• Gilda’s Backyard BBQ, Thursday, June 11, Marriott-West, Middleton, 5:30-8:30 p.m.: Those who find themselves dealing with cancer can often use some help. Gilda’s Club provides that support, and it can’t do it alone. This fundraiser is a laid-back barbecue catered by Blue Plate Catering; drinks are from Bailey's Run Vineyard and The Lone Girl Brewing Company. Universal Sound will play an evening’s worth of danceable country and classic pop and rock. What else were you planning to do on a Thursday? Note: This has moved indoors, to the Marriott-West, due to stormy weather. Tickets at secure.qgiv.com/event/backyardbbq2026.

• Edgar Knecht Trio, Thursday, June 11, Token Creek Concert Barn, DeForest, 5 & 8 p.m.: On the new album Colours of Europe, pianist Edgar Knecht and his fellow trio members continue to reinvent folk songs from the continent with creativity and verve, blending jazz and classical traditions into something all their own. They are a perfect ensemble for Token Creek. They're stopping in Dane County thanks to a sister county relationship with Kassel, Germany, home of the trio. Tickets at tokencreekchambermusic.org.
• Read(y) to Wear, Thursday, June 11, The Sylvee, 6 p.m.: Madison Reading Project’s annual READ(y) to Wear fashion design fundraiser supports free literacy resources to the greater Dane County area. The catch? READ(y) to Wear requires the creations in its runway competition be made mostly from paper, and 2026’s theme, “Out of This World,” should give plenty of latitude for fun. Audiences and “celebrity” judges award the prizes. Find more info and tickets at madisonreadingproject.com.

• Joseph Eckert, Thursday, June 11, Lake City Books, 6:30 p.m.: Author Joseph Eckert grew up in northern Wisconsin, attended UW-Madison, and now lives in the Seattle area. But he returns to the capital city to promote his debut novel, The Traveler — a wildly imaginative story about the bond between a father and his son, set partially in Madison. One April morning on the way to work, Scott Treder is hurtled into the next day. Every subsequent day, at 7:52 a.m., he inexplicably travels forward in ever-doubling time intervals. Years eventually pass, and his 7-year-old son grows up to become a quantum physics genius who attempts to bring Scott back. No wonder the book already has been optioned for a film adaptation.
• Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, through June 13, Bartell Theatre: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson hit the moors again, but this time with laughs in mind as adapted by playwright Ken Ludwig. The classic mystery novel The Hound of the Baskervilles is reborn as a production sending nine actors sprinting through 40 roles. The result, directed by Michelle Dayton and Steve Noll, should be a love letter to live theater’s most cost-effective and best special effect: watching people transform right in front of you. Baskerville is a benefit for the Bartell, with performances still to come at 7:30 p.m. June 11, 8 p.m. June 12, and 2 p.m. June 13; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

• CapitalQ, through June 13, Bartell Theatre: Five years in, CapitalQ Theatre Festival is still doing what Pride Month does best: making space, making noise, and remaining visible. StageQ presents new works by LGBTQ playwrights from around the United States, gathering a chorus of voices that knows the identity of a community is never just one story. In our current political climate expect a sense of urgency and the kind of emotions that can make a short play land like a thrown brick. This year's play lineup includes 24K Tragic, which will be created by cast members during rehearsals, as well as works by Sydney Curran, Birdie La Barre & Joy Heatherly, Philip Middleton Williams, Mia Burnett and Jasmine Ridler. Final performances at 7:30 p.m. June 11-12 and 2 p.m. June 13; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
• Our Home States: Mountain Region, through June 21, Broom Street Theater: Year four of Broom Street Theater’s Our Home States series traveling the country through short plays lands in the Mountain region. Works by seven playwrights include Belly Up To the Bar, a story of “catharsis in wartime” by prolific Chicago writer Donna Latham, and Throw Me Out by New Zealand-based Rex McGregor. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; ticket info at bstonline.org.

• Larry Fleet, Thursday, June 11, Orpheum, 8 p.m.: Country singer-songwriter Larry Fleet hasn’t had a monster chart hit of his own yet. But it seems like only a matter of time, if he keeps releasing quality material such as the new album Another Year Older. Fleet passes on pop gloss for a traditional country sound anchored by his gritty, soul-inflected vocals and keen storytelling. With Dasher the Band. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
• Refuge & Resistance, through June 13, Imaginary Factory: It makes sense that a distillery and craft cocktail hangout called Imaginary Factory would support the artistic community. This exhibit from four Madison-area artists celebrates both realism and abstraction in a way that foregrounds art’s ability to engage an audience with issues as well as soothe a troubled mind. Ciel Skål, Issis Macias, R-Lo and Bob Hemauer embrace a number of varied techniques, from Skål’s adventures in pigment making to R-Lo’s experiments in charcoal, erasers and rags. A portion of sales will go to support Voces de la Frontera.
• The Chairs, June 12-Sept. 27, American Players Theatre-Touchstone, Spring Green: If your summer theater diet could use something a little weirder, pull up a chair. Reality becomes increasingly negotiable in The Chairs, Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist classic. An isolated elderly couple prepares for a night that will finally give their lives meaning, but the parade of visitors turn out to be invisible. Part comedy, part tragedy, and 100% existential riddle, The Chairs somehow gets funnier the more unhinged it becomes. APT stalwarts Colleen Madden and James Ridge anchor a production directed by Vanessa Stalling. Find the summer repertory schedule and tickets at americanplayers.org.

• Dillon Francis x Flosstradamus, Friday, June 12, The Sylvee, 8 p.m.: The “Dillstradamus” tour name sounds like something an ad advises you to ask your doctor about. But since it’s Dillon Francis and Flosstradamus in a co-headlining night of high-volume dance music, we’ll allow it. Francis is a DJ and producer with a long musical résumé and a sideline in comedy projects. Flosstradamus helped push trap music toward the big-room festival world. This probably will not be a quiet evening of light toe-tapping. With Rusko. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
• Marilyn Crispell, Jason Stein, Damon Smith + Adam Shead, Friday, June 12, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: Adventurous listeners will want to mark this BlueStem Jazz concert on their calendars, as it’s a rare Madison appearance by a truly one-of-a-kind collaboration. The expert improvisational trio of Jason Stein, Damon Smith and Adam Shead is joined by pianist Marilyn Crispell, a longtime member of saxophonist Anthony Braxton’s band and a 2026 recipient of a Mellon Foundation Jazz Legacies Fellowship. The four players can create densely layered, intense music together, as documented on the 2024 album spi-raling horn. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

• MSO Centennial Festival Weekend, June 13-14, Overture Center, 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m.: Madison Symphony Orchestra closes its 100th anniversary season with a celebration ranging far beyond the world of classical music. Anyone looking for an intro to the diversity of Madison's performing arts scene should plan to spend the weekend at Overture, with a wide variety of local musicians joined by other local performing arts groups. The Symphony will perform a program of signature works by Beethoven, Holst, Sibelius and others, with guest violinist Julian Rhee; it will also be conductor John DeMain’s final concert as music director (4:30 p.m. June 14). Find the complete schedule at madisonsymphony.org.
• Kitty Palooza, Saturday, June 13, Madison Cat Project, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Dog rescue adoption has been in the news of late, and deservedly so, but let’s remember cats need your help and a fur-ever home as well. The Madison Cat Project’s Kitty Palooza highlights the feline with an adoption and vendor fair, and a fair number of cats and kittens who need homes — you will be able to hear the purring from blocks away. Even if you’re just feline-curious, drop by for the other fun — an art and craft market, face painting, raffle, silent auction, and other merchandise. Your new best friend may be waiting for you.

• Midwest Fire Fest, June 13-14, West Side Park, Cambridge: This is a little different from the usual summer art and craft fair. Midwest Fire Fest builds on Cambridge’s past and present as a center for pottery, and its centerpiece is the creation of a seven-foot tall sculpture (this year from guest sculptor Janina Myronowa) made in the park from some 1,000 pounds of clay and fired there in a 15-foot kiln! If this sounds crazy, well, you have to see it to believe it. The fiery unveiling takes place at 9 p.m. on Saturday. But wait, that’s not all. Demos of the heated arts — including ceramics, glass, fire dancing and an iron pour, will be joined by more typical fair fare, like food carts and music including sets from Krusher from the Rockonsin youth garage band competition (3 p.m.), Joseph Huber Band (5 p.m.) and VO5 (8 p.m.) on Saturday, and Michael King’s piano brunch (11 a.m.) and Val Sigal’s accordion party (1 p.m.) on Sunday.
• Marquette Waterfront Festival, June 13-14, Yahara Place Park: If you need a relatively mellow entree to get into summer festival season, this Marquette Neighborhood Association event on the shore of Lake Monona is a bit lower-key than, say, Brat Fest. The two stages alternate times just enough to be able to bounce around and catch a bit of everyone’s set. This year focuses on Midwest favorites such as rock torchbearers Ratboys (headlining Saturday), trippy roots experts Adam Greuel & the Space Burritos (finishing up Sunday), singer-songwriter Willy Porter, powwow music experimenters Bizhiki, and many more. Both days start with an opportunity for some exercise: the Dandelion Dash is at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and the Fools' Flotilla paddle at 10:30 a.m. Sunday (departing from Tenney Park; register at wisconsinrivers.org). Find the full schedule at facebook.com/marquettewaterfront.
• As You Like It, through Oct. 4, American Players Theatre: APT launches its 2026 season with As You Like It, one of only two Shakespeare plays on the bill this summer. It’s a silly into-the-woods comedy, with a woman masquerading as a man and then finding her true love (male); confusion abounds, and as this is a comedy, all is set right in the end. The strong cast will likely make this one as delightful as it can possibly be; Samantha Newcomb stars as Rosalind. Note, performances on June 6 and 10 are technically previews; "opening night" is June 13. Find tickets and the full summer schedule at americanplayers.org.

• Infinity Song, Sunday, June 14, Majestic, 8 p.m.: Infinity Song is fronted by four singing siblings, and the magic of family harmony is real on their studio recordings and live appearances. The band blends their harmonies with mellow rock, the lush rhythmic uplift of '70s soul, and some occasional psychedelic guitar leads (a la '70s Isley Brothers) into something modern and fresh; for a sample, a recent Tiny Desk Concert provides an excellent introduction. They visit Madison just a couple days after the release of a new self-titled album. With Khatumu. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.