RV show was terrible. No class A's Took us 30 minutes to do whole show. 15 dollar admission, 10 bucks to park. Don't waste your time read more

I have been to the main arena part of this complex decades ago for concerts and Badger hockey (yeah that was a long time ago) but never the exhibition hall. I am not even sure what they call this part of the AEC. We were here for the Canoe-copia event which is a great show if you are into paddling sports. Anyway the spaces for the lectures and the main hall with the exhibits were well laid out. The only thing is the options for food were limited and the common areas were few and small. Parking which was separate from the show was a rip off at $8. read more

Alliant Energy Center - Lecture - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Cool venue with great sound! We went to see Cory Marks, Brantley Gilbert, and Five Finger Death Punch. It was a great show. We had seats directly behind the pit, in front of the soundboard. You typically get great sound in that area, we did. I definitely recommend section 5 or the pit, if that's your thing. Getting older, I prefer seats, plus I have a bad knee. Anyway. Great venue, it seems like most of the seats will give you a good view of the stage for a concert. I obviously cannot speak on other types of events as I've only been there this one time. The food and drinks were pricey, but similar to other venues, so I guess you can call that the new standard. The handicap parking was very close to the main entrance, but there was a fairly steep walkway from the lot to the entrance. I assume there has to be an easier route to take if needed, but we did not see one. Overall, we had a very good time. The venue was nice and the staff was friendly. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to, would definitely see them again, and visit this venue again. If you end up there at some point, I'm sure you'll have a nice time. read more

See all

Spent the week here for the CrossFit Games 2021 and the facilities were good! Everything was well maintained and was clear that this complex was a great shell to host many different types of events. Only thing that could've made things better was better maintenance of the property outside of the main complex. Parking lots were confusing with equipment parked sporadically. Grass areas to walk to parking lots were overgrown. Would've been nice having these areas more maintained read more

In the world of exhibition, engagement and experiential marketing - there is nothing more experiential than World Dairy Expo. These cows excite me! And where you can have ice cream and all kinds of other dairy treats while attending an expo - it's a win-win. This is all about the farmer and for a city girl - I tip my hat to each and every one of you. read more

See all

It's a good space with plenty of parking. Unfortunately, much of the outdoor space is overgrown, and there aren't sidewalks until you get to the main gate. Maintenance indoors also seemed to be fairly lackluster, with overflowing trash cans and bathrooms routinely in need of cleaning. Skip the concession stand. The interior space is actually well-designed and easy to navigate, but doesn't quite make up for the center's other problems. read more

Not a bad place for a concert. A bit dated, it lacks modern conveniences regarding concessions and stuff. Also, there are no suites - not like I'd be spending that kind of money, but I know those can be attractive to some. Ample parking and friendly staff. It gets the job done. read more

Alliant Energy Center - Halestorm opening for Godsmack. Amazing show. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The arena was mid I went to World Dairy Expo it was not anything too crazy yeah the Arenas a little bit outdated but it's generally just a solid Arena read more

This review isn't for specifically the grounds or the activity going on. This review is for the staff "security" at the Midwest horse fair on 4/12/25. My brother was born with spina bifida. He is 25 and has been very lucky with his disability in the fact that he is not confined to a wheel chair however he has a very difficult time with steps or long periods of walking. His leg braces make everyday movements more of a struggle. As we were leaving the coliseum after the events at 5pm, we walked out one of the doors and realized we were on the side of the building that has multiple, STEEP steps that people were sitting on by the railings - making it impossible to walk down the steps holding the railing, which is what he needed to use to get down this particular set of steps. My brother tried to turn around to go back inside to find another set of steps or steps that he could use the railing to go down. As he tried to grab the door we came out of a staff member pushed him back out the door stating "he will not be coming back inside" while pushing her hand into face and forcing the door to close. LUCKILY we had a few family members around who could help him maneuver the steps after a long day of walking. My brother in law and myself went back inside to find the staff member to explain the situation. As we were confronting her about the situation, she again put her hand up and was trying to continue to walk past us, in a very dismissive way. She was around 5'10 and had very dark hair. I was baffled that she didn't even question why he needed to go back inside. Absolutely ridiculous. We are very understanding in the fact that the building was closing however there were shorter steps 3 doors down that cannot be accessed unless it's from inside. I hope this finds the right people! We've been going to the fair for many, many years and have never been put in a situation like this and could not believe it. Unacceptable and disgusting behavior from workers. read more

America on tap 2015 was on 3/7/2015. The venue was a great idea but poorly executed. The venue was way over booked and the line must have had 6000 people for such a small building. See my pictures. The lines were so long and you could not move. The blue shirt fucks acted like they were inconvenienced by the massive crowd and just took there time and made everything worse. Any worm body would do for working the venue. The booths had no information posted about the beers that were offered so every had to stop and ask about the beers to people who knew nothing about the beers. It was a comedy of errors in action and I'm in a front row seat just watching. I watched booths closing down half way through because of the fest. Lines were 6 people wide for one booth. The booths were at both ends and the lines blended into each other so it was chaos, you had to walk sideways through the the lines to get around and push through people. What a joke of an event and if you were there you know what I'm saying, I'm posting pictures. read more

See all

Each year the World's largest Brat Fest is hosted by Alliant Energy Center. The have adequate space and parking for such a large multi-day event. Even though you can't tell if their staff of the event's staff are the ones operating the disabled carts to transport people or guide people to parking or provide assistance, its appreciated. The Brat Fest was full of brats, people and music. 3 Things you can expect here, in addition they had amusement park rides and food. The freshest mini donuts, they were burning through the bag...BUT OH SO DELICIOUS! We only attended one day and spent way more money for 4 brats and 3 drinks($21) than any normal person should, part of the reason it was worth it was because I was able to spend time with my family! Thanks Alliant & Brat Fest! read more

Alliant Energy Center - Bratfest Entrance - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The facility itself is good. The staff do not know how to manage it at all, though. I went with my husband to the Bill Burr comedy show. This was a "no phones allowed" event. Annoying but we were alright with it. We were lined outside in the cold for 45 minutes in the grass while the staff handed everyone a pouch to put their phones in. We were never told to arrive earlier or even sent someone down the line with the pouches to speed up the process. The 7 pm show did not start until 8:45 due to this. Horrible management and a waste of time. read more

From graduation to Expos to the Ludacris concert to World Dairy Expo to the Circus at the Coliseum portion this is the place to get everyone together and make it happen. We've never had catering done so I don't know if they offer it. Space rental is about equivalent to what the UW charges. Parking can be designated as free or paid but there's an outline of what type of event gets this. I appreciate the street light that has been installed in lieu of sheriff's directing traffic - the automated lights are weight sensitive so if 1 or 1,000 need to enter and exit the Center ... Madison makes it work. Easy enough to get to from a Bike path. Across from the Dept. of Revenue. Across the over path from Badger Bowl and a gas station. Same exit as Sheraton on John Nolen and the Clareon Suites. Which the suites are next door and on Rimrock. 5 stars for being accessible from 2 exits: Rimrock & John Nolen. Parking is ALWAYS always CASH. read more

Alliant Energy Center - Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. ~Learn what it does and can do for the community plus you. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I've been to only a handful of events here but every time the staff have always been curious, bathrooms are easy to locate, and the space is generally well laid out for each event. Special events parking are reasonable (we paid $7) and again, the attendants working in the toll booths have always been very pleasant. The new Holland Pavilions at the Alliant Energy Center is a beautiful new addition with well maintained and clean bathrooms. read more

Alliant Energy Center - New Holland pavilion - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I've been to the Alliant Energy Center many, many times throughout my life. I still call it the Coliseum 97% of the time. It was the site of my first concert (Boyz II Men and Brandy), I used to run wild through the halls while my little brother had hockey practice or a game, I've been to the lumberjack games and Brat Fest outside, and even seen presidential hopefuls speak in the convention center. My most recent couple of trips have been for hockey, supporting our new Madison Capitols team. The games I've been to haven't been super well attended, but it's fun nonetheless, maybe because it reminds me of when I would go as a kid and roam the place like I owned it. Concessions are moderately priced - I believe it's $4.50 for a soft pretzel with cheese, and a similar price for a soda - not cheap, but also not nearly as high as many similar venues. The beer is where they get you ($6 for a 12oz can), but if you're heading to a Capitols game you can take advantage of their $1 beer nights. You're not going to get anything fancy when you attend an event on the Alliant grounds, but I've never had a bad time there. Embrace the dated, 60s quality of the Coliseum and enjoy a big-ticket outing for a pretty reasonable price. read more

Alliant Energy Center - MadCaps 2015-2016 Season Opener against the Green Bay Gamblers! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This review is for the Coliseum and not the Expo Center. With that said, this was the first time I've been inside the Coliseum. Parking is $7. The attendant said, "Go to the right, to the West Lobby" when we asked where to redeem my Groupon voucher. Follow the signs to "Advanced Tickets." there are plenty of parking on the west parking lot and will call is through the doors. There will be plenty of signs and easy to follow. In addition, the Coliseum is very easy to navigate. There are only 3 stories. There were no long stairs, thank goodness. While inside, it seemed a tad dated but clean. There are plenty of men's and women's restrooms on each floor. I just wished there were hand rails when going up to the nose bleeds section. I felt bad for the older women that took almost 10 minutes to walk down or the guys that tripped walking up and almost fell backwards. All in all, the sound quality at the event was crystal clear. The seating was comfortable for me; no cup holders. I can't imagine how it would be like for someone with long legs though. I'm looking forward to more events at the Coliseum. read more

Alliant Energy Center - Brad Paisley Concert 2/5/2016 - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

Went to the CrossFit Games 2018 here and the venues was amazing! They really had everything you could ask for! It was easy to get to and parking was a snap. Nothing much else to say but looking forward to next year!!! read more

Honestly this place almost ruined my concert experience for me. The pure lack of acoustics in here is appalling. Not sure why they still offer concerts here for that reason alone. The venue is also really outdated and it was hot in here. Bathrooms were at least clean and lines for drinks were not crazy long. I was surprised they sold seats where the people could for sure not see any of the stage and we were lucky that was not us. The steps to get up to the bathroom areas were poorly lite and often I felt I may fall down from the lack of step lighting while walking around. At the end of the night the staff was pushy to get us to leave the venue entrance when we were waiting for our ride. Not a pleasant event and I will avoid if I can in the future. read more

This is a good event space for lots of different types of events. I've been here for a variety of events over the years. It has lots of parking for attendees and a couple of entrances to queue long lines of people into the building. There are multiple concession areas around the building. Lines at concession areas tend to be long and slow moving. They do serve food, soda, beer, etc. The restrooms are ok, but show their age and years of wear and tear. The location is fantastic in town and the size of the space is great for larger events. I've been to some of their summertime outdoor events. Nice area outside for music events and the annual Bratfest event. read more

See all

Ugh. I dread having to attend events here. The miles and miles of useless parking 99% of the time, the f*ing SEVEN DOLLAR parking fee on top of the ticket price, are you kidding me?!? Get out of here with that mess. This is Madison, not NYC, and you still have to walk a mile from your vehicle to enter the cavernous, soullness metal frame and concrete warehouse that sucks all the joy out of whatever event you came there to see. Being that it's basically set in a marsh among wildlife and water, you'd think they could care a bit more about environmental impact. I hate this place. Sorry. read more

Alliant Energy Center - Quilting - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I was at the Alliant Energy Center for Mumford and Sons. This old building is hanging in there as a venue for concerts, hockey, and other community events. It's not the most accessible place but the staff are helpful to get folks in to where they need to go. Seats are usually in good repair. There can be a couple seats that are a bit wonky at times, and then you just move your group over one seat. The bathrooms were relatively clean at the time I got to them near the end of the show. Inside the venue, there really isn't a bad place to seat, especially when Marcus and the guys went to the back area to play three acoustic songs . Sound quality for this show was really good. I know I had been to some shows that did not sound this good. I will chalk that up to poor sound mixers. There was good security around to assist folks or to card the young looking folks for beer purchases. Outside the building, parking is always a dice game. I usually come in from Olin and that gate is closed 70% of the time. It was open at street entrance on this night so I went down and found the gate closed near the parking lot. I was bummed. I went in the next available gate and had to park on Willow Island. For seven bucks, I prefer to park on asphalt. But at that point, I was just happy to get parked and get in the admissions line. It's not my favorite concert venue but I will go there if my band is playing there. And seeing Mumford and Sons was totally worth that night! read more

I've had to come here for a series of conferences for work. The conference rooms upstairs have very uncomfortable chairs and basic tables. There are very few outlets to plug in laptops, so it was difficult to get things done. The wireless internet is VERY unreliable and slow when it is actually working. Bathrooms are small and not the cleanest I've ever seen. During lunch breaks, there are no options at the Center. There are no places that have food or microwaves and the only vending machines sell drinks at ridiculously high prices. If you are looking for somewhere to hold a conference, I would look elsewhere. There have be better places in Madison that are equipped to host a business event. read more

One of my favorite events is coming up here. GREAT family entertainment and great place to shop . Madison Rock and Mineral Show November 23 and 24 ! There are cool demonstrations and showing large collections of rocks and minerals-- Sunday is bargain day!! http://www.alliantenergycenter.com/upcoming-events.aspx?ctl=Details&Mid=447&ItemID=1888 read more

Sad... an aging venue that charges Lambeau Field prices with little to get excited about. Anyone who took AP Microecon in high school would do a better job running Alliant Energy Center operations. Rather than charging reasonable prices to attract more diverse customers, AEC charges exorbitant prices to a shrinking pool. The problem with this strategy is that you alienate the small base who don't return and do not recommend the experience to others. Their pricing is highly inflated given that nicer venues like the Kohl Center and Camp Randall are a stone's throw away. They're definitely in a league of their own compared to AEC's "rustic" experience. Parking = $7 Hot dog = $4 Reg Beer = $6 The West lobby had maybe three overhead lights on and only one window for Will Call, which had a line 10-people deep. The other two ticketing windows had no customers and they refused to issue Will Call tickets. The public areas (and bathrooms) are ideal for a slasher film or Walking Dead location: off-yellow painted walls offset the intensely sharp fluorescent lighting with a repeating pattern of dark stairwells and rolled-down metal gates manned by elderly ushers. Perhaps a new business opportunity to pay the electricity bills? Or you can just start charging $4.50 for hot dogs next year and call it a day. read more

I was here once, for a comic con. It was okay, I guess. The security was ridiculously over the top and the layout was a bit weird.

What a depressing venue. Another yelper described it as soulless and that pretty much sums it up. I attended a conference at this place and will not return. Uncomfortable chairs, uninspired rooms and not a single restaurant or food/beverage within walking distance. Hotel options leave much to be desired as well. There is a tremendous amount of space here and they have done nothing with it. Good times...not. read more

We went to the 2015 Wizard World convention heald here...and we were not disappointed! I heard it got pretty cramped on Saturday but we went sunday (the last day) and had no issues with parking, walking room, or being croweded. Only thing to improve on is when we were parking the attendant was not very clear of which building to go to. Just that there was one building to register and another building the event was being heald in. Maybe next time signs might be helpful for parking also! read more

Alliant Energy Center - 2015 Wizard World - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The only place you can drink beer is inside this little pen, like I'm a damn bull. The beer choices they have are terrible, only two. The beer they do have tastes terrible. Cash only for the beer. Cash only for the parking. Terrible cellular signal. What a dump. read more

Went here for a concert- acoustics were really great for being such a weird venue. Ended up sitting on temporary staging in folding chairs but, hey, they were at least padded. Every single employee I had to interact with for whatever reason was unbelievably rude. Been to a whole mess of venues and I have seriously never dealt with staff this horrific. read more

Went to see Toby Mac there on Sunday. It was a great show, but I wish that it would have been somewhere else. The Alliant Energy Center Coliseum needs some work. It's barely been updated. The acoustics for concerts are absolutely horrible. I love the fact that it is a smaller venue, but the sound is bad. The reverb and the echoing is hard to ignore. read more

This place can house as little of a show as you'd like, or as big...I've been here for a Roller Derby and also the Madison Women's Expo. Proper amount of parking. read more

Good venue, very good security here. Since they host so many kinds of events, you don't know what to get necessarily. Their expos are usually really awesome when I've been to them. They also do concerts. read more

I loved it when we had madison comic con.... However nothing is perfect, cons of it: if it was bigger i feel more space and more booths could be used, other than that the place was great all around read more

Attended a weekend long convention here. It's a very big venue with tons of rooms. For the convention we had a couple of rooms that could hold several hundred people and then some smaller rooms when we went to the different workshops. Each room you could have sound and projectors and the walls were magnetic as we used the walls to hold up big pieces of paper during brainstorming sessions. I have been here to for other events such as roller derby. There are several exhibitions halls for big events that can have thousands of people. Not too far from the Alliant Energy Center is the Veterans Coliseum which also holds a variety of events. There's a good chance you'll end up going to either of these places for a big event in Madison. read more

I attended the Crossfit Games here and the grounds were fine, although garbage cans were sparse, so people just threw trash all over the ground. Not sure if that's the fault of Alliant or Crossfit. Additionally, traffic from John Nolen into the parking lot was a nightmare, which was further complicated by apathetic people directing traffic. There also wasn't enough parking space so vehicles parked on the grass patches in the lot. I hope they rethink logistical issues like this in the future. read more