In addition to having a bustling gay-friendly nightlife scene, even bigger gay bar hubs are just down the road (Milwaukee is a 75-minute drive and Chicago-boasting one of the country's largest gay scenes-is a two-hour drive away). This is where the name of its annual OutReach Magic Festival, now held every August, came from. The LGBTQ community here would gather at what was called MAGIC picnics, de facto Pride fests, during the '80s or perhaps even before. In fact, Madison was celebrating pride before pride was even a thing. It isn't often that a city this size-with a population of about 250,000-has so much pride. The outdoorsy, progressive, and well-educated settlement that straddles Lake Mendota and Lake Monona ​offers a small-town alternative to big city living for gays and lesbians. It probably has something to do with the youthful demographic that University of Wisconsin-Madison attracts and the city's reputation as a 'liberal bubble,' often having different political opinions than the rest of the state. Unassuming as it may be, Madison, Wisconsin, is a mecca for the LGBTQ crowd.