School may be back in session, but the door to festival fun stays open as summer fades into fall. Outdoor fests reflect the change in the seasons with harvest themes and, of course, Oktoberfests. Even as the nights gradually start getting brisker, you can bet the beer tents will still be rocking. 

Our annual roundup of summer activities is split between festivals in Madison and around Dane County, as well as those farther afield. We're trying something a bit different this year in breaking up the calendar into sections to make it a bit easier to navigate, but you can also find the whole summer posted here. More detailed schedules for music-focused fests can be found as they are announced in the calendar listings and our music/arts summer calendar post. It's advisable to check event websites and social media for last-minute schedule changes or potential cancellations. Updates to these lists will continue as more information is announced; changes and new events can be emailed to [email protected]. 

Dane County

Rock River Thresheree: Sept. 4-7, Thresherman’s Park, Edgerton. Demonstrations/displays, flea market, Parade of Power at 2 p.m. daily. thresheree.com. 920-723-1555.

Paoli Art in the Park: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sept. 5-6, Paoli Park, Paoli. paoliartinthepark.org.

Taste of Madison: 2-9 p.m. on Sept. 5 and 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sept. 6, Capitol Square, Madison. tasteofmadison.com. 608-276-9797.

LaborFest: Annual South Central Federation of Labor celebration, noon-5:30 p.m., Sept. 7, Madison Labor Temple, Madison, with music, kids' activities, food. scfl.org.

Great Wisconsin Quilt Show: Annual Wisconsin Public Television event, Sept. 10-12, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, with vendor mall, workshops, speakers and more. quiltshow.com. 866-297-6545.

Wauktoberfest: Sept. 11-13, Endres Manufacturing, Waunakee, with wine and beer tastings, music, food eating contests. wauktoberfest.com.

Midwest Django Fest: Sept. 11-12, Lake Farm County Park. midwestdjangofestival.com.

Wild West Days: Sept. 11-13, Lions Park, Mazomanie; parade at noon Sunday. mazowildwestdays.com.

Greek Fest Plus: Annual church picnic, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sept. 12, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Madison, with food, traditional music, kids' activities, market. philomadison.org. 608-244-1001.

Northside Festival: Northside Planning Council & Willy Street Co-op event, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Sept. 12, Warner Park, Madison, with kids' activities, games, music by DJ Terrence J, vendors, nonprofit info, food carts. northsideplanningcouncil.org.

Madison Good Neighbor Gathering: Noon-4 p.m., Sept. 13, Brittingham Park, Madison, with all-ages activities, music. madisongoodneighborgathering.org.

Blades of Steel: Metal fest, Sept. 17-19, Crucible. Headliners: Ensifurum, Sanctuary, Metal Church  facebook.com/p/Blades-of-Steel-Metal-Festival-100092567051166.

Heritage Fest: Annual event, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sept. 19, Schumacher Farm Park, Waunakee, with hands-on farm activities for all ages, games, cooking and craft demos, food. schumacherfarmpark.org.

Urban Triage Harvest Festival: 3-8 p.m., Sept. 19, Farley Center, Verona, with kids' activities, entertainment, food and drink. urbantriage.org.

Regional Art Tour: 14 South Artists annual event, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sept. 19-20, at locations in Blanchardville, Brooklyn, Fitchburg, Oregon, Stoughton. 14southartists.com.

Willy Street Fair: Sept. 19-20, Williamson Street, Madison. facebook.com/willystreetfair. 608-257-4576.

3rd EyeSight Festival: Folk U Productions concert with 16 performers, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sept. 20, 6389 Rimmel Court, Dane. facebook.com/FolkUProductions.

Fall Fest: All-ages activities, 4-11 p.m., Sept 25, Hometown USA Festival Park, Verona, with music, movie, kids' activities, bonfire, vendors, food carts & more. veronawi.com.

Emerson East-Eken Park Art Walk: Self-guided tour, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 26, east Madison. Maps at Madison Public Market, Northstreet and The Bubbling Teapot. emersonekenartwalk.com.

True North Music & Food Festival: Madison Mallards & Lola's Hi/Lo Lounge event, 1-10 p.m., Sept. 26, Warner Park Duck Pond, featuring food from local restaurants, music by Langhorne Slim, Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, Dead Horses, Genevieve Heyward, Dusk, Louka & Co., Free Dirt, Exchange. truenorthfest.com.

Burning Troll: Music/camping festival hosted by Brix Cider, 12:30 p.m.-midnight, Sept. 26, Donald Farm, Mount Horeb, with "burning of the troll" at 9:30 pm. burning-troll.com.

Madison Vegan Fest: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 26, Lunney Lake Farm Park, Madison. madisonveganfest.org.

Harvest Folk Festival: Celebrating Chinese, Indigenous, and Afro-diasporic segments of the Wyman Kitchen Garden, noon-5 p.m., Sept. 26, Allen Centennial Garden, with seed swap, student exhibits, hands-on activities. allencentennialgarden.wisc.edu.

Art Walk Stoughton: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sept. 26, downtown Stoughton, with works by regional artists, demonstrations, music, kids' activities. artwalkstoughton.com.

Road trips

Walworth County Fair: Sept. 2-7, Elkhorn. Grandstand Wednesday: Rice Pro Rodeo, Bella Cain; Thursday; truck/tractor pulls; Saturday: Lynyrd Skynyrd; Sunday: Ludacris, DJ Bizzon; Monday: demo derby. walworthcountyfair.com. 262-723-3228.

Iowa County Fair: Sept. 3-7, Fairgrounds, Mineral Point. iowacountyfair.com. 608-987-3490

Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw: Sept. 4-5, Marion Park, Prairie du Sac. Cow chip throw, art fair, music stages. wiscowchip.com. 608-643-4317.

Wisconsin Highland Games: Sept. 4-6, Waukesha Expo Center, with sports, music, demonstrations, food. wisconsinscottish.org.

Third Ward Art Festival: About 200 juried artists, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 5-6, 345 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, plus kids' activities, demonstrations, music, food. amdurproductions.com.

Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival: Gates at 7 a.m., Sept. 11-13, Jefferson County Fair Park, with sheep & fleece shows, vendors, kids' activities, workshops. wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com. 608-743-9080.

Darien Corn Fest: Sept. 11-13, West Park, Darien. dariencornfest.us.

The BoogieDown: Camping/music festival hosted by Armchair Boogie, Sept. 11-12, Driftless Music Gardens, Yuba. driftlessmusicgardens.com.

Vernon County Fair: Sept. 16-20, Fairgrounds, Viroqua. vernoncountyfair.com. 608-637-3165.

Wo-Zha-Wa Fall Festival: Sept. 18-20, downtown Wisconsin Dells, with farmers' and flea markets, arts & crafts fair, music, parade 1:30 p.m. Sunday. wozhawa.com.

Maple Fall Fest: More than 150 arts & crafts vendors, entertainment, Sept. 19-20, Wildwood Park, Marshfield. visitmarshfield.com.

Green County Cheese Days: Sept. 18-20, Courthouse Square area, Monroe, with entertainment, food, parade, cheesemaking, arts & crafts fair, kids' activities, tours. cheesedays.com. 608-325-7771.

Hill & Valley Exploration Tour: Events and open house tours celebrating rural living, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (hours vary at some locations), Sept. 19-20 & 26-27, Juneau, Richland and Sauk counties. explorehillandvalley.com.

Burger Fest: Sept. 19, Depot Street, Seymour. homeofthehamburger.org.

New Glarus Oktoberfest: Sept. 24-27, downtown New Glarus, with music, craft vendors, food, beer tent. swisstown.com.

LaCrosse Oktoberfest: Annual celebration, Sept. 24-27, Oktoberfest grounds, LaCrosse. oktoberfestusa.com.

Viola Horse and Colt Show: Sept. 25-26, throughout Viola, with horse show, arts & crafts fair, music, truck & tractor pulls and more. wp.horseandcoltshow.com.

Cornish Festival: Annual celebration of Cornish and Celtic heritage, Sept. 25-27, Mineral Point, with music, dance, crafts, food and more. cornishfest.org.

Gays Mills Apple Festival: Sept. 25-27, throughout Gays Mills, with flea market/arts and crafts vendors (fairgrounds), parade 1:30 p.m. Sunday. gaysmills.gov.

Warrens Cranberry Festival: Marsh tours, arts & crafts fair, flea market, food & more, Sept. 25-27, Warrens. cranfest.com. 608-378-4200.

Golden Days Harvest Fest: Sept. 26-27, downtown Green Lake,with craft & rummage sales, music, parade, auto show. visitgreenlake.com. 920-294-3231.