Whether you're a reader or a rocker -- and if you're a quintessential Madisonian, you're some of both -- there's always something to do around town. Here's a rundown of some of the big festivals and other events taking place around the city this fall:

1. SoCo Music Experience, Sept. 6, Willow Island at Alliant Energy Center -- Southern Comfort hosts an all-day, totally free music festival that features hip-hop group The Roots and blues-rockers The Black Keys at the top of the bill.

2. Madison World Music Festival, Sept. 12-20, Memorial Union -- The Union brings great world music acts to town year-round, but it pulls out all the stops for its annual festival. It's now grown to eight days and includes Afro-Cuban jazz musician Maraca; Iranian singer Mamak Khadem; and the Dragon Knights, stilt-walking puppeteers.

3.Forward Music Festival, Sept. 19-20, Orpheum Theatre, High Noon Saloon and many more venues -- Local promoters are putting on an ambitious, two-day festival throughout town, similar in style and spirit to Austin's South by Southwest Music Festival. Neko Case, Bob Mould and the reunited Killdozer are among the draws.

4. Willy Street Fair, Sept. 20-21, 800 through 1000 blocks of Williamson Street -- The east side's great series of outdoor festivals winds up with the Willy Street Fair, which celebrates everything quirky and beloved about the neighborhood, with an eclectic Saturday morning parade and seven stages of live music.

5. Wisconsin Book Festival, Oct. 15-19, various locations downtown and on campus -- Madison is a big reading town, as shown by the success of this big event that brings together authors (Ann Beattie, Judy Blume, Tom Perrotta and David Maraniss among them) with readers.

6. Madison Horror Movie Festival, Oct. 25, Orpheum Theatre -- You wanna see something really scary? You'll get it at this fun new event that showcases the best in blood-curdling cinema, much of it with a Wisconsin connection.

7. Freakfest, Nov. 1, State Street -- When State Street's unauthorized Halloween celebration became more known for arrests and vandalism than the weird costumes, the city and local corporate sponsors stepped in to create Freakfest, a controlled, ticketed event that features live music (and still lots of weird costumes).