Nightlife

The Mad City occasionally gets a mention for its university/party-school reputation and perhaps for good reason. But Madison is much more diverse than the label might imply. Bars are numerous, of course, and for better or for worse are part of the Wisconsin culture. Blame it on—or credit it to—the German immigrants who brought so much beer-brewing talent and motivation with them. Local beer is in abundance at the microbreweries themselves but also on the regular tap lists at a majority of the places serving suds. Live music is in abundance and styles run the gamut. Indie rock, metal, country, bluegrass, blues, jazz, classical, Latin, Irish—on any given week the entertainment sections of Isthmus and 77 Square offer an assortment with regular local acts mixed in with touring national or even international ones. DJs have their niche, and anyone looking to let it all out on the dance floor needn’t go far.

Slightly more cerebral activities are abundant as well. Book readings, lectures, and gallery openings happen every week, and nights out at the movies get good representation from the independents, documentaries, and foreign films. The thriving performing arts scene is greater than such a modest population might expect.

The closest thing Madison has to a centralized entertainment area is State Street and the Capitol Square. Other neighborhoods such as Atwood–Schenck on the east side or Monroe Street on the near west might offer two or three bars or restaurants close together, but to list them as nightlife destinations by themselves would be misleading. That said, the Mad City does offer a variety of places to go, and since getting around is easy, the lack of a central entertainment zone isn’t really an issue.

State Street is open only to buses, delivery vehicles, and bicycles. That should be enough to make sure you cross with care, but insignificant enough to create a pedestrian zone. Bars, restaurants, and shops line both sides of the six blocks between the Capitol Square and the Library Mall where the University of Wisconsin campus begins. Coffee shops are in abundance, and street musicians are only slightly outnumbered by panhandlers. Connecting state government and state university is a strange mix, and State Street really does show people of all walks of life. Most bars down around the Capitol Square get busy at quitting time with the state and local government crowd.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has been a mainstay on Playboy’s “Best Party Schools” list since its inception. When classes are in session the city has a bit more of a, er, buzz to it, and in the downtown area students keep the bars and restaurants full. One venue that seems to appeal to a wider audience—drawing families, business people, travelers, and of course college students—is the Terrace behind the Memorial Union on campus. Locals refer to it either as the Union or the Terrace (although the Monona Terrace might sometimes cause confusion). Der Rathskeller is the lounge area inside.

Cover charges at bars are almost always specifically for shows and can range from a nominal two or three dollars going directly to the band to a full-blown $10 for a weekend event. Weekday nights tend to be free. A few places occasionally offer all-ages shows and post that information in advertising for each event, otherwise one can expect the 21 and over crowd. Bar closing time in Madison is 2:30 a.m. on Fri and Sat evenings and 2 a.m. on weekday nights. Most bars will make last call somewhere between 2 a.m. and 2:15 a.m. to make sure the patrons are all out in time. Clocks at most places are set 10 or 15 minutes ahead, in other words they are on “bar time” so you can feel like you are cutting it close. Enforcement can result in fines for the establishment, so don’t resist the bartenders and bouncers.

You can’t buy beer in Madison from the local grocery or liquor store after 9 p.m. Open intoxicants in city streets are not allowed, but a few public parks do permit it. Always remember: don’t drink and drive. It’s just common sense and respectful of the lives and well being of others. With the exception of establishments that make at least 10% of their business from the sale of tobacco products other than cigarettes, a no smoking ban is in effect for all Madison businesses. Cigar bars, for example, are exempted as are casinos which are technically governed by Federal law. The ban is statewide as of July 2010.

Sources for information and listings of what’s going on are numerous and a compilation of the best of them is listed below. Tickets for big events can often be found at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), but many shows advertise a list of local businesses which are acting as box offices for general admission. Sections for live music venues, clubs, and concert venues have some crossover so it is worth familiarizing yourself with all of them. The Majestic Theater, for example, often has live shows featuring national or even international acts, but is well known for DJ parties, film showings, and even an occasional cabaret, while High Noon Saloon is a great bar but arguably one of the best concert venues in town.

Nightlife - Performing Arts

For decades, members of the Madison community had talked about—and fought about—building a proper center that would support a culture of art and performance, something that would enrich the community. The Overture Center for the Arts is a crown jewel that satisfied the city’s craving when it opened in 2004. Set in the heart of downtown, a portion of it occupies the space of an original theater from 1928. The creation of the Overture Center, however, required a whole city block, and now it is home to several resident performance groups and art galleries.

While the Overture Center is indeed grand, Madison has a fine collection of humbler settings where highly entertaining and varied performances are taking place, from the boundless Broom Street Theater to the Young Shakespeare Players Playhouse. Going beyond the city limits opens up even more options including the Tony Award-nominated American Players Theatre and the high-class Fireside Dinner Theater. From ballet to opera, from traveling Broadway musicals to locally written plays, the performing arts scene shows good taste, good talent, and good humor.