Downtown streets to be closed for UW Homecoming Parade Oct. 26

Some major downtown Madison streets will be closed for several hours on Friday, Oct. 26 for the annual University of Wisconsin Homecoming Parade.

Road closures will be in effect from the late afternoon into the early evening for maximum security and safety of parade participants and crowds gathered to view the parade, the Wisconsin Alumni Association says.

The time-honored tradition of the Homecoming Parade is the pinnacle of UW Homecoming Week, an event planned and executed by students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It follows a week of student competitions and fostering connections among alumni, student groups and the Madison community.

The parade will begin at 6 p.m. Floats will make their way from the 600 block of Wisconsin Avenue to West Gilman Street and then to the 500 and 600 blocks of State Street. Absolutely no traffic will be permitted to enter this route during the parade.

Commuters, students and community members should be aware of these parade-related conditions:

The following streets and intersections will be blocked off with barricades from 4-8 p.m.

Langdon Street between North Lake Street and Wisconsin Avenue (Note: Due to construction, Langdon Street is one-way westbound between Lake Street and Park Street.)
Limited access to Lake Street, north of Langdon Street

The following streets and intersections will be blocked off with no traffic going through from 5:45-8 p.m.

West Gilman Street, from Wisconsin Avenue to State Street
State Street, from Gilman Street to Lake Street
Lake Street, from University Avenue to Lake Mendota
Langdon Street, from Park Street to Wisconsin Avenue

Members of the UW Homecoming Committee and the Madison Police Department will be controlling traffic flow and reserve the right to deny access through barricades.

For commuters using the Badger Bus, Megabus and Van Galder lines, the Memorial Union stop will be moved to 800 University Avenue in front of the Chazen Museum of Art from 4-8 p.m.

More information about student-organized UW Homecoming events can be found here.