Idea Fest

media release: A few months back the Cap Times announced that the sixth annual Cap Times Idea Fest will once again be a hybrid of virtual and in-person events from Sept. 12-17 across Madison. On Aug. 2, Cap Times publisher Paul Fanlund announced speakers including Carl Bernstein and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, and session topics ranging from the election to climate change.

Bernstein, who along with Washington Post colleague Bob Woodward, broke the Watergate scandal 50 years ago will be the featured guest in a special fundraiser while Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland who is a member of the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, will be the keynote speaker on Friday, Sept. 16.

With today’s announcement, tickets are now on sale and registration is open for all free virtual events. The full schedule of events and locations will be available in a few weeks at captimesideafest.com. Find tickets here and subscribe to the Cap Times Idea Fest newsletter for the latest updates.

This year, Cap Times is proud to announce it has teamed up with Madison’s Young Blood Beer Company for an official Cap Times Idea Fest beer. Young Blood will brew a limited release hazy IPA with hops sourced from Wisconsin, available for purchase at Young Blood’s taproom downtown Madison and at some in-person fest sessions. The beer name and more details will be announced soon at captimes.com.

Free virtual events | Sept. 12-16

Virtual sessions during the first part of the week will focus on topics including the upcoming election, climate change, immigration, medical records, rural broadband, marijuana policy and the influence of Title IX. Speakers will include Melissa Agard, Dominique Brossard, Ruth Conniff, Mary Felzkowski, Charles Franklin, Andrew Maraniss, Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Ajay Sethi and many more.

Cooking with the Cap Times | Monday, Sept. 12, 6 p.m.

Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians hosts chef Joe Papach of Harvey House in the Kessenich’s Innovation Kitchen. Register to watch this event free online. Cap Times members get exclusive access to join live for a limited number of seats, enjoy the dish and a glass of wine.

Cap Times Live | Tuesday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.

Madison Area Music Association-award winning trio Gin, Chocolate and Bottle Rockets perform a lively show at Doc’s Smokehouse. Tickets are $15, or free for Cap Times members at the King Street level and higher. Price includes an outstanding barbeque dinner.

An evening with Carl Bernstein | Thursday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.

Held at the Memorial Union’s Great Hall, cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m. As a special fundraiser for the Cap Times, come hear Madison native and Washington Post editor David Maraniss interview Post colleague Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame about the 50th anniversary of that scandal, how our current political climate compares and his early journalism career. Tickets are $125, or $100 for Cap Times members at the King Street level and higher. Price includes light appetizers, drinks and a copy of Bernstein’s new book, “Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom.”

Live events at Madison College and Memorial Union | Sept. 15-17

Three days of events all at one price! On Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m., join us at Madison College’s south campus for an outstanding discussion about the “Rising Tide on the south side” featuring Ruben Anthony, the Rev. Alex Gee, Vanessa McDowell and Karen Menendez-Coller. On Friday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 17, join us in the Union’s Shannon

Hall for an outstanding lineup of speakers including Jocelyn Benson, Barb McQuade, Toluse Olorunnipa, Jamie Raskin, Robert Samuels and more. Tickets are $25, or $10 for Cap Times members at the King Street level and higher.

This event is the largest hosted by the Cap Times each year since 2017. All who register, purchase tickets and sponsor this event are supporting local journalism and the Cap Times newsroom. Readers can support the Cap Times by becoming a Cap Times member. Members of all levels will get Idea Fest ticket discounts, and members at the Evjue level will get a free pair of tickets. Thank you to the Madison community and to all of our readers for your continued support. Subscribe to the Cap Times Idea Fest newsletter to get fest updates and answers to FAQs, or visit captimes.com.