August is a weird month in Madison. It’s still obviously part of summer, but many people are already mentally looking forward to fall, and with the UW-Madison students coming back, the start of football season, and pumpkin spice lattes already in coffee shops, it’s hard not to understand why.
But there’s still plenty of outdoor summer fun to be ahead before we bust out the flannel shirts and corduroys. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, the gang talks about some of the things we’re looking forward to doing, seeing and eating in August. A lot of them involve being outside, from the Magic Pride Festival at Warner Park to Rooftop Cinema at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art to Taste of Madison on the Capitol Square.
Here’s more fun stuff to look forward to in August.
🎉 A Festival Every Week
It just wouldn’t be summer without Madison’s festivals, and August has a bunch of them.
First up is the Sugar Maple Music Festival (Aug. 1-2), which brings bluegrass, folk, Americana, and other genres to Lake Farm County Park. This year’s headliners include Colorado bluegrass trio The Cody Sisters, folk singer-songwriter Lizzie No, and the world premiere of the Quebec-meets-Louisiana combo Cajun Snowshoes.
We love our pocket parks in Madison, and North Star Fest takes over the park at 701 Galileo Drive on Aug. 2. Eken Park Fest returns to the north side on Aug. 16, with food, beer, and some great local bands like Seasaw and The Flavor That Kills.
Head west on Aug. 22-24 for Middleton’s Good Neighbor Festival, which has a piratical theme this year to match the festival’s new home at South Beach. And head east Aug. 13-17 for Sun Prairie’s Sweet Corn Festival in Angell Park, which features music, kids’ activities, and of course ears and ears of that sweet, sweet corn.
Black on State Festival returns to the 400 block of State Street on Aug. 23, bringing Black joy and creativity to the heart of the city. In the age of “Cowboy Carter,” this year’s festival features a “Rodeo Remix” in Lisa Link Peace Park with art, vendors, DJs, and line dancing.
Hang out with beautiful butterflies inside Olbrich Garden’s Bolz Conservatory until Aug. 10. (Photo courtesy of Olbrich Gardens)
🦋 Beautiful Critters
We’ve done no shortage of complaining this summer about how bad the mosquitos are. But there are plenty of beautiful insects flitting around in the summertime that don’t want to suck our blood.
Olbrich Garden’s Blooming Butterflies will continue in the Bolz Conservatory through Aug. 10. It’s a rare chance to get up close and personal with 19 species of butterflies among the lush greenery of the conservatory.
And if that isn’t enough colorful flying critters for you, the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society (which is a real thing) sponsors monthly walks in the Arboretum to spot dragonflies and damselflies and connect data for the Arb’s monitoring project. The next one is on Aug. 16 – bring patience and a good pair of binoculars.
