State Street links Library Mall to Madison’s Capitol Square. Its 0.7-mile length is the heart of Madison and the center of off-campus culture. A daily hangout for everyone from students to street musicians, State Street is as much a place as it is a frame of mind. Once bustling with automobile traffic, State Street was converted to a pedestrian mall in 1974. Today it is lined with shops, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, and apartments. Entertainment venues include the Overture Center for the Arts and the newly renovated Orpheum Theater. And State Street is where Badgers celebrate: before, during, and after UW sporting events, the sidewalks are slow-moving rivers of red and white. State Street is also famous for being the site of Madison’s famous Halloween festivities, attracting tens of thousands of revelers and onlookers for a Saturday night extravaganza of live music and an endless parade of inventive costumes.

Badger Pride Wall art by Nate Koehler