MADISON — Bottle Hill Day, Madison’s signature annual street festival, will return on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., marking the event’s fifty-first year.
This year’s celebration will carry the theme “Celebrating America’s 250th.”
Founded in 1974 by Mayor Elizabeth Baumgartner to promote Madison’s business district, Bottle Hill Day takes its name from the village of “Bottle Hill,” established in Madison in 1715. The event has grown steadily since its founding and now draws between ten thousand and twenty thousand visitors to downtown Madison each fall.
The rain-or-shine festival spans more than six blocks following an expansion onto Kings Road several years ago. This year’s event will feature sidewalk sales, four stages of live music, three amusement areas, food vendors, and more than two hundred twenty-five vendors, including nonprofit organizations, crafters, and retail businesses.
Music will be a central focus of the day, with four stages positioned throughout the festival footprint offering family-friendly live performances beginning at 10:00 a.m. and continuing throughout the event. Organizers said the stages are intended to showcase the depth of musical and performing arts talent based in Madison, with local artists returning each year to perform for the community.
The Madison Chamber of Commerce and Madison Police Benevolent Association Number 92 will again host their annual Madison Car Show in conjunction with the festival.
Food options will include a Food Court on Cook Avenue, additional food vendors throughout the festival grounds, participating local restaurants, and a Food Truck Court on Kings Road.
The Bottle Hill Day Beer Garden, sponsored by the Downtown Development Commission, will return for its thirteenth year, located on Kings Road between Prospect Street and Maple Avenue, featuring a selection of draft beers, wine, and specialty items.
Family activities and rides will be provided by Seashore Amusements at Dodge Field, located at the intersection of Central Avenue and Kings Road.
A park-and-ride shuttle will be available for visitors, running in a continuous loop between the parking lot at the Madison Community Pool and the center of town from 9:15 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
The following streets will be closed for the event: Waverly Place; Central Avenue from Main Street to Brittin Street; Kings Road from Prospect Street to Green Avenue; and Green Village Road from Main Street to Kings Road. Main Street will remain open to traffic throughout the day.
Parking will be available in the municipal lots at Waverly Green, Cook Avenue, and Elmer Street. Additional parking will be available in the Madison Junior School parking lots, accessible from Brittin Street behind the school, as well as in the Kings Road parking lot behind the Public Safety Building and the Prospect Street parking lot. Street parking will also be available where permitted.
Bottle Hill Day is free and open to the public. Vendor applications, food vendor health and fire department applications, and sponsorship packets are available through the Downtown Development Commission. For more information, contact the Downtown Development Commission by email at [email protected].
