![Nighttime view of downtown Madison skyline with Lake Monona in the foreground](/sites/default/files/styles/banner_desktop/public/mayor/images/assets/mayor-banner.jpg?h=e6f36a9c&itok=HyRMCMf4)
More Mad Lit Dancing and Fun in the Works
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![Businesses on State Street stay open late to participate in Mad Lit.](https://www.cityofmadison.com/sites/default/files/styles/non_cropped_lg/public/mayor/images/mad%20lit%20business%20sign.jpg?itok=TCI0OIOn)
The goal of these events are to: 1. increase traffic to downtown, 2. provide opportunities to diverse artists, musicians and performers, and 3. intentionally combine arts and culture with commerce by creating space for pop-up shops for small businesses owned by people of color.
Some businesses on State Street that normally closed for the evening stayed opened last Friday as D.J. Ace spun the tunes and Sammy + J. Vocal w/ Crown Vic performed. People of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds were there dancing, shopping State Street businesses and local vendors, and connecting with community.
Kudos to Rob “Rob Dz” Franklin, who works at Madison’s Central Library, for envisioning this creative collaboration, and to his Mad Lit team and partners for putting together this series of events highlighting local artists and businesses owned by people of color.
You can look forward to future Mad Lit events, which are planned for every other Friday night from July through October between 8pm-11pm. These events will combine live bands and local DJs, visual arts exhibits with an intentional effort to be a diverse artistic experience and business pop-ups featuring businesses of color on the 100 block of State Street.
Franklin told the Capital Times that he wanted to expand people’s definitions of what music made by Black artists can sound like.
“We can have different reflections of artists of color,” Franklin said. “Hip-hop is towards the end of the series. It was trying to be mindful of having different reflections of what is our excellence.”
The series is free and open to all ages. Mark your calendars for these excellent performances coming up:
July 16 — Orquesta Salsol del Mad / Featuring D.J. Chamo
July 30 — Natty Nation / Featuring D.J. Phil Money
August 13 — The Adem Tesfaye Band w/ Zander Anim + Vilas Park Sniper
August 27 — Spoken Word + Comedy Showcase / Featuring D.J. M. White
September 10 — D.J. Block Party featuring Bruce Blaq, D.J. Fusion, D.J. Pain + Nick Nice w/ Hitterz Collectve + The Dynamic Badgerettes
September 17 — Rey Cruz w/ Almighty from the 8 / Featuring D.J. Flaco
October 8 — Supa Friends w/ Marcus Porter + Juciee Monroe
![Mad Lit attendees dance the night away on State Street.](https://www.cityofmadison.com/sites/default/files/styles/non_cropped_lg/public/mayor/images/mad%20lit%20dancing.jpg?itok=nOEEnSEt)
This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison Mayor's Office.