Pickles and Beer meets every Friday night of the year. Players of every age and skill level sign up, pay $7, and play social pickleball with a beer in hand, and in warm weather they do it at McGaw Park in Fitchburg. Erin and Dan Schettler started the event in 2022, and the Capital Area Pickleball Association says the two have volunteered to run it for four years now.
On Friday, Nov. 6, the event moves indoors to The Forge at 4845 Tradewinds Parkway in Madison. It runs every Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. "until the weather starts to warm up again in March," according to the Capital Area Pickleball Association's announcement.
For the cold months, the city's biggest weekly social event happens in Madison. Most of what stays in Fitchburg runs Monday through Thursday, until Friday comes back to the city on Dec. 11.
The Friday That Moves to Madison
Pickles and Beer runs at McGaw Park in warm weather for a reason. In 2025 the City of Fitchburg added four pickleball courts there, for 12 in total, and city officials said the new courts strengthened McGaw's role as a regional pickleball destination. During the season, the McGaw Pickleball Advisory Committee, a volunteer group, offers free beginner lessons and open play alongside the Friday event.
None of those courts has a roof, so the Friday event moves somewhere that does. The Forge has a bar and restaurant on the second floor overlooking the courts, and registration for the winter season goes through the association's online signup. The price stays at $7 and the night stays at Friday. The court time is just on the east side of Madison now.
Pickleball players who want to stay in Fitchburg have a daytime option. The Fitchburg Senior Center runs Tuesday Indoor Pickleball from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the City of Fitchburg calendar says you have to register for each Tuesday, online or by phone. The session is on the city's calendar through November and into December. That puts in-town pickleball on a Tuesday morning rather than a Friday night.
The Week That Stays in Fitchburg
Here are the fall and winter listings, sorted by day of the week.
| Day | Where it happens in Fitchburg | When |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Fairway Lounge Winter I golf league | 6 or 8 p.m., starting Nov. 30 |
| Monday | Library Lego Club | Nov. 9, 4 to 5 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Senior Center Indoor Pickleball | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weekly |
| Tuesday | Library Game Night | Nov. 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Spanish Storytime at Hosto Hoci | Nov. 10, 5:30 to 6 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Zafferano Ristorante Steak Night | Regular weekly event |
| Wednesday | Delta Beer Lab Premier Trivia | 7 to 9 p.m., weekly |
| Wednesday | Zafferano Ristorante live music | 6 to 8 p.m., weekly |
| Wednesday | Library Trivia Night | Nov. 11, 6 to 7:30 p.m., free |
| Thursday | Library Fiber Art Night | Nov. 5, 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Thursday | Senior Center Tai Chi and Bingo | Weekly |
| Friday | Delta Beer Lab Euchre | Regular weekly event |
| Saturday | Fitchburg Silent Book Club | Nov. 14, 10:30 a.m. to noon |
Most of the grid sits Monday through Thursday. Friday has Euchre at Delta Beer Lab. Otherwise the city's winter calendar is built around weeknights, and one new business planned its whole winter season that way.
Fairway Lounge Planned Its Winter Around Weeknights
Fairway Lounge opened at 2949 Triverton Pike Drive in spring 2026. It has six Trackman golf simulator bays, a full bar, Salvatore's Pizza, and rotating local food trucks. A simulator bar has its busiest season when outdoor courses close, and Fairway built that season on Monday through Thursday nights.
The Winter I league runs nine weeks, from Nov. 30 through Feb. 5. Teams have two players, and you sign up as an individual. You choose a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday slot at 6 or 8 p.m. Men's, women's and mixed teams are all open, and the league costs $325 per player plus tax.
That's eight weeknight slots each week, and no Friday slot. Visit Fitchburg also says the lounge hosts live music, fundraisers, happy hours, and specials during Badger and Packer games. For winter dates beyond the league, check the lounge's own channels as the season gets going.
Hosto Hoci Moves Indoors Too
Fitchburg's newest park shows the same seasonal shift on a smaller scale. Hosto Hoci, at 2220 Traceway Drive, opened in late 2025 under the city's Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative. It has a large playground with areas for different ages, swings, a gazebo, picnic space, and multi-use recreation areas. The city's page lists the park as Hosto Hoci, formerly the Hub.
Through the warm months the park was an outdoor gathering spot. The City calendar listed a free farmers market there on Sept. 22, supported by the Healthy Neighborhoods Grant. Badger Rock Neighborhood Center and The River Food Pantry hosted CommUNITY Dinners there through the summer, and a free dinner on Oct. 1 ran from 4 to 6 p.m.
The next dated event at Hosto Hoci is on a Tuesday evening, indoors. The Fitchburg Public Library holds Spanish Storytime at the Hosto Hoci Park and Community Building on Nov. 10, from 5:30 to 6 p.m. So the park's programming shifts into its community building and onto a weeknight, the same as the rest of the city.
Wednesday Puts the Venues Head to Head
Tuesday has the most listings in the table. Wednesday is the night when several venues run the same kind of event at the same hour.
Delta Beer Lab runs Premier Trivia every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m., with gift-certificate prizes. It also lists Friday Euchre and monthly social events. The Fitchburg Chamber's October calendar shows Premier Trivia at the Thirsty Goat on Wednesdays as well.
Zafferano Ristorante opened in the Cahill Main neighborhood in fall 2025. Its menu combines Indian and Italian cooking, with dishes like butter chicken pizza, masala chicken Parmesan, chicken 65 gnocchi, and saffron mac and cheese. Live music runs Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., and Tuesday Steak Nights include a free chef's special appetizer. The Chamber's October calendar carries the Wednesday music listing.
On Nov. 11 the library adds a free Trivia Night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 5530 Lacy Road. That gives Fitchburg two trivia nights a mile or two apart on the same Wednesday, and the library's version is free.
The newest restaurant on the list has no event night at all. Miyabi Sushi opened on McKee Road in September 2026 and serves lunch and dinner. The menu covers sushi, sashimi, ramen, and grilled dishes, plus a "Chef's Craft" section with Hamachi Jalapeño and Ponzu Beef Shank, and many gluten-free options.
The Library and Senior Center Keep a Steady Schedule
The library's November calendar includes Fiber Art Night on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m., and Game Night on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Fitchburg Silent Book Club meets Saturday morning, Nov. 14, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. For families, Saturday Storytime is Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m. and Lego Club is Monday, Nov. 9, from 4 to 5 p.m.
The Senior Center keeps its own weekly schedule through November and December, including Tuesday ukulele with the Fitchburg Ukulele Network and Thursday Tai Chi and Bingo. The library's December programs are already up on the City of Fitchburg calendar. They include Preschool Storytime on Monday, Dec. 7, and We Are In A Book Club! on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 6 p.m.
Friday Comes Back to Fitchburg on Dec. 11
Fitchburg's next big Friday night falls five weeks after Pickles and Beer moves to Madison. The Fitchburg Holiday Lights Tour & Jubilee runs Dec. 11 through 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. each night, and it's free. The City of Fitchburg, the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce, and Visit Fitchburg present it together.
It opens on Friday, Dec. 11, with Get Festive With Agora, a holiday celebration open to everyone. The tour itself runs across the city, with residents and businesses showing animated sculptures, interactive displays, lights, and holiday decorations. The tour's Google map comes out that Friday morning. If your house will be on the map, finish decorating before Dec. 11 so your display is lit when the map goes live. The Chamber's Holiday Lights Tour page will post updates as the date gets closer.
After that weekend the calendar goes back to the weeknight pattern. Fairway's league plays through Feb. 5, and Pickles and Beer returns to the McGaw courts in March.
If you're thinking about listing a Fitchburg home before Pickles and Beer returns to McGaw in March, Flat Fee Pros can walk you through what a winter listing looks like. You get professional photos, MLS exposure, showing coordination, and negotiation for one flat fee, so you keep more of your equity. Schedule a free consultation or get your flat-fee listing quote.
