Happy Leap Day, Madison. Astronomically long story short — this "extra day" is added to the calendar every four years to keep it synchronized with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun. Without leap years, our calendar would gradually fall out of sync since it actually takes Earth 365.242190 days to orbit the sun, not exactly 365 days.

Local Leap Day events

Frog Origami | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St.
Kids and their families can create paper frog masterpieces for the cost of museum admission. Those with Leap Day birthdays will be granted free admission for the day.

The “A Sore Subject” cocktail debuted at Robin Room in 2018. | Photo by Robin Room

Robin Room's "Second" Birthday | Robin Room, 821 E. Johnson St., Madison
The cocktail lounge opened on Leap Day in 2016, so 2024 is technically its second birthday. To celebrate, Robin Room is serving up its top-selling drinks from the last eight years along with draft cocktail specials.

Time Capsule for Dogs | Crazy Dog Mom, 161 W. Main St., Stoughton
Bring a cherished possession of your furry friend to add to a time capsule that will be reopened in 2028.

What will Madison look like by the next Leap Day?

The next Leap Day will fall on Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2028.

Madison Public Market
By the time 2028 comes around, this long-awaited development will be three years old. If you have goals of starting or growing a small business, check out the MarketReady Program to be part of the market’s future.

Lake Monona Waterfront Redesign
Madisonians set a city record for survey responses during the public feedback campaign for this project. Since construction is slated to begin in early 2027, it's safe to assume that John Nolen Drive traffic will be even worse in 2028 than it is now.

The Wisconsin History Center aims to be completed by late 2026. | Rendering via Wisconsin Historical Society

Wisconsin History Center
The Madison Plan Commission recently decided that five buildings on the 100 block of West Mifflin can be demolished to make way for the $160.5 million five-story museum — to the chagrin of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation. This puts the project back on track to be completed by 2027, transforming the Capitol Square.