This annual, signature event will take place Friday, October 9, 2026 – Sunday, October 11, 2026.

Many campus lots are free on the weekends. View the campus parking map and take note of the lots in green, as these will be free. Please note that event parking, including volleyball and hockey, can impact lot availability, including green lots. Please check posted signage at each lot before parking.

The interactive campus map shows public parking locations, bus stops, real-time schedule information, B-cycle kiosk locations, and more:
https://map.wisc.edu/

Click on the P for Public parking to see how many spots are available in each lot. Most of these lots require payment.

Additionally, the visitor parking availability page has a live count of parking available in campus gated lots:
https://transportation.wisc.edu/parking-lots/lot-occupancy-count/

Many Family Weekend activities are within a short walk of one another. The free campus buses—80 and 84 during the day, and 80, 81, and 82 at night—circulate throughout campus each day, allowing you to hop on and off near different events. Look for the blue bus-stop signs around campus.

Please note: parking availability and access is subject to change. Please be aware of all signs and notices posted at parking locations and follow all displayed parking regulations.

Downtown Madison City Lots:
https://www.cityofmadison.com/parking-utility/garages-lots

Accessible Parking

Accessible stalls are within many lots on campus. UW–Madison Transportation Services outlines DOT Accessible parking:
https://transportation.wisc.edu/parking/accessible-parking/

Please note, by law, we cannot reserve accessible stalls as they are all on a first-come, first-served basis. With any lot, please obey the posted signage and notices.

Building Accessibility

View a comprehensive list of accessibility information by building:
https://map.wisc.edu/accessibility

Additional Questions

Contact UW–Madison Transportation Services or Campus Information at 608-263-2400.

We understand that some families may already have lodging plans for Family Weekend. However, if you have not made lodging accommodations yet, we welcome you to consider making accommodations through our Family Weekend 2026 hotel block.

More information on the hotel block coming soon!

We understand if you would like to book outside of our hotel block, and recommend you make sure any booking is refundable in case your plans change.

Yes! If you are in need of a Family Weekend registration fee waiver, please contact the Parent and Family Program at: parent@uwmad.wisc.edu

Please keep in mind that our fee waiver only covers per person registration fees.

The fee waiver does not cover the cost of overnight lodging, travel, parking, or any add-on tickets to events such as Wisconsin Singers or Badger athletics events. We recommend taking these additional costs into consideration before registration opens.

No — we intentionally do not schedule Family Weekend during a home football game due to decreased hotel and parking options as well as programming limitations.

We do partner with Wisconsin Athletics to offer tickets to select football games before general single-game tickets go on sale to the general public.

Please note: these football games are on separate days and are separate events from Family Weekend. There is no additional programming on these days.

Yes, all events are reserved for Family Weekend participants.

Our 2026 registration link will become available this summer!

We designed Family Weekend to be an a-la-carte event where guests and family members are able to pick and choose the events they are most interested in attending.

We encourage you to come to our signature events such as the Chancellor’s Welcome Reception, Badger Family Fest, Photoshoots at Camp Randall, and many more which will be taking place on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Changes or cancellations of Family Weekend registrations must be submitted on or before cancellation deadline (coming soon) in order to receive a refund for paid Family Weekend registrants, minus a cancellation fee of $3 per paid registrant to cover credit card costs.

We are not able to guarantee refunds for Family Weekend registration changes or cancellations submitted after that deadline.

Please note that tickets to discounted Badger athletics games, the Wisconsin Singers shows, or any additionally ticketed events during that weekend are nonrefundable, no matter what date you cancel your Family Weekend registration.

To make changes, click the registration link in your confirmation email or contact:
Parent@uwmad.wisc.edu
877-262-3977

The Family Weekend hotel block includes many hotels at a variety of walking, commuting and driving distances from campus.

While it may seem that staying farther away means missing out, that is not typically the case. Hotels farther from campus often offer more affordable rates and comparable or better amenities.

Even hotels near campus or downtown may still require a 30–75 minute walk or commute to certain events.

Some families choose to drive and park for events. To help with parking, some on-campus lots and ramps are free during Saturday and Sunday of Family Weekend.

For Family Weekend questions:
608-262-3977
parent@uwmad.wisc.edu

For hotel block questions:
services@visitmadison.com