Madison’s Central Business Improvement District (BID) is inviting the greater Madison community to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Madison Night Market on Thursday, Sept. 18, 5-9 p.m., on N. Carroll and W. Mifflin streets on Capitol Square and the entire length of State Street.
Since May, the Madison Night Market has regularly showcased local businesses, unique vendors, food trucks, and live music in downtown Madison. This Thursday’s event will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with live music from talented Hispanic and Latino performers that organizers say will fill the market with vibrant rhythms and energy.
The Madison Night Market, presented by Madison’s Central Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with the City of Madison, is held on the second Thursday of each month, rain or shine, from 5–9 p.m. This Thursday’s market will be the fourth of five Madison Night Markets held this year.
“This year, we really wanted to make sure that we were celebrating community and bringing people together,” Matt Tramel, executive director of Madison’s Central Business Improvement District, tells Madison365. “We want to provide that programming like we always do for our events, but this was really the first year that we kind of themed out each of the night markets, and it’s been working really well.”
In May, the market’s theme was “celebrating UW-Madison,” which was well-attended, coinciding with the Thursday of graduation week. In June, the Madison Night Market celebrated its theme, “Celebrating Madison sports,” and in August, it celebrated Wisconsin history.
This Thursday’s market, dedicated to Hispanic Heritage Month, will be a night to celebrate culture, creativity, and community. As always, the market will feature vendors showcasing handmade products, local art, artisanal gifts, and fresh produce. The event includes special visiting food carts and pop-up restaurant experiences.
“On Thursday, we will have a variety of Latin-inspired and themed music. We have many different artists who are performing who will bring great music and energy to the event,” Tramel says.
The live music lineup at the Peace Park Music State, 452 State St., will feature Cumbia Cachaca from 5:30-6:30 p.m.: and Mideast Salsa Band, 7-9 p.m.
Eric De Los Santos will play from 5-9 p.m. at the Capitol Square and State Street intersection. Tucker Skaar will play from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the 200 Block of State St. and Becca Murray will play from 6-8 p.m. on the 300 block of State St.
Tramel says that Madison’s Central Business Improvement District is excited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and has been working to promote events downtown that represent the diversity of Madison.
“We’ve done quite a bit of programming over the years to celebrate our Ho Chunk ancestry here. Every February, we celebrate the Lunar New Year in our Asian community, which is particularly robust in our downtown area,” he says. “We recently supported Black on State with their block party this August, and the great work of their founder, Ashley Moseberry. We’re already talking about how we can do even better in 2026 and have that event keep on growing.
“For us, the heart of downtown and in the business improvement district, in general, is the ultimate crossroads for the entire Madison community,” Tramel continues. “It’s really the most diverse place in town, and so we really want to celebrate that, encourage it, and get as many people down here and really enjoying everything that the Madison Night Market has to offer all the time.”
The Madison Night Market Family Activity Zone will feature family-friendly activities to keep kids engaged and entertained, including local artist Maria Amalia Wood’s Butterfly Art Project, a hands-on project that celebrates the beauty of Hispanic migration.
“We are looking forward to bringing Maria Amalia Wood in and really focusing on migration in a way that we feel will open minds more positively, I think, than a lot of ways that it’s talked about these days,” Tramel says. “We think that’s important.”
Madison Night Market Family Activity Zone will also feature Play on the Move, outdoor games and activities with MSCR’s mobile play vehicle; Adults vs Kids Fitness Challenge, where participants can their strength and stamina in a fun showdown hosted by MADabolic Madison; Rock-Climbing Art Project, where attendees can build their own mini rock-climbing wall with the Boy Scouts of America; and Egg Shaker Art Project, that allows people to create and decorate their own egg shaker with the Overture Center’s Kids in the Rotunda program.
If you can’t make Thursday’s event dedicated to Hispanic Heritage Month, the final Madison Night Market will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16. The theme will be “Science on the Square.”
