Ticketing, Event Cancellation, and Refund Policies
For questions, or to submit transfer or refund requests, contact the registrar by email.

If Madison Children’s Museum cancels a program, registrants may transfer to another program of equal or lesser value, subject to availability, or receive a full refund of the program registration fee. Please allow a minimum of three weeks for refund processing; cancelled programs will be refunded a la carte.
Ticket & Purchase Types:
- General Admission
- Ticketed Events
- Camps and Registered Programs
- American Girl Benefit Sale (AGBS)
- Merchandise Returns
General Admission Tickets
(general admission tickets purchased online or on-site at MCM)
General admission purchased at the museum must be used immediately, and is only valid on the date of purchase.
General admission tickets purchased online do not expire, and may be used for general admission during regular operating hours on any day that the museum is open to the public.
All admission tickets purchased online are delivered via email. Every attendee will be required to present a printed or electronic copy of their ticket(s) to gain admission to the museum. Detailed instructions for retrieving eTickets are available on our website. If you arrive at the museum without your tickets, you will be required to purchase tickets on site to gain admission to the museum. Because general admission tickets purchased online do not expire, you will be able to use your pre-purchased tickets on another day.
General admission tickets are non-refundable, but admission tickets purchased online are transferable. To transfer or gift your tickets to another person, simply give them your eTicket link or a printed copy of the ticket(s.) Please note that tickets may be used only once; ticket-holders should exercise caution when sharing their eTicket link; MCM is not responsible for any mishandling of eTickets that results in an attendee being unable to redeem their ticket(s.)
Tickets sold or issued by Madison Children’s Museum may not be resold or traded for more than the face value of the ticket; MCM reserves the right to revoke or refuse to honor tickets that have been resold for more than their face value.
Ticketed Events
(Adult Swim, after-hours events, single-day workshops, etc.)
Event tickets are non-refundable, but most tickets are transferable, subject to museum and event policy:
If your tickets were purchased online, you may transfer your tickets to another attendee by giving them either the eTicket link included in your order confirmation email, or a printed copy of the ticket. Tickets may be used only once, so please exercise caution when sharing your eTicket link; MCM is not responsible for any mishandling of eTickets that results in an attendee being unable to check in for a ticketed event.
If your tickets are being held at will-call, and you would like to change the name on your will-call reservation before 12 p.m. on the date of the event, please submit your request to the registrar by email; transfer requests must include your order number, phone number, the original attendee’s full name, and the full name, email address, and phone number of the person to whom you would like to transfer your ticket(s.) After 12 p.m. on the date of the event, we will make every effort to assist you, but cannot guarantee ticket transferal.
Tickets sold or issued by Madison Children’s Museum may not be resold or traded for more than the face value of the ticket; MCM reserves the right to revoke or refuse to honor tickets that have been resold for more than their face value.
Camps and Registered Programs
(camps, multi-week workshops, recurring classes, etc.)
Requests for registration cancellation or program transfer must be submitted by email, and are subject to museum policy:
If your request for program transfer or withdrawal is received…
- at least one month before the first day of the program session, you may choose to transfer to another program session, of equal or lesser value, space permitting, or receive a refund of the program registration fee, less a 15% administrative charge.
- at least two weeks before the first day of the program session, you may choose to transfer to another program session, of equal or lesser value, space permitting, or receive a refund of the program registration fee, less a 50% administrative charge.
- at least one week before the first day of the program session, you may transfer to another program session, of equal or lesser value, space permitting; no refunds will be issued.
- less than one week before the first day of the program session, no transfer or refund requests will be honored.
American Girl Benefit Sale (AGBS)
(this section applies exclusively to the annual American Girl Benefit Sale)
All AGBS ticket orders are non-refundable.
Tickets are transferable, but may not be resold for more than the face value of the ticket. MCM reserves the right to cancel, revoke, or refuse to honor tickets that have been resold for more than the face value of the ticket or advertised for resale at a price higher than face value.
Transferred tickets must be given to the new holder/attendee in hard-copy by the original holder; MCM will not arrange shipping for transferred tickets nor change the name or pick-up information on will-call ticket orders. All tickets held at will-call must be picked up by the person in whose name the ticket order was placed.
All attendees will be required to present a valid, original, numbered ticket at the door to gain admission to the sale. Each ticket may only be used to enter the sale once; re-entry will not be permitted after leaving the sale warehouse.
Entry tickets are only valid for the entry date and time printed on the ticket. Due to high volumes of attendees, entry may be delayed beyond the entry time printed on the ticket; entry groups will only be admitted in the order determined by their original entry time.
Merchandise Returns
(gift shop sales, event merchandise, AGBS merchandise)
MCM merchandise purchases, excluding AGBS purchases, may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of purchase. All American Girl Benefit Sale (AGBS) purchases are final and non-refundable.
An original purchase receipt must be presented at the time of return to qualify for a refund. All refunds will be issued via the payment method used to place the original order, e.g. credit card purchases will be refunded via credit card, etc.