Come celebrate the arrival of Fall at the 32nd annual Johnny Appleseed Festival in Downtown Crystal Lake on Saturday, September 27, 2025!

This year’s event is a street fest on Williams Street from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. featuring a new Taste of Downtown experience on Brink Street, which runs through the festival and beyond, until 8 p.m.

Enjoy wagon rides, a pumpkin train, children’s games, and large inflatables and activities for kids. The festival also features a full line-up of music (with folksy singers, duos, and bands), plus dance performances, storytelling, and the ever-popular Scarecrow on Stilts and Johnny Appleseed himself making appearances. The festival includes a large craft fair and the last Farmers Market of the season on Williams Street, with unique handmade goods.

The festivities culminate in the Great Ball Race, a unique raffle where numbered plastic balls race down Brink Street—with the fastest ball’s owner winning $1,000 and the raffle benefitting the Downtown Crystal Lake/Main Street organization, which promotes the Downtown district and organizes this and other events for the community.

A highlight this year is the new Taste of Downtown Crystal Lake and Cider Alley—a food and beverage experience on Brink Street. The Taste runs throughout the festival and after hours, until 8 pm. Enjoy a meal or sample food from multiple downtown eateries while sipping on beer, cider, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages, accompanied by live music to enhance the festive atmosphere.

For more details, visit downtowncl.org/johnny-festival/ or contact:

Downtown Crystal Lake/Main Street

25 W. Crystal Lake Avenue

Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Ph: 815-479-0835

www.downtowncl.org