Festival

The Streator Food Truck Festival brought a big crowd to City Park on Saturday, May 17. People lined up at food trucks, shopped at vendor tents, and listened to live music from Big Boss and the Toes.

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

Enjoy craft beer tastings from more than 15 regional breweries, live blues music and barbecue all day.

Your guide to some of the hottest festivals happening in communities across northern Illinois in 2025, from Joliet to Crystal Lake and Rock Falls to Geneva.

The Joliet Park District on Wednesday announced the lineup for Latino music completing the schedule for three days of entertainment at Taste of Joliet.

The Joliet Public Library provides details for the popular Star Wars Day on June 7. The event is free.

The 35th annual Rhubarb Festival in Kankakee will be held Sunday at Small Memorial Park.

The Summer Outdoor Rooftop Concert Series at the Joliet Area Historical Museum opens May 17. The museum will host 11 concerts during the season.

May Fest will bloom at Cantigny, while Wheaton separately plays host to a mac-and-cheese festival. Concerts will showcase folk and classical artists, while the game's afoot for "Miss Holmes Returns."

Discounted tickets are on sale now for June 7 event at Richardson Adventure Farm in Spring Grove.

Beer and wine festivals around northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin offer springtime fun in the coming months.

The 2025 Dixon Petunia Festival entertainment lineup was unveiled Wednesday.

Wearing traditional Dutch garb, volunteers hit the streets in Fulton, Saturday, May 3, 2025, to clean the streets ahead of the parade for the 51st Fulton Dutch Days parade.

Volunteers scrubbed the street ahead of the 51st Fulton Dutch Days parade Saturday, May 3, 2025. It's an annual tradition to clean the streets ahead of the marchers.

The annual Red Carpet Corridor Festival for Route 66 returns this weekend to Joliet. The festival is designed to accentuate such points of interest as the Old Joliet Prison.

Morel Fest will take place this weekend at the Jordan Block, 100 Main Street, in downtown Ottawa.

Art in Wilder Park and Lilac Time lead off festival fun, and there's also a DuPage and Cook lineup of hit rock bands, classical gems, kite flying and history tours.

Highlights include Geneva's Swedish Days, Yorkville's River Fest, Batavia's Windmill City Fest and many more.

The Midwest Tulip Fest at Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park and the Richardson Farm Tulip Fest in Spring Grove are both open for visitors.

The 2025 Fulton Dutch Days will celebrate the riverside city's Dutch heritage.

Bring your appetite to these food truck festivals happening around northern Illinois this spring and summer.

The Art in the Park Outdoor Art Gallery will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, at the RB&W District in Rock Falls.

The 2025 theme for Dutch Days is the celebration of de Immigrant, Fulton’s authentic, Dutch, working windmill.

The Joliet City Center Partnership and 11 downtown businesses are celebrating the 1980s on May 3.

The tulip fest is expected to open between April 18-25 at the Spring Grove farm.

An acclaimed guest violinist, a debut Spring Fest at Brookfield Zoo Chicago and a winning fish fry and foreign film will be part of the fun.

Spring flower festivals are a beautiful way to shake off the winter and welcome spring. Here's a list of events in northern Illinois and surrounding states.

Longtime Fulton resident to be honored May 2-3.

The music festival kicks off with a drum clinic from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 7 at the McCormick Event Center, 205 E. Third St. in Rock Falls, followed by live performances from four bands from 1-8:30 p.m at the RB&W District amphitheater, 201 E. Second St.

Entertainment will range from a Margarita & Sangria Festival to comedy, an edgy play, a banjo great, Paint & Sip Night! and an exhibit paying tribute to inspiring Illinois pioneer women.

Get ready to raise your glasses and celebrate local flavors at the annual Tinley Park Brew & Vine festival, returning to The Odyssey on Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12.

More than 20 craft breweries and cideries will be at the event.

Spread out across five different venues, thousands of toy cars, trucks, tractors, figurines and implements were put on display by vendors for the curious and collectors, alike.

The 43rd annual Sublette Farm Toy Show was held Saturday, March 15, 2025, and Sunday, March 16, 2025. Vendors brought in thousands of toy cars, trucks and tractors to the delight of both collectors and the curious.

As tickets for spring and summer concert tours, festivals and sporting events begin to go on sale, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul cautioned about ticket scams.

Eclectic entertainment and attractions spice the Valentine's Day weekend across the suburbs.

Woodstock Willie makes his prognostication Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, during Woodstock's annual Groundhog Day event on the Woodstock Square.

Snow carvers have started carving their 15 massive snow sculptures on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, for America’s Snow Sculpting Invitational during Winterfest in Lake Geneva. Winterfest, runs through Feb, 2, 2025. The warm and rainy weather has slowed down the carving of the snow.

Lockport Township High School will host its second annual Student Short Film Festival on Friday night to showcase student work and determine which group will compete in a state level contest.

Whimsical ice sculptures and live carving will be winter attractions at the weekend Downers Grove Ice Festival from Jan. 31-Feb. 2.

Indoor and outdoor winter pleasures await in DuPage and Cook counties, from multiple theater productions to the Downers Grove Ice Festival and a Chocolate Weekend at The Morton Arboretum.

Beer festivals aren't just for the summer and fall months. Check out these winter events happening near you.

The Student Silent Film Festival is a film competition in which students from 11 Chicago area high schools create original motion pictures.

Year two of the Bradley 315 Music Fest promises to be an even more star-studded show than last summer

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.