Art Fair on the Square (Madison)

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra's Concerts on the Square is an outdoor concert series held in each summer Madison on the lawn of the Wisconsin State Capitol. The series consists of six concerts on Wednesday evenings. It has been called "The Biggest Picnic of Summer". 2015 will be its 32nd season.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate. The Wisconsin Constitution ties the size of the State Senate to that of the Assembly, by limiting its size to no less than 1/4, nor more than 1/3, of the size of the Assembly. Currently, Wisconsin is divided into 33 Senate Districts (1/3 of the current Assembly membership of 99) apportioned throughout the state based on population as determined by the decennial census, for a total of 33 senators. A Senate district is formed by combining three Assembly districts. Similar to the U.S. Senate, in addition to its duty of reviewing and voting on all legislation passed through the legislature, the State Senate has the exclusive responsibility of confirming certain gubernatorial appointments, particularly cabinet secretaries (as part of the system of checks and balances) and members of boards and commissions. Senators are elected for four-year terms, staggered so that approximately half of the Senate is up for election every two years. If a vacancy occurs in a Senate seat between elections, it may be filled only by a special election. The Senate chamber is in the south wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison.

The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wisconsin capitol since the first territorial legislature convened in 1836 and the third building since Wisconsin was granted statehood in 1848. The Wisconsin State Capitol is the tallest building in Madison, a distinction that has been preserved by legislation that prohibits buildings taller than the columns surrounding the dome (187 feet). The Capitol is located at the southwestern end of the Madison Isthmus. The streets surrounding the building form the Capitol Square, which is home to many restaurants and shops.

Madison is the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Dane County. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840 which made it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-largest in the U.S. The city forms the core of the Madison Metropolitan Area which includes Dane County and neighboring Iowa, Green, and Columbia counties for a population of 680,796. Madison is named for American Founding Father and President James Madison. The city is located on the traditional land of the Ho-Chunk, and the Madison area is known as Dejope, meaning "four lakes", or Taychopera, meaning "land of the four lakes", in the Ho-Chunk language.Located on an isthmus and lands surrounding four lakes—Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Kegonsa and Lake Waubesa—the city is home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Wisconsin State Capitol, the Overture Center for the Arts, and the Henry Vilas Zoo. Madison is home to an extensive network of parks and bike trails; it has the most parks and playgrounds per capita of any of the 100 largest U.S. cities and is one of five communities to have received a "Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community" rating from the League of American Bicyclists. Madison is also home to nine National Historic Landmarks, including several buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, such as his 1937 Jacobs I House, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Residents of Madison are known as Madisonians. Madison has long been a center for progressive political activity, protests, and demonstrations, and contemporary Madison is considered the most politically liberal city in Wisconsin. The presence of the University of Wisconsin–Madison (the largest employer in the state) as well as other educational institutions has a significant impact on the economy, culture, and demographics of Madison.As of 2021, Madison is the fastest-growing city in Wisconsin. Madison's economy features a large and growing technology sector, and the Madison area is home to the headquarters of Epic Systems, American Family Insurance, Exact Sciences, Promega, American Girl, Sub-Zero, Lands' End, Spectrum Brands, a regional office for Google, and the University Research Park, as well as many biotechnology and health systems startups. Madison is a popular visitor destination, with tourism generating over $1 billion for Dane County's economy in 2018. A booming population combined with a lack of housing and ongoing gentrification of many Madison neighborhoods has contributed to rising housing costs, with a 23% increase in median rent between 2014 and 2019.

The 2011 Wisconsin protests were a series of demonstrations in the state of Wisconsin in the United States beginning in February involving as many as 100,000 protesters opposing the 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, also called the "Wisconsin Budget Repair bill." The protests centered on the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, with satellite protests also occurring at other municipalities throughout the state. Demonstrations took place at various college campuses, including the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. After the collective bargaining bill was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on June 14, the number of protesters declined to about 1,000 within a couple days.The protests were a major driving force for recall elections of state senators in 2011 and 2012, the failed recall of Governor Scott Walker in 2012 and a contentious Wisconsin Supreme Court election in 2011. A major Western protest contemporary with the Tahrir Square occupation camp, the Wisconsin Capitol occupation preceded the global Occupy protests later in 2011 and the 2013-2014 Euromaidan movement in Ukraine, which would use similar organization and tactics.

Grace Episcopal Church is located in Madison, Wisconsin, on the westward side of the Capitol Square. It was designed by James Douglas and was built in 1855. In 1885, architect David R. Jones, collaborating with a Chicago firm, redesigned the interior. The lowered ceiling in the new design remained true to the original Gothic Revival theme. It placed a traditional hammer-beam ceiling below the old vaulting and embellishing it with qua-trefoils and a large pointed arch. A second bay window was added in the 1920s. At the same time, a chapel was added along Carrol Street. Stained glass windows were added in 1887, including an English made Resurrection window. The Baptistery window of 1899 was made by Louis Comfort Tiffany. On January 1, 1976, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in art, architecture and religion.

Forward is an 1893 bronze statue by American sculptor Jean Pond Miner Coburn depicting an embodiment of Wisconsin's "Forward" motto. The 1996 replica is located at the Wisconsin State Capitol grounds at the top of State Street. The statue often is misidentified with the Wisconsin statue on top of the Capitol dome.

The Churchill Building, also known as the Gay Building, is a nine-story, 134-foot-tall (41 m) high-rise building located at 16 North Carroll Street in Madison, Wisconsin. Completed in 1915, it was Madison's first skyscraper. It was the tallest building in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee, and remained so until 1917 when the Wisconsin State Capitol was completed. The building, like many others built in Madison during the early 1900s, was designed in the Beaux-Arts style. The building was developed by Leonard Gay, for whom it was originally named, and designed by architect James R. Law, Jr., who later served as mayor of Madison from 1932 to 1943. Because the height of the building interfered with views of the Capitol, its construction drew opposition. The city's landscape architect, John Nolen, led an unsuccessful campaign to stop its construction. After the building was completed, a 90-foot (27 m) height limit was enacted for buildings around the Capitol; as a result, the Gay Building remained Madison's tallest (other than the Capitol) until the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the height limit law in 1923, which allowed construction of the taller Belmont Hotel. When the building was completed, there was speculation that extra streetcar service would be needed to handle the increased concentration of people going in and out of the building.In 1974, developer Don Hovde acquired the building, gutted and renovated it, and changed its name to the Churchill Building.

The Dane County Farmers' Market is America's largest producers-only farmers' market. It is held from April to November on Saturday mornings on the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin and on Wednesday mornings on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. From November to December, it is held indoors at the Monona Terrace. Starting in January 2020, it is held at the Garver Feed Mill in Monona through early April, when the outdoor market starts (previously the late winter market was held at the Senior Center on Mifflin St). Throughout the year, a pool of about 275 vendors of agriculturally-related products from Wisconsin, including farmers, food trucks, artists, and more sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, meats, cheeses, nuts, and specialty products. During the summer, the market hosts 150 vendors who completely encircle the state capitol. USA Today listed it as the top-rated market in the state and it placed fifth for the country in a reader's poll. Fox News said the Farmers' Market was one of the reasons why Madison is a top foodie paradise.The farmers' market was founded in 1972 by Madison Mayor Bill Dyke, who sought to unite Dane County's urban and rural cultures. It is currently managed by the Dane County Farmers' Market co-op.

Hotel Loraine, also known as The Loraine, is a ten-story high-rise building located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. Designed in the Beaux-arts style by architect Herbert W. Tullgren, the hotel was built for Milwaukee hotel and insurance magnate Walter Schroeder, and was Madison's leading hotel for many years. After the hotel went out of business in 1968 the building housed the state Departments of Justice and Commerce. Those departments relocated to a newly constructed building in 2001. The building was then converted into condominiums which opened in 2004.The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

The Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) is the official organization of Wisconsin's private, nonprofit (or independent) institutions of higher learning and their more than 56,000 students. It is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, was founded in 1961 and is recognized under state law. Each WAICU member is a nonprofit, fully accredited, four-year baccalaureate and/or graduate institution. The presidents of these institutions lead WAICU as its board of directors.