Summertime is festival time and in and around Madison, Wisconsin. You’ll find some awesome events to help celebrate the season. Here are some of the best festivals in 2019.
Dane County Fair – July 18 to 21
The family-friendly Dane County Fair dates back to 1851. The four-day event is held at the Alliant Energy Center and features nightly concerts, daily stunt shows, the lumberjack show, and more. The Kiddie Farm gives young ones the chance to see, meet, and touch farm animals, and learn about farming.
Special events include Thursday’s Hometown Hero Day, Friday’s kid’s day activities, Saturday’s agricultural-based farm fresh day, and Sunday’s family fiesta activities. A wide variety of food is available, and vendors and exhibitors will be offering their goods. The gates open at 9 a.m. and the carnival operates from noon to 11 p.m.
Midwest Fire Fest – July 27 and 28
The Midwest Fire Fest is held in scenic Westside Park in downtown Cambridge. It celebrates all things created from fire, smoke, and heat, such as metal art, forging, welding, pottery, and glass. Entertainment is provided by bands, fire dancers, 11 live fire demonstrations, and more. Approximately 10 food vendors offer tasty choices, and wine, cider, and craft beer are served in the beer tent.
Dramatic displays include a 1,000-pound hot-iron pour, a seven-foot fire sculpture produced from a 13-foot flaming kiln, and live knife, iron, and metal demonstrations. You can also enjoy the Saturday night fire feast. The festival is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
Middleton Good Neighbor Festival – Aug 23 to 25
Since 1964, the Middleton Good Neighbor Festival has been bringing the community together. Located in Firemen’s Park, the event offers entertainment and activities for the whole family. You’ll find your favorite food choices in the Food Court, which will also feature daily specials.
Live bands perform on the stage and, on Friday night, family movies are shown on the big screen. Additionally, a carnival operates throughout the weekend and you can have fun playing laser tag. An arts-and-crafts show offers more than 100 booths showcasing a diverse range of products. The annual parade on Sunday has a SuperHero City theme. The event runs Friday 5 p.m. through Sunday 6 p.m. and is open late Friday and Saturday.
Taste of Madison – Aug 31 and Sept 1
Capital Square hosts the Taste of Madison food festival, which has three entertainment stages, over 80 participating restaurants selling more than 200 menu items, and 26 beverage vendors with beer, wine, soda, and more. Details of the entertainment will be released in August. The festival is open 2 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday; admission is free.
Head out to these great festivals this summer and enjoy great entertainment, food, and drink while supporting local charities and worthy causes.
“Fire Dancer” via Flickr by SteFou!. Used with permission via CC BY 2.0 / cropped from original
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