eurydice, Ruhl’s retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with the perspective shifted to lady E, made its premiere as a Madison Repertory Theatre production in 2003, and here is revived by Madison Theatre Guild for a fresh look. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday (except 3 p.m. on Oct. 17) and 3 p.m. Sunday, plus 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • Opera on the Point, Saturday, Oct. 3, Picnic Point, 7 p.m.: Whether you think you like opera or not, give Opera on the Point a try. Fresco Opera, the company that takes opera to unlikely stages — like suburban garages — has been mounting a yearly production of ghost stories paired with appropriate songs from various operas, in the circle at the tip of Picnic Point, complete with a roaring campfire. This year’s theme is “Into the Dark,” and organizers promise “strange creatures, legends, and encounters emerg[ing] from the woods.” It’s good fun. Park at the Picnic Point lot (Lot 130) and walk the mile to the end of the peninsula. There are some stone seats at the fire ring but it wouldn’t hurt to bring a camp chair (and a flashlight).
  • Friends of the State Street Family Benefit, Sunday, Oct. 4, Gamma Ray, 5 p.m.: The mission statement of Friends of the State Street Family says the Madison nonprofit offers “help, hope, and friendship to our neighbors struggling with the challenges of homelessness.” Madison’s music scene knows how to put together a fun genre-crossing concert. Those two worlds come together with this benefit packing in seven local artists for an early evening. The lineup ranges from grungy rockers Bashford (whose most recent album, Wannabe, hit national racks last fall via Big Neck Records) to pop-rock songwriter M Shays to prog-metallers Queen of Dreams. And there’s much more: The Flavor That Kills, Free Dirt, Caleb Groat and Plowshares.
  • Mr. Chair + Syndee Winters + Greg Ward, Sunday, Oct. 4, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: If you just read that group of artist names and said, “What?” — it’s not a typo, it’s for real. Madison trio Mr. Chair bridges the worlds of jazz, classical and pop music, and are serial collaborators; they have gathered some intriguing friends for this concert. Saxophonist and composer Greg Ward has a similarly eclectic resume including work with jazz bassist William Parker, alt-rockers Tortoise, and classical and ballet companies in the Chicago area. Syndee Winters is a singer, songwriter and Broadway star (with roles in The Lion King, Hamilton, and others); the concert will feature material from her most recent album, Syndee Winters Sings Lena Horne, and more. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

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