A Badgers game, a Kohl Center show, or a big Overture Center night all send thousands of drivers toward downtown Madison at once. The city plans for exactly that, and its special event parking system is simpler than the crowd makes it look.

The one thing to know before you leave: the city charges a special event fee at certain garages on event days, set per event and listed in a live calendar. Knowing which garages charge it, when it kicks in, and which garages fill up first is the difference between walking in relaxed and circling the isthmus.

This guide follows what the City of Madison and UW Athletics publish, verified October 2026. Rates and event listings change, so always check the live pages before a big event.

How the City’s Special Event Parking Rate Works

The City of Madison charges a special event parking fee when large numbers of vehicles are expected to leave at the same time. Visitors can find the exact fee for each event in the Special Event Calendar, as the city sets the rate based on the event rather than using a fixed schedule.

On the day, most garages take payment at the entrance. Uniformed employees collect cash, a parking voucher, Visa, or MasterCard as each car enters, so you pay once and are done for the night. Two garages work differently: South Livingston Street and Wilson Street garages issue a ticket at entry that you pay at a pay-on-foot station before you return to your car.

Your entry is good for eight hours. If you stay past that, you pay the facility’s normal hourly rate for the extra time when you exit, on top of the event fee.

Timing matters too. Garages hosting a special event rate switch to that rate one to three hours before the event starts, so arriving early can mean paying the event rate even for a pre-show dinner.

Which Garages Charge the Event Rate

As of October 2026, visitors can find the garages that most frequently charge special event fees, along with their current rates, in the City of Madison’s Special Event Calendar. The typical pattern is a $10 pay-on-entry fee at Overture Center and State Street Capitol garages, and $15 at South Livingston Street and State Street Campus garages.

Those numbers are per event, so a given night can differ. The calendar is the source of truth: it shows the date, the venue, the hours the rate is active, and the specific garages and fees for every event, plus a live count of remaining spaces.

The City’s garages and lots directory is the place to find hours, locations, and standard hourly rates for every facility, so you can compare an event-fee garage against an hourly one.

Which Garages Fill Up First

Not every garage behaves the same on a busy night. The City warns that Overture Center Garage and State Street Capitol Garage frequently reach capacity during large events, so if you plan to park at either one, arrive at least an hour before the event begins.

If you are arriving later than that, the City points to alternatives: Capitol Square North Garage or Wilson Street Garage. Many of these alternate locations charge a regular hourly rate with no pay-on-entry fee and involve less congestion at entry and exit, with a short walk to most event locations.

Checking the live availability counts in the Special Event Calendar before you leave is the fastest way to avoid driving toward a full garage.

Badgers Football Game Day at Camp Randall

Football Saturdays add UW Athletics parking on top of the city system. The lots around Camp Randall open at 6 a.m. for an 11 a.m. kickoff and at 7 a.m. for later kickoffs, and the Friends Meetinghouse lot opens three hours before kickoff.

Fans can purchase season parking through Badger Select for $20 per permit per game. Those without a season permit can buy day-of-game parking at the lot on a first-come, first-served basis, with Lot 60 charging $5 per vehicle and Lot 76 available for weekday games.

Buses and RVs must park in Lot 64, which costs $50 and requires advance purchase through the Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office. Visitors may tailgate only during regular-season football games, and Lot 34 prohibits alcohol. The UW campus does not allow overnight parking anywhere.

Visitors can park on game day on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking officials determine which lots offer day-of-game spaces after season sales end, so a lot that offers single-game parking one weekend may not offer it the next.

Fans with accessible needs can buy a limited number of single-game permits in Lot 17, north of Camp Randall, on sale the Monday morning before each home game; all levels of Lot 17 have elevator access.

The full details are on the Wisconsin Football Fan Information page, including the single-game parking map and accessible parking in Lot 17.

Getting to Camp Randall Without the Crowd

You do not have to park right next to the stadium. The Bucky Shuttle, run by Wisconsin Athletics with GO Riteway, connects the outer day-of-game lots to Camp Randall on home game days. A round-trip ride costs $10 per person and must be bought in advance online.

The shuttle discontinued its downtown loop in the 2023 season and now serves the outer campus parking lots instead of the city parking ramps. The City’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) also stops at four locations close to Camp Randall Stadium.

If you would rather skip the car entirely, a bike parking corral operates on the Southwest Commuter Path behind the UW Credit Union on Monroe Street for every home game, open from two hours before kickoff until one hour after the game.

Kohl Center Events

For Kohl Center basketball, hockey, and concerts, the picture blends the city and UW systems. The City typically routes Kohl Center event traffic to State Street Campus Garage at the special event rate, with Overture Center Garage as a secondary option, and publishes a suggested route map for getting there.

UW Transportation Services also staffs nearby campus lots for many Kohl Center events, with details posted in advance for each event, so fans can choose between the city garages and the campus lots depending on which side of the arena they are coming from.

If you are headed to a show there, check both the City’s Special Event Calendar and the UW event parking pages before you go.

A Quick Event-Day Checklist

Before you head out, run through these steps. Check the live Special Event Calendar for the event’s garages, fees, and availability. If you are headed to Overture or State Street Capitol, plan to arrive at least an hour early. If you are coming late, aim for Capitol Square North or Wilson Street instead.

For a football game, decide early whether you want a $5 day-of-game lot with a shuttle ride or a downtown garage. And remember that overstaying the eight-hour event window, or parking where you should not, can still mean a citation — our Madison parking tickets guide explains what happens next.

If you need accessible parking, the City’s designated spaces and meter exemptions are covered in our accessible parking guide.

For late-November games, keep our Madison winter parking rules in mind, since a declared snow emergency can override your normal street-parking plan.

Event fees, shuttle fares, and lot hours all change, so treat this as a starting point.

The City’s Special Event Parking Information page and the UW Athletics football fan information page are the authoritative, up-to-date sources.