📝 Your June guide has arrived!

💸 Free Things To Do!

• This weekend, admission will be free for all 50 state parks and 15 state forests. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hosts the Free Fun Weekend every year during the first weekend of June.
• Dane County and City of Madison Parks are offering a permit-free weekend Saturday and Sunday. That means lake access, disc golf, bike trails, and more will all be available to use without permits.
• Looking for lunch plans? Starting June 4, Madison’s Central Business Improvement District will host a free outdoor concert series. Dubbed Lunch Time LIVE!, the shows will take place weekly on the Capitol lawn near the King Street walkway from 12 to 1 p.m. [DNR, Dane County, IB Madison]

🚫 Downtown Street Closure

• Starting Monday, construction will force the closure of a portion of West Washington Avenue. The road will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Broom and Fairchild streets while crews replace underground utilities and rebuild the roadway. Work is expected to last into October, so plan accordingly. [WMTV]

🎸 Your Lunchtime Read: What the Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster Could Mean for Madison.

• “Madison-based Frank Productions is one of several acquisitions the lawsuit details in its efforts to illustrate how Live Nation expanded its dominance over multiple facets of the concert business. Live Nation has been aggressively buying up local and regional promoters and ticketing services around the world for years now. Frank Productions is one of the country’s largest concert promoters in its own right. Some Frank executives vocally criticized Live Nation after it struck a 2014 deal with the owners of the Orpheum, giving Live Nation exclusive booking rights at the State Street theater. Four years later, this noteworthy holdout became a subsidiary.” [Tone Madison]

June means sunshine, markets, and festivals galore in Madison. In fact, the summer can be packed with so many fun events, it’s hard to keep up. Here’s a look at what we’re excited about this month.

Festivals

Summer is festival season in Madison, the first weekend in June alone will bring Festa Italia, Cows on the Concourse, Dragon Art Fair, Cars on State, and Free Outdoor Fun Weekend hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The second week of June brings the annual Marquette Waterfront Festival — don’t miss the Fools’ Flotilla! — and Madison Jazz Festival, which celebrates music and culture over 10 days across Madison.

The Sessions at McPike Park is a benefit for local nonprofits that runs June 14-16 featuring an array of talent. Be sure to stop by and say hi to City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin, who will be an emcee at the event.

Anyone like to play in the dirt? Dirt Camp is an independent music festival in Sauk City June 15 that features Midwestern artists, camping, family fun, and more. Stay tuned for an upcoming podcast episode with more detail.

Pride

June is national LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. Being the queer-friendly city that Madison is, there are multiple Pride events happening around town, including the Forward Madison FC Pride Fest Market, the Delta Pride Market, and The Big Gay PRIDE Market.

For what it’s worth, Madison formally celebrates Pride in August with the annual OutReach Magic Pride Festival. But you can find queer-friendly events all year round thanks to the folks at Our Lives Magazine.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Madison in June. Ready to dive deeper?

The Ultimate Guide to June in Madison

Could there be a more perfect month than June? Perhaps. But frankly, June in Madison is an amazing concoction of festivals, gorgeous weather, Pride, and in general, just letting your freak flag fly, as they say!

City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin and I roundup some of our favorite June highlights.