17 fun things to do in the Madison area this weekend (2024)

Enjoy live jazz, see all of Shakespeare’s works in 97 minutes and eat burgers on Monona Bay: There are many great community events coming up this weekend.

Pride Month Trivia: Test your knowledge of LGBTQ history, art and pop culture at 5 p.m. Friday at the Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Ave. RSVP for free at eventbrite.com.

Burgers on the Bay: Rent a boat and paddle out to the middle of Monona Bay to enjoy burgers from a floating grill. Burgers will be available from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Live music will be played on the water starting at 6 p.m. Boats can be rented at and will leave from Brittingham Beach, 701 W. Brittingham Place, madisonboats.com.

Urban League Market: Browse a diverse range of booths from local vendors, including snacks, handmade crafts, clothing, merchandise and more. The market will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Black Business Hub, 2352 South Park St., ulgm.org.

Insect Scavenger Hunt: Children can hunt insects and learn about the ones they catch, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St. Admission is $12, madisonchildrensmuseum.org.

Complete Works of Shakespeare: Watch as performers speed through all 37 of William Shakespeare’s plays in 97 minutes at 6 p.m. Friday and 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday. The performances will be done entirely by UW-Madison students at Allen Centennial Garden, 620 Babco*ck Drive. Admission is free, allencentennialgarden.wisc.edu.

Atlas Improv Company: Enjoy an improv show from local troupes at the Atlas Improv Company, 609 E. Washington Ave., 7 p.m. Friday and 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $11 for the general public and $7 for students, educators and veterans, atlasimprov.com.

Tina Turner musical: Learn about the life of legendary musician Tina Turner in the form of a musical. The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St. Tickets ranging from $50 to $159 are available at overture.org.

Parade of Homes: The Madison Area Builders Association will showcase the latest in homebuilding trends from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Homes in the Golden Ponds neighborhood in Waunakee and the Windsor Gardens neighborhood in Windsor will be open to the public to tour. Tickets can be purchased for $15 at madisonparadeofhomes.com.

Pursuit of Happiness performances: Local musicians, actors, dancers and comedians will perform from 5 to 9:45 p.m. on Friday, 12:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday at McPike Park, 202 S. Ingersoll St. Admission is free, but donations will go to various to local charities, including Friends of Ukraine and Centro Hispano, sessionsatmcpike.org.

Harry Whitehorse Festival: Family and friends of the late wood sculptor Harry Whitehorse will be kicking off a weeklong art festival in his memory at 5 p.m. Friday at San Damiano Park, 4123 Monona Drive. The event will continue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and will feature live performances, food vendors, exhibits and workshops from international artists, including sculptors from Peru, Switzerland, Germany and Ghana. Admission is free, harrywhitehorse.com/festival.

Madison Kids Bike and Run: Kids ages 3 to 14 can participate in three different races of varying lengths from 7 to 11a.m. Saturday at Warner Park, 2930 N. Sherman Ave. Registration to race is $45, and all proceeds will go to supporting Dane County schools. Register at tri4schools.org.

Sequoya Library Book Sale: Thousands of nonfiction and fiction titles will be on sale for cheap from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Market Square Shopping Center, 6672 Odana Road. Sales will support Madison Public Libraries, madisonpubliclibrary.org.

Kites over Monona: Attendees can watch nearly a dozen professional kiters from Wisconsin fly kites over Lake Monona at 9 a.m. Saturday at Olbrich Park, 3527 Atwood Ave. The first 100 children at the event will get a free kite, and food and drink will be available. For $30 to $50, attendees also can register to participate in a bike ride around Lake Monona that day, cleanlakesalliance.org.

Forest Bathing: Enjoy the Japanese art of “forest bathing,” the practice of immersing yourself in a forest and enjoying nature. A guided tour will start at 10 a.m. Saturday through the Natural Path Sanctuary, 2299 Spring Rose Road, Verona. Attendees should bring a mat or folding stool and something to write on. Free admission, farleycenter.org.

Juneteenth Parade: Celebrate Juneteenth with a parade beginning at 10:45 a.m. Saturday at Fountain of Life Church, 655 W. Badger Road. The parade will proceed down Park Street and end at Penn Park, 2101 Fisher St., kujimcsd.org.

Madison Jazz Festival: This year’s edition of the annual event will feature free jazz performances from local and national talents. Performances are open to the public between 1 and 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Memorial Union Terrace, 800 Langdon St., madisonjazzfestivalwi.org.

Learn to juggle: The Madison Area Jugglers will host an informal, free juggling class from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Madison Circus Space, 2082 Winnebago St., madjugglers.com.