Science on the Square
Join us for one fantastic night that blends science with downtown Madison businesses! OCTOBER 16, 2025 5-9pm
Back for its 8th year, Science on the Square will once again be fusing with the Madison Night Market to create a unique way to explore hands-on science activities while supporting local businesses and vendors. This year, Science on the Square will kick off an extended, 10 day, festival in celebration of the 15th Wisconsin Science Festival!
At Science on the Square, outdoor STEM-themed activities will mix with Madison Night Market vendor tents throughout State Street. Indoor locations will showcase interesting exhibits, talks, or menu/product specials for you to check out as well. Learn more about the science that surrounds us every day while exploring downtown Madison. Be sure to stop by the top of State Street (near the capitol) to see live physics demonstrations, create a fun glowing design on a giant Science Brite, and more. Then make your way down to Lisa Link Peace Park (400 block) for live music, stopping at hands-on science stations along the way!
The Wisconsin Science Festival and Madison’s Central Business Improvement District are proud to bring you an event you won’t want to miss. Join us in downtown Madison between 5 and 9 p.m. on Thursday, October 16th, for fun for all ages!
Check out the 2024 Science on the Square recap video!
List of 2024 participating businesses and locations: (Click here to view the interactive map!)
Madison Central Library: Wisconsin Book Festival Author Events
Capitol Square
- Madison Children’s Museum – Free Family Science Night (4-8pm) (Click the link to see all the amazing science going on at MCM!)
- Stumble into Science at the Park Hotel (5-9pm)
- Allen Centennial Garden & Picasso Lab – Are you taller than a Kernza?
- Insect Ambassadors – What’s bugging and buzzing around our farms?
- Wisconsin Evolution – Who’s related to who?
- Chemistry GSFLC – What is heavier than air?
Forum Stage – The Wonders of Physics
- Live physics demonstrations, 6pm & 7pm
100 Block of State St
- UW-Madison Physics – Spooky Action at a Distance
- Ian’s Pizza – ‘What’s the Buzz’ special, limited-edition slice!
- Wisconsin Cheese Mart & MDTP Fermentation Club – Who’s making our food?
- Catalyst for Science Policy – How do bees pollinate our plants?
- AnthroCircle – How does archaeology help us explore the evolution of agriculture?
- Wisconsin Energy Institute – Which farm field will survive the caterpillars?
200 Block of State St
- Madison Museum of Contemporary Art & Wisconsin Robotics – How do robots see the world?
- Code to Connect – Binary Bling: See your name in computer code!
- Sencha Tea Bar & UW-Madison Lankau Lab – Can fungi help forest trees withstand climate change?
300 Block of State St
- The Soap Opera & Medical Physics Graduate Student Outreach – What does physics have to do with medicine?
- Parthenon Gyros & UW-Madison Astronomy Club – Sip & Stargaze on the Rooftop (7-9pm)
- USDA-ARS, UW-Madison Horticulture – When in time and where in the world did this plant come from?
- UW-Madison Neuroscience Training Program – How does your brain communicate with your body?
- Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation: What would you like to ask a farmer?
400 Block of State St
- Music Stage at Lisa Link Peace Park: 5pm – Lake Collective, 8pm – Wisconsin Singers
- Ice Age Trail Alliance: How did glaciers shape Wisconsin’s landscape? (Ice Age Trail Blaze Scavenger Hunt – sheet drop-off location)
- Wisconsin Science Festival Information (Ice Age Trail Blaze Scavenger Hunt – sheet pick-up location)
- Henry Vilas Zoo – How do adaptations help animals?
500 Block of State St
- UW-Madison Song Jin Research Group – Why are crystals so awesome?
- Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey – Caves, cracks, & cows: What’s water got to do with it?
- USDA – Where do potatoes come from?
- Society of Women Engineers at UW-Madison – How do you engineer slime?
- Undergraduate Genetics Association – What can DNA reveal about generations?
- UW-Madison Baum Lab – How do we read a tree of life?
- Art Gecko – Agrogeology
600 Block of State St
- UW-Madison HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study – How do we grow a brain?
- Engineers Without Borders – What do cars and glow-in-the-dark beads have in common?
- UW-Madison Simcox Lab – Fat Finders: How much fat is in your foods?
