Monona's Outdoor Season Wraps in October. Topgolf Is Betting on the Months After.

Monona's events listing for October 2026 runs to four farmers market Sundays, a festival, a 5K, a nature center night, a Halloween party and a witches' paddle. The November listing has one entry, Light the Ice, and no date has been set for it yet. Most of the city's public fall happens in about three weeks. When it ends, the biggest new option for a cold weeknight is the 72-bay building on the Beltline that opened in August.

The October Calendar, Date by Date

These are the dates confirmed so far for 2026:

• Sunday, Oct. 4: Monona Farmers Market.
• Monday, Oct. 5: District 1 curbside brush pickup. The city collects brush four times a year through October and splits each collection into four districts, so this is the first district date of the final round.
• Saturday, Oct. 10: Monona Fall Festival at Winnequah Park–Dream Park, and the Hoot Hoot Hustle at the Monona Community Pool.
• Sunday, Oct. 11: Monona Farmers Market.
• Monday, Oct. 12: District 2 brush pickup.
• Friday, Oct. 16: Fall Fest at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.
• Sunday, Oct. 18: Monona Farmers Market.
• Monday, Oct. 19: District 3 brush pickup.
• Sunday, Oct. 25: The last Monona Farmers Market listed this year.
• Monday, Oct. 26: District 4 brush pickup, the last district date of the year's final collection.
• Friday, Oct. 30: Halloween Spooktacular, run by Monona Parks & Recreation.
• Saturday, Oct. 31: Yahara Witches Paddle.

That is close to an event every few days, with brush pickup running underneath it every Monday. The city keeps the official versions on the City of Monona calendar, and that's the place to check if a date moves.

Saturday, Oct. 10, Holds Two Events at Once

The busiest morning of the month has two things running in two places at the same time.

The Monona Fall Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Winnequah Park–Dream Park on Healy Lane. Its pumpkin-carving contest is free and open to all ages, and it has its own schedule. Carvers drop off pumpkins from 8 to 9 a.m., the public views and votes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and awards are announced by 2:30 p.m. Participants bring their own pumpkins and carving tools. Registration goes through the Parks & Recreation catalog.

The Hoot Hoot Hustle starts at the same hour from the Monona Community Pool at 1013 Nichols Road. The 8K starts at 10:00 a.m., the 5K at 10:05 and the 2K at 10:10. The city calendar lists the race window as 10 to 11 a.m.

Because the festival goes until 3 p.m., one household can do both. A runner who finishes the 2K or 5K still has most of the festival day left, and a carver who drops off a pumpkin by 9 a.m. is free before the first race starts. The awards at 2:30 p.m. are the one fixed time to plan around for the afternoon.

The Back Half of October Moves Into the Evening

After that first Saturday, the calendar shifts later in the day. The Aldo Leopold Nature Center's Fall Fest on Oct. 16 runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 330 Femrite Drive. It is free and includes night hikes, a costume parade, and nature stations indoors and out. A free shuttle runs from Ahuska Park. The center lists those details on its own event page, so check there before you go.

The farmers market keeps its Sunday schedule to the end. The market runs on Sundays from May through October, and Oct. 25 is the last date listed for 2026. The final District 4 brush pickup comes the next day, Oct. 26. Anyone in District 4 with fall cleanup still to do has one weekend after the last market to get it to the curb.

The month ends with two Halloween events. The Spooktacular is listed for Oct. 30, but its time and location for this year hadn't been posted when we checked, so watch the city's Halloween Spooktacular page. The Yahara Witches Paddle on Oct. 31 is announced on social media. Last year's paddle met at the Tenney Park Pontoon Launch, with paddlers gathering at 11 a.m. and launching at noon. Those were the 2025 details, and the 2026 launch hasn't been confirmed.

November Has One Listed Event

Light the Ice is the only November event on Monona's tourism calendar, and the listing says only "November." Last year it ran Nov. 29 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the River Rink, with lights, hot chocolate, skating and a visit from the Clauses. That was the 2025 schedule. The 2026 date will be posted on the city's Light the Ice page.

Nearly a whole month without a listed public event is where the newest building in town comes in.

How Topgolf Plans to Stay Open Through a Wisconsin Winter

Topgolf held its VIP night and ribbon cutting on Aug. 13 and opened to the public the next day, Aug. 14, 2026. It is the Dallas-based company's first location in Wisconsin. The two-level building at 6600 Topgolf Way has 72 hitting bays, a bar and restaurant, an arcade and game-day suites.

The obvious question is the weather. The bays are open to the outside and have no doors to close in winter. HNG News put that question to Mary Sprow, Topgolf's area sales director for Wisconsin and Illinois. She said the bays face east, away from the prevailing wind, and that infrared heaters warm the seating areas. She also said the TVs and electronics are weatherproof. The Wisconsin State Journal's opening coverage also describes ceiling-mounted radiant heaters over the hitting area and seating.

Its hours run well past the time the October events end:

The Nature Center's Fall Fest ends at 7:30 p.m. Topgolf is open more than three hours after that on a weeknight, and later on weekends.

Pricing is by the bay, per hour, rather than per person. Each bay holds up to six players. Rates depend on the date and time you choose, so the booking page doesn't list one fixed price. You can reserve one or two bays up to 14 days ahead. Walk-ins are welcome and are billed in 30-minute minimum blocks. First-time players pay a one-time $6 fee to activate a Topgolf account. For a group of six on a Sunday, the cost of the bay is split six ways.

Football season is the other draw. The Game Day promotion includes a Field Goal Challenge and TV viewing from the bays, with NFL Sunday Ticket, NFL RedZone, ESPN and the major networks. Game Day Suites have three 65-inch TVs with game sound and are booked through the sales team. Sprow told HNG News the field's light show can be set for private events, such as red and white for a Badger event.

The menu online includes a Hot Honey Pepperoni flatbread, the Fried Chicken Heat-wich and a $44.99 Funday Faves platter for four to six people. The menu file is labeled "Summer Hits," so the fall and winter menu may be different.

The company has said it expects about 250,000 customers a year, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. That figure is a projection, not a count of actual visitors.

The Lakefront's Version Is Still Being Funded

San Damiano Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Monona, is on a slower schedule. The Common Council approved phase one of its redesign. The plan adds parking and walking paths connecting the 10-acre park to Monona Drive. It also remodels the Frank Allis House to include restrooms and food and beverage service, and adds a lakeside patio with a path to a new pier. Next, the Friends of San Damiano Park will finish a business plan, put together a project team and start a capital fundraising campaign. The full master plan was estimated at about $13.3 million when it was approved in 2024. As Channel 3000 reported, Mayor Nancy Moore said of the plan, "I know people will want to return."

The Monona Public Library is also under construction this fall, and some of its programs have moved to other locations. Check where an event is being held before you leave.

There will be more near Topgolf as well. The Greenline, under construction off West Broadway, includes plans for a 1.44-acre public park, and the project's first phase is expected to be finished in 2028.

When the Light the Ice date is posted, or if a 2026 detail here changes, we'll update this calendar at Madison Home Guides. If you have questions about Monona or the east side of Dane County, Alan Feder is happy to talk. Let's Connect.