ART FAIR ON THE SQUARE
Event schedule
JULY 12 & 13, 2025
Art Fair on the Square is one of the Midwest's largest and best regarded art festivals...and it's right outside our door. Close to 500 artists exhibit items from booths lining the Capitol Square. There's always good food to be had and live music to listen to while you peruse for a purchase or rest your feet under the trees on the Capitol lawn.
Madison Insider Tips
- Art Fair is held the second weekend in July and it can be HOT, especially when you're hanging out with 200,000 of your closest friends. Come anyway, it's worth it, and there are plenty of shops, restaurants or a Capitol Square hotel to duck into to cool off. Bring a water bottle or support the event by purchasing beverages as you go.
- Art Fair on the Square is presented by MMoCA (the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art). We pronounce it "muh-mocha" and it's one of two art museums in downtown Madison. Visit MMoCA or the University's Chazen Museum of Art if you'd like to see more.
- You'll notice everyone walks counter-clockwise around the Capitol Square. Why? No one knows. If you need to go back for that painting you can't live without or an empanada you tried - and failed - to resist, use the Capitol lawn as an easy way to move against the tide. You can also cut through the Capitol itself and use the restroom as you go!