Take a look at our listing of event below, happening throughout Illinois in September.

Man playing a saxophone at Jazz Festival
Photo by Walter Mitchell/City of Chicago

Chicago Jazz Festival

Aug. 31-Sept. 3, 2023, Chicago 

Chicago Jazz Festival in Millennium Park, a Labor Day weekend tradition, celebrates all forms of jazz music. Programmed by the Jazz Institute of Chicago, it showcases local talent as well as national and international artists with four days of concerts and events. Admission is free. For more information, visit chicagojazzfestival.us.


Marching band at the Nauvoo Grape Festival
Photo by Kelly Ann Phography

Nauvoo Grape Festival 

Sept. 1-3, 2023, Nauvoo 

Visit Nauvoo over Labor Day weekend for the 85th Annual Nauvoo Grape Festival, a celebration of the community and its fruitful crops. Held at Nauvoo State Park and surrounding areas, the three-day festival features a schedule packed with events and activities, including parades, competitions, carnival rides, a car show, live music and much more. The Nauvoo Historical Society’s Rheinberger Museum will also offer tours of their arched wine cellar as well as samples of grapes from Illinois’ oldest vineyard. For more details and a full festival schedule, visit nauvoograpefestival.com or call (217) 453-2528. 


Sangamon Valley Woodcarvers Annual Show

Sept. 2, 2023, Springfield 

The Sangamon Valley Woodcarvers show returns for its 30th year. Held in the Illinois Building at the state fairgrounds in Springfield, the show celebrates local woodcarvers who have perfected the craft.

During the fall, the Sangamon Valley Woodcarvers gather to showcase the talent of its more than 60 members. The show has nearly 20 competition categories with cash and ribbon awards, honoring those who have honed their talents in the artistry of woodcarving, wood burning and intarsia. Visitors can watch carvers create one-of-a-kind works and learn more about the art. Other activities include drawings, seminars and vendors with carvings, tools and books available for purchase. Refreshments are also available on-site for purchase.

For more information, visit the Sangamon Valley Woodcarvers Facebook page.


Photo by Tiffany Cole

Warren County Prime Beef Festival

Sept. 2 and 4-9, 2023, Monmouth 

The Warren County Prime Beef Festival returns to Monmouth for its annual carnival. The Warren County Prime Beef Festival is a long-time Labor Day tradition for many Monmouth locals. Every year our festivities kick off with the Prime Beef Festival Princess Pageant. Contestants have an interview, a pop question, perform a talent, and even get to take part in a group dance! In addition to a variety of carnival rides, the event will also feature food vendors, a livestock auction, a 5K walk and run, a car show, children’s activities and an Ag Day for Kids on Friday. To see the official event calendar, visit warrencountyprimebeef.com.


Stearman

National Stearman Fly-In

Sept. 4-9, 2023, Galesburg

Taking place every Labor Day weekend, this event celebrates America’s iconic military biplane, the Stearman, at Galesburg’s Municipal Airport.

During six days, visitors can experience a mix of flying events, technical seminars, live entertainment, delicious food and a relaxing atmosphere. The fly-in also offers the opportunity to experience flight in an open-cockpit biplane.

Learn more about the National Stearman Fly-In and how to schedule flights at stearmanflyin.com, or call (309) 343-6409.


Activities at Arcola Broomcorn Festival
Photo by Facebook/Arcola Chamber of Commerce

Arcola Broomcorn Festival

Sept. 8-10, 2023, Arcola

Now in its 51st year, the Arcola Broomcorn Festival honors Arcola’s unique heritage as a center of broomcorn production in the late 19th century. Family-friendly activities include broom-making demonstrations, arts and crafts vendors, free entertainment, food vendors and broom activities. The festival also includes a 5K and 10K race and the annual Broomcorn Parade featuring Arcola’s famous precision lawn mower drill team, the Lawn Rangers.

Visit arcolachamber.com/broomcorn-festival or call (217) 268-4530 for more information.


Barn Tour
Photo by Facebook/barnkeepers

Barn Tour

Sept. 9, 2023, McLean County

The McLean County Illinois Barn Keepers is sponsoring a Barn Tour this September in Blue Mound (Cooksville) and Martin (Colfax) townships on Saturday. Registration is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the tour runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event takes place rain or shine and costs $20 per car load.

For more information, contact Pat Huth at (309) 475-6951 or psh85po@gmail.com, or visit barnkeepers.org or follow along on Facebook.


Striped box of popcorn
Photo by iStock/baibaz

Ridgway Popcorn Days

Sept. 9, 2023, Ridgway 

Held in Gallatin County, the annual Ridgway Popcorn Days welcomes visitors for a weekend filled with beauty pageants, a toy tractor sledge pull, carnival rides, fair food, live music and a big parade on Saturday at 1 p.m. The festival also features a cake walk, frog jumping, vendors, a popcorn-eating contest and local bands playing in bars along the street.

For more details, call (618) 559-9235 or visit the Ridgway Popcorn Days Facebook page.


Illinois pumpkins

Fall Festival at Goebbert’s Farm & Garden Center

Sept. 9-Oct. 30, 2023, South Barrington

You couldn’t ask for a better place to enjoy all the bounties of fall than Goebbert’s Farm & Garden Center. Their fall festival, which goes from mid-September until the end of October, offers endless activities and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. Visitors will enjoy the staples of any fall festival – corn maze, wagon rides and pumpkin picking – but that’s not all. Goebbert’s Farm & Garden Center features attractions that you just can’t find anywhere else, such as a mechanical pumpkin-eating dinosaur, camel rides and a giraffe barn. To learn more, visit goebbertsgardencenter.com or call (847) 428-6727.


Photo by Morton Pumpkin Festival

Morton Pumpkin Festival

Sept. 13-16, 2023, Morton

Head to Morton, the Pumpkin Capital of the World, for this fall festival. The theme of the 2022 event is Pumpkins Go 80s. Guests can enjoy a variety of activities throughout the event, including a carnival, drive-in movie nights, live entertainment, parades, the pumpkin market – which features local and handmade goods – the pumpkin pedal bike ride and so much more. Plus, don’t miss out on delicious food, including the beloved pumpkin pancake breakfast!

For more information about the festival, visit mortonpumpkinfestival.org or call (309) 263-2491.


Photo by Jeffrey S. Otto

Murphysboro Apple Festival

Sept. 13-17, 2023, Murphysboro

The Murphysboro Apple Festival is celebrating 72 years of apple, pies and rides at the oldest and largest alcohol-free festival in Southern Illinois. Attendees can enjoy an apple pie and apple butter contest, apple core throwing contest, 5K walk and run, and much more. You can also shop in the Arts & Crafts Fair, Appletime Emporium and Kiwanis General Store, or find delicious treats at the Appletime Bakery.

For more information about this year’s activities, call (618) 684-3200 or visit applefestival.murphysboro.com, check out their Facebook page or call (618) 684-3200.


Rushville Smiles Day

Sept. 15, 2023, Rushville

Visit Schuyler County to honor veterans at the annual Rushville Smiles Day this September. The tradition began in 1919 as a way to welcome soldiers back home after WWI. Each year, the Smiles Day committee chooses a different group of veterans to honor. To find more information about the event or register as a veteran in the parade, visit smilesday.org.


Quilt with a grey background and brightly colored background
Photo by Mary Martin

Geneseo Quilt Guild Show

Sept. 15-16, 2023, Geneseo

The Annual Geneseo Quilt Guild Show returns this fall with more than 200 impressive quilts on display. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites on Friday, and ribbons will be displayed on Saturday. Other highlights include a raffle for a quilt appraised at $2,200, raffle baskets, a featured quilter, bed-turning demonstrations, vendors and an on-site certified appraiser for quilt appraisals. 

The show takes place at the Geneseo Community Center at 541 E. North St. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Proceeds from the show help fund the Geneseo Quilt Guild’s outreach projects and annual scholarship award. For more information, visit facebook.com/ geneseoquiltguild. 


Street Art Fest 

Sept. 16, 2023, Highland 

Every September, the streets of Highland become a canvas for artists. Visit the downtown square from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. to watch talented local artists create colorful and complex masterpieces entirely out of sidewalk chalk. The festival also features a Makers Market of vendors offering unique handcrafted items, as well as games, food vendors, live music, and a “Kreative Kids Korner” with arts and crafts projects and other activities for children. Visit highlandillinois.com/streetartfestival or call (618) 654-3721 for more information. 


People sitting at a table at the Belleville Oktoberfest
Photo by 40th Belleville Oktoberfest

40th Belleville Oktoberfest

Sept. 15-16, 2023, Belleville

Raise your steins and don your best lederhosen for the 41st annual Oktoberfest in Belleville. Encompassing all the activities of the traditional German festival, activities include a stein-holding contest, a wiener dog race, a cornhole tournament, a car show, great food and live entertainment. Learn more at bellevilleoktoberfest.com.


Big Rock Plowing Match
Photo by Big Rock Plowing Match

Big Rock Plowing Match

2023 dates TBD, Big Rock 

The Big Rock Plowing Match celebrates its 127th year of friendly farmer competition this September at Plowman’s Park in Big Rock. The annual contest, which began back in 1895, invites farmers to plow the straightest, cleanest furrow, covering crop stubble. In addition to the plowing matches Saturday and Sunday, the event also includes food vendors, a bicycle parade, a watermelon eating contest, the Tractor Trot 5K, carnival rides, auctions and much more. To learn more about this year’s festivities, visit bigrockplowingmatch.com or call (630) 556-3501.


Honeybee Festival

Honeybee Festival

Sept. 22-24, 2023, Paris 

Get the buzz on beekeeping at the annual Honeybee Festival in Paris. Held each year on the fourth weekend of September, the event features delicious food, unique crafts and an antique fair, plus the highly anticipated parade.

Guests can also enjoy live entertainment, and kids will have a blast at the inflatable obstacle course, rock wall, slide and other activities. Learn more about the Honeybee Festival on their Facebook page or call (217) 465-4179.


Scarecrow Festival

Sept. 23, 2023, Bourbonnais 

The Bourbonnais Scarecrow Hollow Contest and Festival returns in September at Perry Farm Park. In the weeks leading up to the festival, the Bourbonnais Township Park District invites contestants to join in the fall fun and decorate the 150 scarecrow frames provided for the contest. The main event features all the imaginative scarecrows on display, in addition to a coffee and hot chocolate bar, live music and scarecrow voting. For more information about the event, visit btpd.org or call (815) 933-9905.


Grundy County Corn Festival logo
Photo by Grundy County Corn Festival

Grundy County Corn Festival

Sept. 27-Oct. 1, 2023, Morris

The Grundy County Corn Festival returns for its 74th year in 2023, offering five days of exciting activities and entertainment. The event celebrates Grundy County’s rich agricultural history with craft shows, live music, a carnival, a 5K run and plenty of delicious food. Organizers encourage visitors to dress in their best jeans and flannels and stroll the decorated streets of downtown Morris while enjoying the festivities.

For more information and the complete event schedule, visit cornfestival.org or call (815) 942-2676.


Apples in baskets
Photo by iStock/danny4stockphoto

Barry Apple Festival

Sept. 28, 2023, Barry

An apple a day isn’t nearly enough for the residents of Barry. They celebrate their favorite fruit with an entire festival devoted to it. The annual event draws a crowd that’s much larger than the town’s entire population. Spanning a whole weekend, the festival is filled with activities for people of all ages and interests. From apple pie contests to talent shows and pageants, there’s no shortage of friendly competition here. There’s also a quilt booth, a car show, a pet parade, bingo, live music, excellent food and more. Check out the Facebook page for a full list and schedule of activities.


Old Fashioned Fall Harvest activities
Photo by Bos Brothers Historical Farm

Old Fashioned Fall Harvest

2023 dates TBD, Erie

Bring the whole family to Bos Brothers Historical Farm this fall for the Old Fashioned Fall Harvest celebration. This working farm show features a variety of demonstrations in plowing, harvesting, corn shredding, weaving, blacksmithing, baking and much more. There will also be an extensive display of tractors and other unique farming equipment, and food will be available on the grounds. The event takes place at 8105 Springhill Road in Erie from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, with a Sunday church service at 9:30 a.m. Admission and parking are free.

To learn more about the event, visit bosbroshistoricalfarm.com or facebook.com/bosbroshistoricalfarm.


Johnny Appleseed Festival

Sept. 30, 2023, Crystal Lake

Celebrate the season at the annual Johnny Appleseed Festival in Crystal Lake, the city’s largest single-day event. The festival honors everything apple and autumn with antique apple cider press and peeler demonstrations, free entertainment, storytellers, a craft fair and farmers’ market. And visitors won’t go hungry thanks to lots of delicious apple goodies, including apple cider doughnuts, fresh apple juice, apple pie and more.

Speaking of pie, hungry festivalgoers can participate in the pie-eating contest or show off their skills in the pie-baking contest. They can also check out the creativity in the scarecrow decorating contest with categories such as scariest, most colorful and most creative.

And don’t miss the man of the hour, as Johnny Appleseed himself will be at the festival, sharing his story throughout the day. Learn more at downtowncl.org.

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