Madison Children’s Museum tackles loneliness epidemic with friend-making event

(Madison, Wis.) —If you’ve ever scrolled through Madison’s Reddit forum, you’ve seen the posts from newcomers, recent grads, and young professionals all asking the same question: “How do I make friends as an adult?” Madison Children’s Museum has been paying attention, and they’re doing something about it.

On Friday, February 6 from 5:30-9:00 pm, the museum will host “Adult Swim: How to Make Friends in Madison,” a specially designed event for adults 21 and over who are looking to build connections in their community. The event responds directly to a recurring query on local social media: outside of work, where can adult professionals meet new friends?

“We know that people everywhere are struggling with making meaningful connections,” said event organizer Amanda Strobel, manager of strategic initiatives at Madison Children’s Museum. “We kept seeing these posts on the Madison subreddit from people who had just moved here for work or had aged out of the college scene and genuinely didn’t know how to meet people. We wanted to create a fun space where making friends feels a little less intimidating.”

The event will feature friendship-focused activities throughout the museum’s four floors and rooftop, including Friend Speed Dating with conversation prompts, Meet a Friend Bingo, collaborative games, and Premiere Trivia sessions at 6, 7, and 8 pm. The evening will also feature a pop-up performance by Madison Shakespeare Company at 7 pm, specialty cocktails and beer from State Line Distillery and Delta Beer Lab, and Filipino cuisine from Kanto Fiesta food truck.

“People meet new friends at the museum every day,” said Molly Backes, communications specialist. “Granted, they’re usually children, but we’re excited to share our friend-making expertise with grownups, too. Bringing people together and building community feels more important than ever. The good news is that it can also be really fun.”

Event Details:

What: Adult Swim: How to Make Friends in Madison
When: Friday, February 6, 2026; 5:30–9 pm
Where: Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St.
Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day-of; groups of 10+ save 10%
Info & Tickets: MadisonChildrensMuseum.org
Age Requirement: 21+

Madison Children’s Museum:

Connects children with their families, their community and the world beyond through creative learning and discovery play
Strives to make all families feel welcome, valued, and included by living the ideals of Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Is a community hub for children and families from every corner of Madison, and serves more than 200,000 visitors per year
Is a community partner and gateway for families to access and participate in other cultural institutions and community programs

Founded in 1980, the museum’s hands-on exhibits and programs celebrate and encourage children’s imaginations and the power of play as cornerstones of learning. The museum is a proud recipient of the 2011 National Medal for Museum Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. To learn more, visit MadisonChildrensMuseum.org, call (608) 256-6445, and follow on Facebook and Instagram.