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Tag Archive: Adult Swim

  1. Adult Swim: Slumber Party

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    April 12, 2024 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

    Come over for a night of classic sleepover antics!

    It’s the slumber party of your 10-year-old dreams, dialed up with customized cocktails and (almost) zero adult supervision. Enjoy nostalgic crafts, late-night eats, spine-tingling séances, and more. PJs are encouraged, bonus points for bunny slippers.

    Disclaimer: Party ends at 9 pm. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t sleep here!

    Tickets (21+ only)

    • $20 advance
    • $25 day of event
    • Bring 10 or more friends and get 10% off your ticket order.
    Get Tickets

    Featured Activities

    • Face Painting & Friendship Bracelets
    • Build-a-Buddy Station
    • Sleepover Séance Parlor
    • Beard Bling & Stick-On Accessories
    • Team Play with Premier Trivia
    • Wonderground Hide & Seek
    • Blanket-Fort Building Zone
    • Sock-Sliding Showdown
    • Card Games in the Cabin
    • Slumber Party “Faux Pas” Plinko
    • PJ Fashion Show
    • Sleepy Brains with UW Neuroscience
    • Scenes of Slumber with Madison Shakespeare Company

    Food & Beverage

    Soft pretzels, nachos, cheesy fries, and more! Feast on late night eats from the Quick Chef and sip on “contraband” cocktails, wine, beer, or NA options. (All food and drinks are for purchase onsite!)

    And don’t forget to grab your free BOGO coupons from Great Dane Pub & Brewing.

    What is Adult Swim?

    Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum borrows the public pool tradition of kicking out the kids so adults can have the place to themselves (but with PJs instead of swimsuits). Adult Swim makes space to play like a grown-up—crafting, drinking, and sock-sliding your way through the museum.

    Ticket cancellation/exchange policy

    Adult Swim is presented by

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  2. Adult Swim: Winter Weirderland – SOLD OUT

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    February 9, 2024 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

    Outside the winds howl and yetis prowl. Embrace cabin fever at Adult Swim!

    Join us for a night of offbeat activities, cryptic crafts, screw-loose Shakespeare sonnets, and more. When you’re cooped up for the long Wisconsin winter, things are bound to get weird.

    Tickets (21+ only)

    • $20 advance
    • $25 day of event
    • Bring 10 or more of your favorite cryptids (aka friends!) and get 10% off your ticket order.
    SOLD OUT

    Next up: Adult Swim: Slumber Party on Friday April 12

    Get SLUMBER PARTY Tickets

    Featured Activities:

    LED Flow Arts Show with Fox Valley Fire Arts
    Cabin Fever Plinko
    Cryptid Scavenger Hunt
    Snowball Target Practice
    Uncanny AI Art Collage
    Performances from Madison Shakespeare Company
    Weird Science with the Wisconsin Science Festival and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
    Heart-Felt Cryptid Valentines
    Emergency Accessory Station
    Team play with Premier Trivia

    Feed Your Inner Yeti:

    Delicious eats from Little Tibet
    Custom cocktails, wine, beer, and NA options

    What is Adult Swim?

    Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum borrows the public pool tradition of kicking out the kids so adults can have the place to themselves (just without the swimsuits or polar plunge). Adult Swim makes space to play like a grown-up—crafting, drinking, and cryptid-hunting your way through the museum.

    Ticket cancellation/exchange policy

    Adult Swim is presented by

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  3. Adult Swim: Holiday Craftacular

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    December 8, 2023 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

    Deck the halls with lots of glue guns—Adult Swim gets crafty for the holidays!

    Whether you’re hyper-crafty, holiday-mad, or just here for the beer, this Adult Swim is for you. Join us for an evening packed full of holiday hijinks, delicious craft brews, vintage crooner tunes, and kitschy crafting fun.

    Tickets (21+ only)

    • $20 advance
    • $25 day of event
    • Gather round the craft table with 10 or more friends and get 10% off your ticket order.
    Get Tickets

    Activities

    • Enjoy the crooning of Melvis the Drag King, who will perform two sets of Elvis holiday chestnuts 6:30-7 and 7:30-8 pm
    • Get your drink on at Beer School Bingo with The Great Dane 
    • Form a team and test your wits with Premiere Trivia
    • Make a fashion splash! Don your favorite ugly holiday sweater or wear your fancy festive finery and grab a photo with tree Rex in the Wonderground
    • Feast on for-purchase offerings from Banzo
    • Explore the Wonderground and complete a scavenger hunt inspired by the Toy Hall of Shame

    70s Holiday-Kitch Inspired Crafts

    • Fabricate felt ornaments
    • Make your own mini velvet painting
    • Create custom wood-burned coasters or ornaments
    • Pet rock painting salon
    • Rainbow scratch art

    What is Adult Swim?

    Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum borrows the public pool tradition of kicking out the kids so adults can have the place to themselves (just without the water or swimsuits.) This 21+ event series gives adults the space to play like a grown-up—crafting, drinking, and dancing your way through the museum. Please note, this event is not affiliated with ADULT SWIM, the television and entertainment network—they were actually very chill about it. Also, we don’t have a swimming pool.

    Ticket cancellation/exchange policy.

    Adult Swim is presented by

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  4. Adult Swim: Halloweird

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    October 13, 2023 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

    SOLD OUT

    Tonight’s event is sold out. Only folks with pre-purchased tickets and guest passes will be admitted.

    Our next Adult Swim, Holiday Craftacular, occurs December 8.

    Ghoulish, gruesome & grim—celebrate an offbeat Friday the 13th with our most sinister Swim yet! Will you survive the night?

    Tickets (21+ only)

    • $20 advance
    • $25 day of event
    • Bring out your dead! For zombie hordes of 10 or more, get 10% off your ticket order.
    SOLD OUT

    Petty Distractions from Your Inevitable Doom

    Franken-Muppet Laboratory The re-fab lab is back by popular demand! Breathe unholy life into discarded plushies and make your own mutant creations.
    Potion Apothecary Cook up sinister draughts and peculiar potions worthy of a witch’s hearth.
    Screams on Screen Enjoy vintage horror films with thrilling live theremin score and more otherworldly accompaniments.
    Bad Luck Bingo (in the Rain!) Anyone who parties on Friday the 13th is playing with fate. Double down and look for trouble in the Wonderground, then get cozy around our covered fireplace.
    Horror Movie Death Plinko The killer’s right behind you, there’s nowhere to run! How will you meet your end? Our randomized plinko board will deal out your own iconic death scene.
    Wheatgrass Monsters Plant and take home your own little wheatgrass companion. Just don’t water them after midnight…
    Premier Team Trivia Test your wits with Premier Trivia. Do you have what it takes to be the final girl winning team?
    Dans Macabre Costume Parade Flaunt that frightening visage for our coveted Best Costume award!

    What is Adult Swim?

    Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum borrows the public pool tradition of kicking out the kids so adults can have the place to themselves (just without the water, swimsuits, or axe murderer standing right behind you!) This 21+ event series gives adults the space to play like a grown-up—crawling, slithering, crafting, drinking, and Thriller-dancing your way through the museum. Please note, this event is not affiliated with ADULT SWIM, the television and entertainment network—they were actually very chill about it. Also, we don’t have a swimming pool.

    Ticket cancellation/exchange policy.

    Adult Swim is presented by

    Related Events

  5. Adult Swim: Mega Geek Mashup

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    August 11, 2023 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

    Calling all 21+ gamers, bookworms, Trekkers and Trekkies, band nerds, mathletes, LARPers, Whovians, comics fans, cosplayers, makers, coders, theater kids, straight-A-students, Force-users, those who can still calculate THACO from memory, collectors, or anyone who has ever attended anything with “con” in the title. This is your night!

    Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum honors the public pool tradition of kicking the kids out so adults can have the space to themselves (without the water or need for a swimsuit). This 21+ event series offers adults the opportunity to play like a grown-up for the evening—crawling, sliding, crafting, and dancing their way through the museum.

    Tickets

    • $25 day-of the event
    • A 10% discount will automatically be applied to orders of 10 or more tickets. Bring the whole adventuring party!
    Get Tickets

    Ticket cancellation/exchange policy.

    MegaGeek Mashup activities

    • Cosplay Showdown
    • Adult Spelling Bee
    • Lego Lounge
    • Star Trek vs. Star Wars Scavenger Hunt
    • Board Game Social with Roll Play
    • Team Trivia
    • Nerd Nirvana Crafting Corner: perler bead 8-bit avatars, cork robot companions, DIY comic books, and more!

    Food & Drink

    • Bars on floor 2 and Wonderground
    • Mexsal Taco Truck in the Wonderground
    • Little John’s Lunchbox cafe, floor 1

    Please note, this event is not affiliated with ADULT SWIM, the television and entertainment network—also, we don’t have a swimming pool.

    Adult Swim is presented by

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  6. Adult Swim: Camp Camp

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    June 16, 2023 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

    Pack your bug spray & your feather boa for the most sensational Adult Swim mashup ever!

    Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum honors the public pool tradition of kicking the kids out so adults can have the space to themselves (without the water or need for a swimsuit). This 21-and-up event series offers adults the opportunity to play like a grown-up for the evening—crawling, sliding, crafting, and dancing their way through the museum.

    Camp Camp channels the DIY, try-new-things spirit of classic summer camp along with the outrageous and joyful expression of campy style. It’s an evening loaded with crafts, performances, and plenty of chances for everyone (ages 21+) to shine. 

    This Adult Swim is presented in partnership with OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center.

    Camp Camp activities

    Special events at special times

    • Enjoy an epic Camp Camp Talent Show with DVJ Ravyn and special guests Cass Marie Domino, Lucy Von Cucci, and Ja’Nyiah Moné Diamond-Banx, 7–7:30 & 8–8:30 pm
    • Strut your stuff at the Camp Camp Fashion Show, 8:30–8:45 pm
    • Team trivia with Premier Trivia; sessions at 6, 6:45, 7:30, and 8:15

    Activities all evening

    • Glam up with a glitter tattoo
    • Decorate a souvenir bandana to take home
    • Explore Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ history at a popup exhibit and make a button with Wisconsin Historical Museum
    • Put your eagle eyes to work in our Summer Camp Movies & Unicorns Scavenger Hunt
    • Put a Pride (including allies) spin on classic summer camp crafts including Shrinky Dinks, leather crafts, friendship bracelets, and more
    • Camp postcard station: write an affirming message to a LGBTQIA+ young person in our community. Postcards will be distributed to local youth by Teens Like Us, a program of Briarpatch Youth Services.
    • OutReach community LGBTQ+ resource table

    Food & Drink

    • Bars on floor 2 and Wonderground
    • Mexsal Taco truck in the Wonderground
    • Little John’s Lunchbox cafe, floor 1

    Tickets

    • $20 in advance
    • $25 day of the event
    • Bring the whole gang! A 10% discount will automatically be applied to orders of 10 or more tickets.
    Get Tickets

    Ages 21 & up

    Ticket cancellation/exchange policy.

    Please note, this event is not affiliated with ‘Camp’ Camp in Maine, or ADULT SWIM, the television and entertainment network—also, we don’t have a swimming pool.

    Adult Swim is presented by

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  7. Adult Swim: Death & Taxes

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    April 14, 2023 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

    Ben Franklin once said, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” but that doesn’t need to be a bad thing. Come explore the irreverent side of what scares us most.

    Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum honors the public pool tradition of kicking the kids out so adults can have the space to themselves (without the water or need for a swimsuit). This 21-and-up event series offers adults the opportunity to play like a grown-up for the evening—crawling, sliding, crafting, and dancing their way through the museum.

    Featuring:

    • Madison Shakespeare Company performs the Bard’s ultimate death scene montage
    • Kicking the Bucket: Murder Ballads with Hoot’n Annie, live from the Wonderground’s Giant Bucket
    • Play chess (or Boggle, or Uno, or…) with Death!
    • (Un)Certainty: Instant Poems for Joint and Separate Filers
    • Get crafty with upcycled and shredded tax forms and ledgers
    • Answer life or death questions with Premier Trivia
    • Examine owl pellets under the microscope to determine what creature met its fate
    • Make a shark tooth fossil necklace
    • Explore the Wonderground while playing Star Trek Redshirt Bingo
    • Seal your fate with Oregon Trail Death Plinko

    Tickets

    • $20 advance (advance sales end at noon on day of event).
    • $25 at the door
    • Bring the whole gang! A 10% discount will automatically be applied to orders of 10 or more tickets.
    Get Tickets

    Ages 21 & up

    Ticket cancellation/exchange policy.

    Please note, this event is not affiliated with ADULT SWIM, the television and entertainment network—also, we don’t have a swimming pool.

    Adult Swim is presented by

    Related Events

  8. STRUT! on the Square

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    By Corinne Burgermeister
    Communication Coordinator

    Giant-Puppet-Workshop-Madison-Children's-MuseumMadison Children’s Museum, the UW-Madison Arts Institute and the UW Design Studies Department are collaborating to bring a day of art, music and community to the Capitol Square through STRUT!.

    On Saturday, May 2, STRUT!, a parade showcasing artistic expressions and community collaborations, will unite over thirty of Madison’s creative and cultural groups through stilt-walking, dancing, music-making, puppetry and more.

    This event is the culmination of UW Artist in Residence, Laura Anderson Barbata’s spring course, Community Arts Practice.madison-childrens-museum-strut-schedule

    Much of Barbata’s work aims to bring together communities through art, music and dance –and this project is no different. Special guests will include Bently Spang, a Northern Cheyenne multidisciplinary artist and writer, and the Brookyln Jumbies, a group specializing in stilt-walking, fire-breathing and traditional African dance and drumming.

    All are welcome to join in the STRUT! parade, whether it be as an individual or with a community group. Following the parade, participants are invited to the Funkyard for a a lively celebration and dance party.

    Deb Gilpin, president of the museum, says “STRUT! is right in line with our mission. We make space to nurture creativity and play, in a central place where kids and families from all communities can celebrate together—and strut their stuff! The new Funkyard  behind the museum was made for this. And we are honored to display Laura’s beautiful work in our museum.”

    Upcoming Workshops

    In the final weeks leading up to the STRUT! celebration, Madison Children’s Museum will hold several workshops where participants can meet to design unique costumes and pieces for the parade.

    Art with Jennika
    Wednesdays, April 15, 22 & 29
    Work alongside our resident artist, Jennika, to create giant puppets and banners out of recycled materials.

    Fiber Fun 
    Thursdays, April 16, 23 & 30
    Work alongside museum staff to create giant puppets and banners, with a focus on the recycled materials used.

    Adult Swim: Word Freaks
    Friday, April 17
    Enjoy an evening at Adult Swim climbing, playing and gerbil-wheeling. Plus, create print posters and Cartoneras in the Art Studio.

    Giant Puppet Workshop 
    Sunday, April 19
    Learn how to make a giant puppet using recycled materials and simple construction techniques. Hands-on demonstrations, instructional materials and some supplies will be provided.

    STRUT! Workshop with Laura Anderson Barbata
    Sunday, April 26
    Meet UW-Madison interdisciplinary artist in residence, Laura Anderson Barbata, and learn how to make costumes and masks out of recycled materials.

    STRUT! is sponsored by UW-Madison Arts Institute, UW-Madison School of Human Ecology and Madison Children’s Museum. For additional information, including costume tutorials and more ways to get involved, visit go.wisc.edu/strut.

  9. The Next Generation of Chefs and Journalists Talk Edible Bugs

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    Anika interviews Liliana in a "pod" in the Wildernest

    Anika Derby interviews Liliana Heide at the Edible Insect Banquet, part of Adult Swim: Sustainability Sideshow (3/6/15), held at Madison Children’s Museum to benefit the museum and Sustain Dane.

    At the recent Adult Swim: Sustainability Sideshow, Wisconsin State Journal reporter Samara Kalk Derby arranged to attend the event so that she could interview Chef David Heide of Liliana’s about his work on the Edible Insect Banquet. That dinner, with multiple seatings, has become the centerpiece of the annual benefit event.  Afterward, Samara wrote a great “Around Town” piece called Insects, They’re What’s for Dinner Now.

    Now, technically, we don’t allow kids at Adult Swim events. This is the time we clear the museum for the adults to play while enjoying a few adult beverages, if they choose. But Samara needed to bring her 9-year-old daughter, Anika. And Chef Dave brought his 8-year-old daughter, Liliana (namesake of the family restaurant), to help prepare and serve. Liliana was clearly there to work, sporting a smart chef’s coat. We gave Anika a press badge, just like her mom’s, to make it clear she was there in an official capacity.

    It was pretty clear what needed to happen next. While Samara interviewed Chef Dave, Anika interviewed Liliana. That interview follows.

    Interview with Liliana Heide

    By Anika Kalk Derby, exclusive for the Madison Children’s Museum blog

    I interviewed 8-year-old Liliana at the Edible Insect Banquet held at the Madison Children’s Museum.

    Liliana had mixed feelings about coming, wondering if her Dad, Dave Heide, who was asked to cook food for the banquet was going to prepare whole bugs. But Liliana informed me that the crickets were in a powder. “I think that eating insects is a lot better of an idea than eating regular meat because if you think about it, a bug actually only needs a little bit of food to keep it alive while a cow needs to drink a bathtub of water a day to keep it alive and edible.”

    Liliana told me “I say this because less goes to waste when eating insects and cows are so big and only a little bit of it is used when making meat products, plus there are only so many cows.”

    Well, there are a lot of cows in Wisconsin.

    So overall I thought that Liliana showed a lot of knowledge about the topic and was open minded to the idea of insects being a new food option.

    Anika Kalk Derby is the daughter of Samara Kalk Derby and Jamie Derby. She is a fourth-grader at Lowell Elementary School on Madison’s East Side who enjoys rock climbing, skateboarding, swimming, biking, basketball, Z104, playing piano, drawing and learning Hebrew.

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