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Best Fall Festivals in Chicago
Chicago is full of fall festivals and many of them are FREE. From Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest TO 79th Street Renissance Festival, to Lakeview East Festival of the Arts or Renegade Craft Fair, there's a celebration happening every weekend from now UNTIL Thanksgiving.
World Music Festival
Citywide - FREE
Friday, September 20-Sunday, September 29
World music fans can enjoy FREE concerts throughout the City of Chicago during the 23rd Annual World Music Festival. This city-wide, multi-venue, 10-day festival will include 34 bands representing 22 countries. Experience music from all regions of the world including Brazil, South Korea, and Senegal. Visit the website here.
Celebración de los Árboles
Lisle
Saturday & Sunday, September 28-September 29, 2024
This fun-filled festival at The Morton Arboretum will immerse guests in celebrating the diverse cultures of Latin America. Sample foods from different Latin America countries, listen to music, and learn traditional dances at this family friendly outdoor event. Visit the website here.
St. Alphonsus Oktoberfest
Lakeview
Friday, September 27-Sunday, September 29, 2024
Bring your lederhosen and dirndls for some German family fun. Enjoy some bratwurst, some live music, and all things Bavarian, as well as music from favorite Chicago acts.
Visit the website here.
Beverly Art Walk
Beverly - FREE
Saturday, September 28, 2024
The Beverly Art Walk is a free art festival celebrating work from over 150 juried artists, as well as live music, food, and hands-on activities for art lovers of all ages. Guests can embark on self-guided tours through over 100 participating venues. Visit the website here.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago Oktoberfest
Brookfield
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Put on your lederhosen or dirndl and enjoy some polka music at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. Bands will be playing throughout the day on the East Mall, or families can catch mobile music from the PolkaPedi. German foods will be available for purchase throughout the zoo.
Visit the website here.
Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Hyde Park - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 28-September 29, 2024
Music fans of all ages can enjoy free performances by world class jazz musicians at Hyde Park Jazz Festival, as well as local food vendors and a free shuttle between concert locations!
Visit the website here.
Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest
Lincoln Square
Saturday & Sunday, October 5-October 6, 2024
The 37th annual Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest offers activities for apple lovers of all ages. Food vendors and farm vendors will be on hand for families to buy fall-themed foods! Kids can enjoy apple themed activities like an apple sensory bin and an apple slime kit, as well as activities from Fit City Kids, Itsy Bitsy Play & Cafe, Nonku's Corner, and several local schools. Visit the website here.
Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up
Goose Island
September 19-November 3, 2024
Jack's is one of Chicago's largest fall themed festivals. With 10,000 pumpkins, fortune tellers, a corn maze with a secret bar, gem mining, photo opportunities, carnival games, and food trucks, Jack's provides to unique experience for each guest that comes through the doors. It is also kid friendly! Visit the website here.
Fall Fest - Lincoln Park Zoo
Lincoln Park
September 27-October 27, 2024
Fall Fest offers a pumpkin patch, hay mountain, professional pumpkin carvers, Ferris wheel and more throughout Lincoln Park Zoo. Visit the website here.
Bunker Hill Pumpkin Palooza
Niles - FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Families can enjoy nature's contributions to Halloween by painting pumpkins, playing gourd ring toss, making leaf rubbings, and running through a fall-themed obstacle course.
Visit the website here.
Naper Settlement Oktoberfest
Naperville
Friday & Saturday, October 4-October 5, 2024
Naperville Heritage Society celebrates October with its signature beer tent full of local Oktoberfest brews for the grown-ups, plus plenty of kids activities for the little ones. Live polka and rock music take center stage while families can also participate in themed contests. Live pumpkin carving and a stein holding competition round out the fun. Visit the website here.
Boo at the Zoo
Brookfield
Saturdays & Sundays, October 5-20, 2024
Kids can trick or treat with the animals at Brookfield Zoo at this not-so-scary event during the three weekends leading up to Halloween. Other activities include giant pumpkin carving, a Halloween craft, cupcake and cookie decorating, a haunted hayride, a creepy cowboy carousel, a corn maze, a pumpkin smasher, a costume parade, and a costume contest. Visit the website here.
The Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival
Highwood - FREE
Friday, October 4-Sunday, October 6, 2024
Visit Highwood for all the pumpkin-based fun you could wish for. This three-day festival includes all-you-can-carve pumpkin stations, a carnival, live entertainment, a 5k, craft and food vendors, and pet and kid costume contests. Visit the website here.
Family Fall Fest
Elmhurst - FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Safety Town trick-or-treating, an inflatable corn maze obstacle course, and fall games are on hand for families at Wild Meadows Trace in Elmhurst. Families can stay for lunch to visit food trucks including Serna's Grill, Spoon Burger, Smallcakes, and Mario's Cart. Kids can also enjoy face painting and a balloon artist. Visit the website here.
Lombard Fall Fest
Lombard - FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Kids can kick off the Halloween season at Lombard's annual fall event. Kids can enjoy games, dancing, face painting, and a candy hunt. The Lombard Community Building will host Boo Bingo from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Visit the website here.
Columbus Day Parade
Chicago Loop - FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Chicagoans of all ages can enjoy watching 150 groups, including bands, floats, and marchers, march down State Street for the 72nd annual Columbus Day Parade. Visit the website here.
Cantigny Fall Fest
Wheaton
Friday & Saturday, October 11- October 12, 2024
Cantigny Park hosts a celebration of fall complete with hay rides, pumpkin decorating, a petting zoo, wax hands, inflatables, and face painting. Live music will play on Cantigny's Parade FIeld. Families can purchase seasonal foods at food trucks or at Bernie's Bistro in the Visitors Center. A kids' book fair and plant and pumpkin sale bring more seasonal fun to the event.
Visit the website here.
St. Charles Scarecrow Festival
St. Charles - FREE
Friday, October 11-Sunday, October 13, 2024
More than 100 handmade and mechanical scarecrows will be on display in downtown St. Charles for this 35th annual fall tradition. Families can make their own scarecrow, enjoy live entertainment, shop at the arts and crafts show, or ride carnival rides while enjoying the fall weather. Visit the website here.
Night of 1,000 Jack-o'- Lanterns
Glencoe
October 16-20 and October 23-27, 2024
These hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns are a real treat. Explore the Chicago Botanical Gardens for a spook-tacular adventure with more than 1,000 hand-carved jack-o-lanterns to light the way. This event tends to sell out. Visit the website here.
Arts in the Dark
Downtown - FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Arts in the Dark is an evening parade that celebrates Halloween as the "artist's holiday," bringing together Chicago institutions and organizations dedicated to art and education. Audience members will be delighted by unique floats, spectacle puppets, and creative performances set against the backdrop of Chicago’s majestic skyline. Visit the website here.
Harvest Pow Wow
Wheaton
Saturday & Sunday, October 12-October 13, 2024
Touring a tipi, making arrowheads, watching presentations about horses and birds of prey, and listening to Native American music are just a few of the activities available for children at SOARRING's Annual Harvest Pow Wow. Dancers and drummers will perform continuously throughout most of the festival, and families can also sample Native American foods and learn more about Native American Culture. Visit the website here.
Hinsdale Fall Family Fest
Hinsdale - FREE
Saturday, October 12, 2024
West suburban families can visit Katherine Legge Park to paint pumpkins, enjoy giveaways from local businesses, visit food trucks, and trick-or-treat at downtown businesses. Inflatables and roaming entertainment will also be on hand. Visit the website here.
Open House Chicago
Citywide - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, October 19-October 20, 2024
The Chicago Architecture Center hosts Open House Chicago, a free public festival that offers behind-the-scenes access to more than 20 buildings throughout Chicago. Guests can enjoy access to Chicago's architectural gems, including skyscrapers, repurposed mansions, opulent theaters, exclusive private clubs, private offices, and breathtaking sacred spaces. Visit the website here.
Fall Paddle Festival
Winnetka - FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Enjoy some fall time out on the water with a canoe trip. Families can also learn about archery, take a guided hike, paint pumpkins, and play in nature. Visit the website here.
Bloomingdale Halloween Party
Bloomingdale - FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Fall festivities abound at this event sponsored by the Bloomingdale Park District, Village of Bloomingdale, Bloomingdale Public Library, and Friends of the Bloomingdale Public Library. The Police and Fire Department will offer Halloween-themed building tours and trunk or treat while the library will host a hay maze, moon jump, balloon artist, face painter, and refreshments. Visit the website here.
Spooky Zoo
Lincoln Park
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Kids can trick-or-treat at Lincoln Park Zoo from 10am until the candy runs out. Family-friendly entertainment will keep the party going. Visit the website here.
Batfest
Batavia - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Visit downtown Batavia to enjoy bat-themed fun including trick or treating, a parade, pumpkin bowl, bat art, stories, games and more. Kids can see a show of live bats, see dance performances, and listen to live music. Visit the website here.
Pumpkin Palooza
Naperville
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Kids can celebrate the season by coming in costume to the DuPage Children's Museum for STEAM-themed, non-scary activities. Build your own Franken buddy from recycled toys, create wearable art, brew your own slime, and mix and mash pumpkin guts! Visit the website here.
Lincoln Scared and Ravenswoooooood
Lincoln Square and Ravenswood- FREE
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Lincoln Square and Ravenswood transform into Lincoln Scared and Ravenswooooooood for early trick-or-treating. Businesses hand out candy and other treats, and a pumpkin decorating station sets up on Damen Avenue. Visit the website here.
Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade
Lakeview - FREE
Thursday, October 31, 2024
North Halsted Street in Boystown celebrates Halloween unlike any other neighborhood in Chicago. Parade entries may include LED robots, the Lakeside Marching Band, and Chicago Full Moon Jam fire performers. A costume contest awards cash prizes to contestants in seven different categories, including a category for youth. Visit the website here.
Lightscape at Chicago Botanic Garden
Glencoe
Opens November 15, 2024
Go for a stroll down a mile-long path filled with holiday wonder at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Visit the website here.
Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum
Lisle
Opens November 16, 2024
Visitors walk a one-mile path with thousands of lights in displays illuminating the trees, accompanied by music. An awe-inspiring display illuminates the new Grand Garden. Visitors can enjoy some old favorites and new displays. Stop along the way to roast s'mores around a campfire or drink a hot beverage from concession stands. Visit the website here.
Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza
Downtown - FREE
Opens November 22, 2024
The 25th annual Christkindlmarket features holiday themed drinks, snacks, shopping, and games outside the Daley Center. Visit the website here.
Christkindlmarket Aurora
Aurora - FREE
Opens November 22, 2024
The annual Christkindlmarket features a variety of German and European vendors selling holiday decor, gifts and treats. Throughout the market, families can also experience live performances from European artists. Visit the website here.
Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
Magnificent Mile - FREE
November 23, 2024
Chicago's Magnificent Mile hosts the annual Lights Festival with a parade of lights with Grand Marshalls Minnie and Mickey Mouse. The event includes booths full of family-friendly activities, including pictures with Santa. Visit the website here.
Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Brookfield
Thursdays through Sundays, November 22-December 31, 2024
Featuring more than a million LED lights, a 41-foot talking Christmas tree, and a 600-foot tunnel of lights with coordinating music, Brookfield Zoo's Holiday Magic highlights the holidays and loads of animals. Visit the website here.
Chicago Thanksgiving Parade
Downtown - FREE
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade will have the theme of "Where Grateful Hearts Gather." Families can watch as floats, bands, and dignitaries travel along State Street from Ida B. Wells Drive to Randolph Street. Visit the website here.
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