A new event has been planned for the 170th annual Bureau County Fair in Princeton: a tractor show from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24. 

Jim Pilmer will serve as grand marshal of the Montgomery Fest Parade on Sunday, Aug. 17. He is a longtime public servant and former executive director of the Fox Valley Park District.

The band 7th Heaven will perform Friday, Aug. 22, while Taylorville, a Taylor Swift tribute band, will perform Sunday, Aug. 24.

The annual summer event includes live music, truck and tractor pulls, carnival, mud volleyball and more!

The new festival will feature local, regional and national blues and Americana musicians, along with plenty of craft beer and other beverages from local breweries.

Montgomery Fest,the annual three-day event, will be held Friday through Sunday, Aug. 15-17.

Afrofest takes place from noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Greenbelt Cultural Center in North Chicago.

The Waukegan Park District will host the 25th annual Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine Arts & Music Festival from noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 16 at Bowen Park, located at 1800 N. Sheridan Road in Waukegan.

Little Bear Ribfest is from 6 to 11 p.m. Aug. 15 and from 4 to 11 p.m. Aug. 16 in Century Park Arboretum, 1001 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills.

Cream of Wheaton is June 5-8, while Taste of Glen Ellyn is Aug. 14-16.

Enjoy live entertainment, carnival, fireworks and more!

The five-day Gladiolus Festival, a sun-soaked event which concluded its 87th year, wrapped up on Sunday afternoon.

The Momence Gladiolus Festival wrapped up its 87th celebration Sunday following five days of community events. Parade participants and local businesses used this year’s theme, Gladiolus Game Night, to deck out floats and windows in creative ways for the Main Street Parade on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025.

The first Make a Farmer festival was held Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Prophetstown.

Attendees enjoyed the Wenona Days festival, which included live music, family activities, a car show and fireworks. The festival will conclude with a parade on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. Check out these photos by MaKade Rios.

The Joliet Blues Festival was staged for its seventh year on Saturday, attracting local and regional music fans.

The music festival returns for a fourth year to Joliet's Cathedral District on Saturday, Aug. 16. Walk the neighborhood while enjoying an eclectic mix of concerts performed on people's porches.

Crystal Garcia was crowned the 2025 Mendota Sweet Corn Queen on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, during the annual pageant.

The 76th Grand Detour Arts Festival – one of the oldest of its kind in northern Illinois – returns Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, to the John Deere Historic Site with art, music and food.

The City of Lockport will host it's second annual Fire Fest on Aug. 9 to commemorate the anniversary of the 1895 fire that destroyed a large portion of the city's downtown.

On Aug. 9 and 10, Gurnee will come together to celebrate the end of summer for this year’s Gurnee Days celebration.

Romeoville's annual summer festival RomeoFest begins today and runs through Sunday. All activities will be held between Village Hall and the Recreation Center.

There will be displays of farm machinery, tractors, trucks and lawn mowers all day. A blacksmith will be demonstrating tool-making and there will be fun family activities and a farm animal zoo.

The Joliet Blues Festival is 3-10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9.

Uncle Kracker's hits include "Follow Me," "Smile" and "Drift Away." He will perform Aug. 7.

Veggie Fest celebrates vegetarian food and features an international food court, food demonstrations, guest speakers and live music. Admission is free.

Highlights include Taste of Glen Ellyn, Woodstock Truck 'N Food Show, DeKalb Corn Fest and Geneva's Festival of the Vine.

Attendance for Merchant Street MusicFest, the annual music festival that takes over the downtown Kankakee festival square every summer, took a hit this year, likely due to a substantial downpour on day two of the fest.

Hidden within hills and away from highways in southeast Jo Daviess County is a tiny community best known for its annual music festival and large antique barn – attracting social butterflies and lovers of bluegrass, gospel and country music.

The 2025 Kendall County Fair was held at the fairgrounds, 10826 Illinois Route 71, in Yorkville, from July 31 - Aug. 3.

Venetian Night will feature mini boat races, a glow stick party, face painting and a mystery rock hunt, family-friendly activities, live entertainment and local flavor.

This year’s festival features a diverse music lineup that showcases four bands that blend genres from southern rock to instrumental jams.

A car show, watermelon speed eating, and plenty of sauerkraut were all part of the fun at Sauerkraut Days in Forreston on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.

Shorewood hosted its annual Crossroads Festival from Friday, Aug. 1 to Sunday, Aug. 3. The annual late summer festival features carnival, music, craft fair and more.

A car show, watermelon speed eating, and plenty of sauerkraut were all part of the fun at Sauerkraut Days in Forreston on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.

Streator Fest drew crowds Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, with live performance from Aaron Lewis, along with the carnival. The festival continued throughout the weekend. Check out these photos from Kyle Russell.

The Taste of the Illinois Valley at Centennial Park in Peru offers food vendors, live music, a beer tent and a kids zone. Saturday features Dreamwave wrestling and wraps up with Pandora's Box, a Aerosmith tribute band.

McHenry’s Riverwalk Summer Fest takes place from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2.

The Kendall County Fair will take place July 31 to Aug. 3 at the Kendall County Fairgrounds, 10826 Route 71 in Yorkville.

This highly-anticipated summer festival July 31-Aug. 3 will feature a large carnival and spectacular fireworks.

The McHenry County Fair returns next week, running from July 29 to Aug. 3 at the fairgrounds in Woodstock. Here’s what you need to know.

Looking for something fun to do in DeKalb County this summer? Check out this list of family-friendly events.

You don't need to travel to Napa Valley to enjoy good wines. Northern Illinois is home to many wineries that produce high-quality, unique varietals not found elsewhere.

The McHenry County Fair opened Tuesday and got right down to business with animal judging, a K9 demo, pickle eating contest, 4H Meat Goat show and Miss McHenry County pageant.

Festivalgoers braved a variety of weather forecasts to rock out at Merchant Street MusicFest over the weekend on July 25 and 26, 2025.

Pungent smells and sour tastes often are what one thinks of when it comes to sauerkraut, but Forreston makes a big deal about it – with plenty of fun and entertainment in a four-day festival that is pleasant and appetizing.

The first-ever George Fest showcased the area’s famous Chicken George and hot local band Alborn for a celebration Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Rock Falls.

The debut of George Fest on Saturday, July 26, 2025, featured a craft show, kids activities, a bags tourney, a Chicken George eating contest and live bands in downtown Rock Falls.

The City of Joliet has named Ann Sylvester as its new director of cultural affairs and special events. She previously worked for the city of Chicago's special events department.

A wide variety of weather forecasts didn’t stop the tunes over the weekend as the 15th Merchant Street MusicFest rocked downtown Kankakee.