What to do in Madison this weekend: Feb. 19-22, 2026

Wristwatch album release, Melissa Faliveno and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Melissa Faliveno, Thursday, Feb. 19, A Room of One’s Own, 6 p.m.: Mount Horeb native and former Isthmus contributor Melissa Faliveno is back with her second book and debut novel. In an email to friends and supporters, Faliveno calls Hemlock “a spooky little story about inheritance and transformation set in a shadow version of the Wisconsin Northwoods” as well as “a queer Midwestern Gothic.” Also reportedly in starring roles: “Friday fish fries, brandy old fashioneds, and cheese curds, obviously.” Faliveno will be in conversation with Madison novelist Maggie Ginsberg.
  • Shared Horizon: New Editions, through Feb. 20, Tandem Press: Tandem Press kicked off 2026 with this exhibition featuring new editions and monoprints completed in its studio in 2025. Art is from Wisconsin-based Michelle Grabner, who gravitates to strong patterns; Brooklyn, New York-based Marie Lorenz, who draws inspiration from urban landscapes; L.A.-based Alison Saar, who often focuses on images of the African diaspora; Portland, Oregon-based Marie Watt, who interprets Seneca and other Indigenous images; and Madison-born and Minneapolis-based Dyani White Hawk, whose bold geometric works draw on Lakota and other Indigenous traditions.
  • Max & the Fellow Travelers + Porch Flowers, Thursday, Feb. 19, High Noon Saloon, 7:30 p.m.: This bill jump-starting “The Horse Runs Wild Through the Midwest” mini-tour is a good sampler of roots and folk artists on the rise. Max & the Fellow Travelers is a Milwaukee outfit led by Max Niemann of Diet Lite; their most recent EP, Clean Copy, features country songs with punk inflections. Alewives, a project led by singer-songwriter Gunnar Schmitz, has been a consistent presence in Madison clubs since growing into a rockin' full band in late 2024. Winefred RT features former Madisonan Zoe Bockhorst, whose emotionally direct songs and powerful voice have rapidly found an audience; expect a debut album soon. Joining the tourmates is Madison roots-rockers The Porch Flowers (catch a sample of their fiddle-forward, harmony-drenched sound from a recent WSUM-FM Snake Sessions broadcast). Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Chelsea Handler, Thursday, Feb. 19, Orpheum, 8 p.m.: Chelsea Handler comes to Madison for the “High and Mighty Tour,” reportedly packed with the kind of material only she can get away with: sharp digs at modern life, unapologetic stories about dating and politics, and a healthy amount of oversharing. If history is any guide, she’ll cover at least three things you weren’t expecting, say at least one thing you can’t repeat at work, and provide some moments you’ll laugh harder at than you meant to. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • C’est La Vie, through Feb. 21, Bartell Theatre: Though this production is new, the concept is familiar: a lifetime includes a lot of scenes you don’t realize mattered until later. C’est La Vie, presented by Madison Public Theatre, features a collection of short works, written by Gretchen Suárez-Peña, that examine “the little things that make us all human,” as described by the playwright. The final performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19-20 and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 21. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • Andy Ewen, through March 21, Giant Jones Brewing; reception Feb. 20, 5-9 p.m.: In the 1980s and '90s Andy Ewen created illustrations for The New York Times Book Review, The Progressive and Isthmus; more recently his professional life has been at the UW-Madison medical school. But many in Madison will know Ewen as frontman/songwriter for the band Honor Among Thieves. In an artist statement, Ewen describes the work in “Recent Drawings” as “semi-automatic…I just start by drawing a line or a shape, and then let my imagination free associate in a manner akin to lucid dreaming.” The tasting room at Giant Jones is open Wednesday-Saturday; find hours at giantjones.com. A reception takes place from 5-9 p.m. on Feb. 20.
  • Whoopensocker LIVE! Friday, Feb. 20, Badger Ridge Middle School, Verona, 6:30 p.m.: If you’ve ever listened to a 3rd grader tell a story and thought, this is unhinged but also kind of brilliant, Whoopensocker is here to prove you right. The arts education program puts professional actors, improvisers and musicians in schools as teaching artists, who work with kids to turn their stories into a one-night-only variety show. Think SNL meets story time: fast, funny, occasionally sweet, and powered by the kind of imagination adults spend the rest of their lives trying to get back. Tickets at whoopensocker.org.
  • Midwestern Goodbyes, Feb. 20-March 1, Madison College-Truax Studio Theater: Madison College Performing Arts joins the World Premiere Wisconsin schedule with this entry written by alumnus Charly Sparks. Midwestern Goodbyes looks at a moment in the afterlife of Sloane, a recently deceased young woman who visits her own funeral — an event organized by her very different mother, and that doesn’t much reflect Sloane's life. It’s a heavy theme given a comedy edge. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at madisoncollege.edu.
  • Mad City Model Railroad Show, Feb. 21-22, Alliant Energy Center: For its 58th year, the Mad City Model Railroad Show has expanded in size to more than 100,000 square feet — making it one of the region’s most wide-ranging model train shows and expected to attract more than 8,500 attendees. Modular model railroad scenes in a variety of scales (Z, N, HO, S, O and G) will be on display and operated by clubs from Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Vendors from throughout the Midwest also will be selling model train- and rail-related merch. Free rides on a large indoor train will be available, too, and door prizes will be awarded hourly. Plus, kids ages 5-15 can register to win one of eight $240 train sets. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 21 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 22; find more info at nmra-scwd.org.
  • The Hobbit, through Feb. 22, Madison Youth Arts: Bilbo Baggins is an icon for anyone whose favorite plan is to “stay home.” The Hobbit is what happens when that plan collapses — cheerfully, catastrophically — into a world filled with dwarves, riddles, trolls, goblins, and one extremely persuasive wizard. Children’s Theater of Madison’s stage version of Greg Banks' adaptation of the fantasy classic keeps the story moving (90 minutes) and leans into the best Tolkien truth: courage isn’t always indicated by wielding swords and shields. The final performances are at 7 p.m. on Feb. 20, at 2 and 7 p.m. on Feb. 21, and 1 and 6 p.m. on Feb. 22. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Battle of the Barrels, Saturday, Feb. 21, Lake Louie/Wisconsin Brewing, Verona, 1-5 p.m.: On the surface, it’s a tasting to compare barrel-aged beers from Working Draft, Central Waters, G5, 3 Floyds, Starkweather, Full Mile, Potosi, Karben4 and Lake Louie. Keeping them company are the distilleries and winemakers that make those barrels special: Wollersheim, Whiskey Run and Dancing Goat. But it’s also a mid-winter good time, with classic rock and roll from Mount Horeb’s Dawg Bones, and the cult Milwaukee food truck Cousins Main Lobster. Craft beer and a lobstah roll, that is wicked pissah. Tickets at lakelouiebrewing.com.
  • Fire & Wonder Winter Gathering, Saturday, Feb. 21, San Damiano, Monona, 4-7 p.m.: By this point in February, you may have had your fill of standing around in chill temperatures, attempting either to have fun or to preserve democracy. This event stands out because of San Damiano’s wonderful site on the shore of Lake Monona, where you can watch the sun set along with bonfires, marshmallows to roast, and Ho-Chunk storytelling by Janice Rice (RSVP required). It’s a place to step back from everyday life and draw strength from the land and the season.
  • Madison Roller Derby, Saturday, Feb. 21, Alliant Energy Center-Arena, 5 p.m.: Madison Roller Derby athletes employ both speed and strategy; for fans, that leads to the joy of watching something that looks like chaos until you realize it’s chess played at 20 mph on eight wheels. The stands at Alliant get loud and the track gets louder for the annual championship weekend; it’s the kind of night where newbies pick a favorite skater and spend the rest of the bout yelling like a season ticket holder. Quad Squad and Unholy Rollers battle for the championship, and the night starts with a bout between Reservoir Dolls and Cosmic Crush. Tickets at ticketleap.com.
  • Vienna Teng, Saturday, Feb. 21, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: Pianist, singer and composer Vienna Teng hasn’t released a new full-length album since 2013, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been busy on creative projects in the interim. (And, like many musicians in the streaming era, Teng holds down a day job.) One of the most notable projects is Teng’s climate activism, including recurring virtual hangouts, post-concert workshops and more, for which she was named one of 50 climate and justice leaders to watch in 2025 by Grist. Tickets at stoughtonoperahouse.com.
  • Wristwatch album release, Saturday, Feb. 21, Crystal Corner, 9 p.m.: Bands that are well-known for intense live shows can have a hard time translating that to studio recordings. That’s not the case for Wristwatch, the quartet of guitarists Bobby Hussy and Ben Dederich, bassist Tyler Spatz, and drummer Eric Hartz. III, released in January, features reimagined versions of songs from the first two albums newly recorded with the four-piece lineup. It rocks hard but is not your standard guitar army exercise, with the guitarists exploring offsetting textures and melodies, and the rhythm section keeping it swinging even at speedy tempos. With The Scratch-Offs (celebrating guitarist-singer James Runde’s birthday), Flesh Panthers and Yolk.
  • Winter Festival of Poetry, Sundays, through March 8, Delta Beer Lab, 2 p.m.: A potent potable and some poetry on a midwinter’s afternoon? Yes please. The annual Winter Festival of Poetry is now located at Delta Beer Lab for the rest of these Sunday afternoon readings, proving that iambs and IPAs are a perfect match.

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated to correct an error in the Fire and Wonder pick (San Damiano is on Lake Monona, not Mendota).