Thanks for a great 2012 Family Halloween!
Thanks so much to everyone who came downtown for the 2012 Family Halloween, we enjoyed having you and seeing all the adorable children in costume! Enjoy these pictures from a great day downtown:

BID "Downtown Madison" Facebook Photo Album
IsthmusParents.com Photo Gallery


Downtown Madison Family Halloween
Friday, October 26, 2012
2:00 - 5:00 pm
State Street and the Capitol Square

Spooky, zany, family fun for kids 12 and under.
Rain or shine!
Facebook event - let us know if you plan to attend!

Enjoy Halloween magic shows, musical performances, spooky stories and jokes, hayrides, craft projects, festive Halloween family portraits, trick or treating at participating locations, and more. Stay into the evening for "Beakers and Broomsticks" at the Madison Children's Museum.

Download a printable PDF list and map of activities here. On the day of the event, pick up copies at activity locations plus at the Downtown Visitor Center (452 State St.).

Family fun activities will include:

Madison Parks Hay Rides. Hayrides around the Capitol Square, 2:00 - 5:00 pm, pulled by tractor, leaving approx. every 20 minutes. Pickup point near Capitol Kids, 8 S. Carroll St. $2.00/person, no reservations required. (608) 266-4711.

Pick up a MMoCAkids ArtPack activity at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State St., 2:00 - 5:00 pm (Free). Explore extraordinary watercolor paintings of fantastic masked creatures. Use the template provided to make your own mask at home. And don't forget to take an 'I love art' tattoo! (Admission to MMoCA is free).

Tim Glander

Halloween Magic Shows with Tim Glander Magic at Overture Center (201 State St.). Kids of all ages will enjoy mystery, comedy, storytelling, and just good fun. Enjoy shows in Overture's Rotunda Stage at 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 pm. (Free)

Ghastly Giggles and Ghost-making. Join Madison Public Library staff in the Overture Center Rotunda Lobby (201 State St.) as they share spooky jokes and make ghosts to haunt your home, perfect for children ages 0 - 12. 2:00 - 5:00 pm. (Free)

Bat making at Capitol Kids 8 S. Carroll St., 2:00 - 5:00 pm (Free). The famous bat Stella Luna will greet you outside of Capitol Kids where you can make your own bat craft to take home. Work on your bat project while waiting for hayrides, or just come on by as you Trick or Treat. 2:00 -5:00 pm (Free). Rain location inside Capitol Kids.

MadCAP Company M Fundraiser hosted by Capitol Kids
Hot Cider & Cool Water. MadCAP Company M will be selling hot apple cider and cold water at a table outside of Capitol Kids as a fundraiser to help fund a concert and workshop tour in February 2013. MadCAP strives to make sure that all interested students can participate in activities, and fundraisers like this help make it happen. Join our colorful crew of costumed characters for a refreshing beverage and zany Halloween fun! 2:00 - 5:00 pm ($1/drink)

Halloween photos at IsthmusParents.com, 101 King St. IsthmusParents.com will take pictures of kids in costume in front of a Halloween scene, and post them online. 2:00-5:00 pm (Free) Rain location inside building foyer.

Halloween Fun at the Wisconsin Historical Museum, 30 N. Carroll St. (608) 264-6555. (Admission by donation).

Enjoy a Museum Scavenger hunt, colorful character appearances and Paul Bunyan-inspired crafts. 10:00 am-3:00 pm.
Stories of Wisconsin. Join Storyteller Joni Hahn for interactive musical folk stories. Participate with props, percussion instruments and a guitar sing-along. 2:00 - 3:00 pm.

Bucky photo courtesy University Communication; Wolfie photo courtesy Madison College.

Special appearances by University of Wisconsin mascot Bucky Badger (will appear between 4:00-5:00 pm) and Madison College mascot Wolfie (will appear between 2:00 - 4:00 pm), who will greet trick or treaters at the Downtown Visitor Center (452 State St.) and elsewhere on State St. and the Capitol Square.

Downtown Trick or Treat. Families and children ages 12 and under can trick or treat at participating locations on State Street and the Capitol Square from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. (Free)

Madison Children's Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St. (608) 256-6445. Fishing for Treats. Help complete a giant fish sculpture in the stage area outside of the Museum, and visit our fishing pond to fish for your treats. 2:00 - 5:00 pm (Free).

MadCAP performing "Go Fish!" hosted by Madison Children's Museum (on the terrace outside the Museum). Under the sea adventures for friends of all shapes and sizes! Please join me in welcoming a crew of fishy friends performing a MadCAP favorite, the musical "Go Fish!". Decorate your own fishy mask to sport as an audience member, and bop along with up-tempo songs, fishy-fin jokes, and a slightly scary shark crew! 3:30 pm (Free).

In the event of rain, "Fishing for Treats" will move indoors to the Community Concourse (free admission), and the MadCAP "Go Fish" performance will take place in the Art Studio on the second floor of the museum (regular MCM admission fee required to enter).

Stay into the evening for Beakers & Broomsticks at Madison Children's Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St., 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Spooky science, zany Halloween antics, and more for ages 0-12. Purchase tickets and find additional event information at www.MadisonChildrensMuseum.org or (608) 256-6445.

These Halloween family fun events are presented by Madison's Central Business Improvement District (BID), and the Greater State Street Business Association.

Many thanks to our sponsors for making this event possible:

DreamBank - American Family Insurance

The University Book Store

IsthmusParents.com

Visitor and Information Programs, University of Wisconsin-Madison

And many thanks to our programming partners for offering all the fun events and activities:

Capitol Kids

MadCAP

Madison Children's Museum

the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

Madison Parks

Madison's Central Library

Overture Center for the Arts

Wisconsin Historical Museum