Fall in Madison, WI: Badgers football, fall colors, orchards, markets and leaf pickup

Badgers football

The Badgers play at Camp Randall Stadium, 1440 Monroe St., where UW Athletics says the first game was played in 1917 and lists capacity at 76,030. The 2026 home schedule ends with Minnesota on Friday, November 27. For 2027, UW's schedule page listed the opener on Saturday, August 28, against Pittsburgh in Dublin, Ireland, and only part of the rest of the schedule was posted, so check uwbadgers.com for home dates. Our Badgers game day guide covers tickets, the clear bag policy, parking and traditions. On home Saturdays, see our downtown parking guide before you drive near campus.

Fall colors

Color timing changes every year. The Wisconsin DNR says the best colors follow a warm, wet spring, a summer that isn't too hot or dry, and a fall with plenty of warm, sunny days and cool nights. It adds that severe drought can delay color by a few weeks, and that a warm, wet fall can dull it.

To check what's happening now, use the Travel Wisconsin fall color report, a map built from local spotters' reports, with forecasts you can filter by week from the third week of September through the first week of November. The UW–Madison Arboretum has also posted fall color updates on its news pages in past seasons. Good places to look in town are the lakeshore paths and our parks, including the UW–Madison Arboretum. For longer drives, see our hiking guide and day trips guide.

Apple orchards and pumpkin farms

Fall farms set their own dates and change them with the harvest, so check each farm's site before you go. We checked these on their own sites; each ran a 2026 fall season:

• Eplegaarden, 2227 Fitchburg Road, Fitchburg: pick-your-own apples, a pumpkin patch, cider, cider donuts and caramel apples. Its site said in November 2026 that its fall season had finished and it was closed.
• Schuster's Farm, Deerfield: a fall festival with an 8-acre corn maze, a pumpkin patch, farm animals and evening options such as a flashlight maze. Its 2026 fall season ran through November 1.
• Treinen Farm, W12420 WI Trunk 60, Lodi: about 20 miles north of Madison, with a 15-acre corn maze and a pumpkin patch. Its site says dogs aren't allowed except trained service dogs.

Many farms also sell at the farmers market; see our farmers markets guide.

The Dane County Farmers' Market in fall

The outdoor markets run into November. In 2026 the Saturday market on the Capitol Square ran through Saturday, November 14, 6:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. The Wednesday market on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. ended November 4. The market's site links a Holiday Farmers' Market and a Winter Farmers' Market, which our winter guide lists with their dates. The market hadn't posted 2027 dates when we checked. More in our farmers markets guide.

Taste of Madison and the Willy Street Fair

Both festivals fall in September, and both have announced 2027 dates.

• Taste of Madison: Saturday, September 4, 2 to 9 p.m., and Sunday, September 5, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., 2027, on the Capitol Square. The festival says it is free to attend and lists more than 90 food vendors.
• Willy Street Fair: Saturday, September 18, noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, September 19, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., 2027, which the organizers call the fair's 50th year. In 2026 the city closed Williamson Street between S. Livingston and S. Ingersoll Streets for the fair, with a Sunday parade, so expect detours.

For the full year, see our festivals calendar.

Leaf collection

The City of Madison guarantees three fall leaf pickups. Pickups usually start in October, and the city usually publishes set-out dates in late August or early September. You look up your schedule on the city's page by entering your house number and street. In 2026 the last scheduled pickups ran the weeks of November 8, November 15 and November 29, depending on the area, and the city said an extra December round might happen if the weather allowed.

• Set leaves out on the Sunday shown for your address; collection happens during the work week that follows, and a pile set out late misses that round.
• Pile them on the terrace or the grass at the edge of the street, never in the street, and keep piles 5 feet from trees, cars, poles, mailboxes and hydrants.
• Keep leaves separate from brush, because mixed piles aren't collected. Never put leaves in trash or recycling carts.
• Rake leaves out of gutters before rain. The city says the phosphorus in leaves washes into storm drains and feeds lake algae.
• If the city isn't collecting, use one of its three drop-off sites (East, West or Central) or compost at home.

See our trash and recycling guide. If you'd rather hire help, browse lawn care and landscapers.

Halloween

The City of Madison doesn't set official trick-or-treat hours, but it recommends 4 to 8 p.m. on October 31, and it lists safety tips such as visiting only well-lit homes and carrying a flashlight. In 2026 the city listed a Downtown Madison Family Halloween on Wednesday, October 28, 3 to 6 p.m., on State Street and the Capitol Square, with hay rides, crafts and trick-or-treating at participating businesses. We haven't confirmed that event will repeat in 2027, so check the city's Halloween page in October.

Winter parking starts November 15

The city follows alternate side parking from November 15 through March 15, overnight from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. On odd-numbered dates, park on the odd-numbered side of the street, and on even-numbered dates, the even side. If you live in the Snow Emergency Zone, you only follow the rule during a declared snow emergency. The city says it is exploring updates to the program, so check its winter parking page around November 15 each year. Our winter parking and snow guide covers the rules and fines, and a snow removal service books up in fall.