Festival

Live entertainment at the Joliet Public Library and the Joliet Area Historical Museum, North Pole Christmas Market at the Renaissance Center and North Pole Park at Cass and Joliet Streets, ice sculpture demos, food trucks and parade.

The magic of the season begins with three days of festivities from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

The Joliet Light Up the Holidays festival and parade runs all day Friday. The parade will be along Ottawa Street, and the Christmas tree lighting will be outside the Joliet Public Library on Ottawa St.

The city of McHenry kicked off its holiday season this weekend with horse-drawn sleigh and trolley rides, visits with Santa, twinkling lights and its annual Toys for Tots Parade.

Rock River Hospice and Home kicked off their Festival of Trees fundraiser with set-up day Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, at Northland Mall in Sterling. The Festival of Trees runs from Nov. 18-24.

St. Joseph’s Holiday Craft Fair and Market will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., on Saturday at, St. Joseph’s Park, 700 Theodore St., Joliet. Free parking and admission.

Glow Holiday Festival will be shown at Joliet Slammers Stadium from Nov. 27 through Jan. 5. Show owner says festival is an event for all ages and will be 'selfies galore."

Costumed characters, tarot card readers and 'Thriller" dancers create Spirits with the Spirits in downtown Joliet on the eve of Halloween.

GLOW Holiday Festival coming to Joliet Slammers stadium starting Nov. 27. The light show combined with holiday activities will continue on selected evenings through Jan. 5.

Mr. Salty's Carnival Eats is participating at Lockport's Hayride of Horror in October and loves catering a variety of private and corporate events, even when the event is third shift.

Werk Force Brewing, located at 14903 S. Center St. #101 in Plainfield, recently earned two silver medals at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival.

Before the kids go trick-or-treating at October's end, Mount Carroll attracts the kids on the weekend before the spooky holiday for a festival full of fun, shopping and running around town. This year’s event is 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.

The cake cutting ceremony and pumpkin contest check-in Wednesday near the DeKalb County Courthouse signaled the opening of the 2024 Sycamore Pumpkin Festival.

Thousands poured into downtown Dixon for Discover Dixon's annual Scarecrow Fest on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.

More than 100 booths and a plethora of scarecrows will line Dixon's downtown area.

A full lineup of family-friendly events includes a parade, reptile show, costume contest and much more!

A cornucopia of scarecrows is set up in downtown Dixon on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, ahead of Witches Night Out and Discover Dixon's Scarecrow Fest that are set for later this week.

The Evangelical Free Church of Mt. Morris partnered with the Fall Family Festival in Mt. Morris on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, for its Trunk or Treat on the village square. The event included candy, decorated trunks and fun for kids and their families. The Fall Family Festival was sponsored by the Let Freedom Ring Committee and featured a craft show, penny carnival, costume parade, pumpkin carving contest and concessions.

The John Deere Historic Site held its annual Fall Fest on Friday, Oct. 12, and Saturday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Grand Detour. The fest featured games, food, music and a history lesson from when Deere settled in Grand Detour in 1836.

Richmond's new murals are set for an official unveiling beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, as part of Richmond’s Family Fall Fest.

Northside will host a Fall for Jesus festival from 2-6 p.m.

From judging handmade scarecrows to cheering on dogs dressed in Halloween costumes, check out these fun fall happenings this month.

Utica’s Famed Fest Returns Oct. 12 and 13

More than 600 people attended Resthave Care & Rehabilitation’s annual Family Fun Day on Sept. 29, 2024, in Morrison.

More than 600 people attended Resthave Care & Rehabilitation's annual Family Fun Day on Sept. 29, 2024. The free event, which encourages quality family time for all ages, featured a tattoo artist, magician, petting zoo, touch-a-truck, bounce house, balloon art, face painting, a cookie walk, crafts, contests and a meal of baked beans and pork chops or a hotdog and chips.

Check out these exciting family-friendly Oktoberfest celebrations happening during October in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

This year's event will have bourbon and whiskey tastings, in addition to the famed competition which also features brisket this year.

City meeting on Thursday follows a break in 60-year tradition of Mexican Independence Day parades in Joliet.

A scarecrow contest, live music, kids activities and more await guests at this longtime celebration of the fall season.

Hosted by the Polo Chamber of Commerce, the Polo Chili Cook-Off and Block Party took place Saturday in the 100 block of West Mason Street in downtown Polo. Seven teams served 12 versions of chili to attendees, positioned alongside more than 20 vendors.

Hosted by the Polo Chamber of Commerce, the Polo Chili Cook-Off and Block Party took place Saturday, Sept. 28, in the 100 block of West Mason Street in downtown Polo.

People brave the rain to take in the 75th Annual Grundy County Corn Festival on Saturday morning, Sept. 28, 2024.

The Taco Throwdown, sponsored by Rock Falls Tourism, took place Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, at RB&W District.

The Mad About Plaid event will take place Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in downtown Rock Falls and at the RB&W District Park at 201 E. Second St. The Lumberjack Show and Beard Contest will be Saturday, Oct. 5, at Selmi’s Family Farm, 1206 Dixon Ave., Rock Falls.

This year’s Grundy County Corn Festival, which for 75 years has been the event to usher in autumn, continues this weekend in Morris.

Yorkville's Yorktober Fest, Ottawa's Scarecrow Festival and Harvest of the Acorn Moon Festival in Aurora are all happening this weekend, Sept. 27-29.

The fifth annual Island Lake Oktoberfest and third annual Dachshund Derby will take place Sept. 27-29 at Water Tower Park, 429 W. State Road.

Festival de Cultura, Comida y Vida takes place from 2 to 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at Nippersink Forest Preserve in Round Lake.

Deer Park Town Center announced that it is celebrating the fall season with a fun-filled line-up of family-friendly events, including the return of the Fall Bash, and new fall elements including the Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Tour.

The festivities take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, on the Benton Street Bridges between Broadway Avenue and River Street in downtown Aurora.

Oregon is ramping up to play host to thousands of additional people as residents and visitors alike celebrate the 53rd annual Autumn on Parade.

This year’s Grundy County Corn Festival is again taking place over five days, beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 25, and running through Sunday, Sept. 29.

Morrison’s downtown was transformed into an outdoor canvas for hundreds of amateur artists of all ages who gathered to paint the town Saturday.

The seventh annual Yorktoberfest will return to downtown Yorkville on Sept. 27 and 28. The popular event is put on by the Kiwanis Club of Yorkville.

The Ottawa Scarecrow Festival will feature a hoedown this year, in addition to food, magic, music and plenty of scarecrows. The Ottawa Fall Festival and Parade will happen Sunday, Sept. 29.

Artists, demonstrators and fantastical fans showed up in droves at Lowell Park's Fall and Fantasy Fest Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.

Slayer closes out Riot Fest with their first performance in nearly five years. Highlights from Saturday and Sunday featured Rob Zombie, Sublime, Mastodon and local band Sincere Engineer.

The Nature Conservancy held its annual Autumn on the Prairie on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at the Nachusa Grasslands near Franklin Grove.

No parade this year, but Councilman Guerrero said a council committee will look into reviving the 60-year tradition.

Fall Out Boy headlines day one of Riot Fest as thousands make their way to Chicago for the three day festival.