Holiday shopping in Madison, WI (2026): makers markets, craft fairs and local shops

Makers markets and craft fairs

• Winter Art Fair Off the Square, November 7 and 8, at Monona Terrace: a juried art and craft fair.
• Light the Green Holiday Makers Market, listed for November 21 and 22, at Stone Horse Green, 7550 Hubbard Ave., Middleton: a free makers village with food trucks and music. Middleton's Light the Green lighting, with Santa arriving by fire truck, is Saturday, November 21. Check Visit Middleton for the final hours.
• Black Friday Makers Market & Pub Crawl, Friday, November 27, noon to 5 p.m.: more than 50 local makers spread across east-side spots including State Line Distillery, Working Draft, Giant Jones, Old Sugar Distillery and Hotel Indigo. Family-friendly; drinkers must be 21.
• Fair Trade Holiday Festival, Saturday, December 5, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Monona Terrace: its 30th year, with vendors vetted for ethically produced goods, right next to the Holiday Farmers' Market.
• HolidayFest Arts & Crafts Fair, Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center: about 45 crafters selling handmade work. $1 entry, free parking.
• The Crafty Fair, December 5 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and December 6 (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.), at the Goodman Community Center, 214 Waubesa St.: about 150 local artists on Saturday.
• The Big Gay Holiday Market, December 18 (evening, 18+) and December 19, at the Alliant Energy Center: an LGBTQ+ makers market.

The Holiday Farmers' Market

The Dane County Farmers' Market moves indoors to Monona Terrace for the holidays on Saturdays November 21 and December 5, 12 and 19, 7:30 a.m. to noon (until 1 p.m. on December 5). There's no market on November 28. More than 60 vendors sell only Wisconsin farm products they produced themselves (no crafts), so everything on the tables is local. Garage parking is $5. See our farmers markets guide.

Shopping districts

• Downtown: State Street and the Capitol Square. Madison's downtown business district sells a gift card good at more than 60 downtown businesses.
• Monroe Street: more than a mile and a half of locally owned shops near Lake Wingra. Its merchants hold their 17th annual Small Business Saturday on November 28, with a shopper drawing and in-store treats.
• Williamson Street and Atwood Avenue on the east side, with independent shops, galleries and cafes.
• Hilldale, 726 N. Midvale Blvd.: an open-air shopping center with a North Pole Party on November 22, Santa's cabin from November 28 to December 23, and a menorah lighting on December 6.
• The Madison Public Market, 202 N. First St.: about 28 local merchants under one roof, open Wednesday to Sunday.
• Downtown Middleton and Sun Prairie: Middleton's Hubbard Avenue and Parmenter Street shops, and Sun Prairie's Fire & Lights Parade on Main Street on November 28.

Independent shops for gifts

• Books: A Room of One's Own, 2717 Atwood Ave., and Leopold's Books Bar Caffè, 1301 Regent St., open until midnight every night.
• Wisconsin cheese: Fromagination, 12 S. Carroll St. on the Capitol Square, with Wisconsin cheese gift sets.
• Stationery and small gifts: Anthology and Little Luxuries, both at 230 State St.
• Bath and body: The Soap Opera, 319 State St., for handmade soaps and gift sets.
• Kitchen and home: Orange Tree Imports, 1721 Monroe St., and Hazel General Store, 1250 Williamson St.
• Museum shops: the Monona Terrace Gift Shop for Frank Lloyd Wright gifts and ornaments, and the Olbrich Botanical Gardens gift shop.
• Edible gifts: see our bakeries and Wisconsin foods guides.

For holiday lights, shows and events, see our holiday season guide.