Fall Festivals for Kids in Chicago in 2026
Buffalo Grove Days
Buffalo Grove
Thursday - Monday, September 3-7, 2026
Celebrate the northwest suburbs with a carnival, food trucks, live music for kids and grown-ups, bingo, a family fun walk, a pancake breakfast, and a rotary duck race. Fun and games are available for kids in the children's area. Website
Nashwood
Highwood- FREE
Friday - Sunday, September 4-6, 2026
North suburban Highwood celebrates country music on Labor Day weekend with live country, bluegrass, blues, and Southern rock music. Southern-inspired food and drinks will also be available. Families can take a hayride through downtown to get between venues. Website
Taste of Melrose Park
Melrose Park - FREE
1000 North 25th Ave., Melrose Park
Friday - Sunday, September 4-6, 2026
Summer winds down with this annual festival in the near west suburbs. Families can enjoy live entertainment, including kids' musicians, bagpipes, the Sabor de Mexico stage, and the Jesse White Tumblers, along with carnival rides and games and a free interactive racing game. Website
Taste of Polonia (at Copernicus Center)
Jefferson Park
Friday - Monday, September 4-7, 2026
The country's largest Polish festival takes place at the Copernicus Center in Chicago on Labor Day weekend. More than 30 bands will play on four stages throughout the weekend, and families can enjoy inflatables, a climbing wall, face painting, clowns, Disney characters, tastings and cooking classes, carnival rides, and games. Website
Last Fling (in Naperville)
Naperville
Friday - Monday, September 4-7, 2026
Naperville's annual end-of-summer festival features live music, food vendors, a carnival, and Family Fun Land. The family area includes sack races, water balloon contests, and eating contests featuring cotton candy, spaghetti, and cupcakes. Music, dancing, stilt walkers, and a real live princess round out the family fun. Website
African Festival of the Arts (in Washington Park)
Washington Park
Saturday - Monday, September 5-7, 2026
Washington Park hosts the annual African Festival of the Arts, featuring vibrant drumming, museum-quality and collectible artifacts, colorful and rich handwoven fabric and textile, family-friendly activities, music, and food. Website
Schaumburg September Fest
Schaumburg
Saturday - Monday, September 5-7, 2026
Septemberfest offers arts and crafts, live music, kids' activities such as face painting and pony rides, a carnival, fireworks, and much more. Website
Long Grove Irish Days
Long Grove - FREE
Saturday - Monday, September 5-7, 2026
Experience the luck of the Irish on Labor Day weekend in historic Downtown Long Grove. Visitors can see Irish dancers, hear Irish music, sample Irish-inspired food and beverages, and judge contests for best Irish dog and best-looking men's legs in a kilt. Website
Frankfort Fall Fest
Frankfort - FREE
Saturday - Monday, September 5-7, 2026
Celebrate fall in the southwest suburbs at this annual event featuring concerts, a carnival, food vendors, and more. A parade steps off on Sunday at 1pm, and families can visit the KidWork Children's Museum or Frankfort History Museum nearby. Website
Midnight Circus in the Parks
Various Chicago Parks September 5 & 6, 11-13, 19, & 25-27, 2026
This small, family-run circus is as sweet as they come, bringing the circus to parks all over Chicago for a small, intimate performance! Families can grab a blanket and get cozy in their favorite park to see talented aerialists, gymnasts, tight rope walkers, clowns, and even a dog put on an energetic and awe-inspiring performance. Website
Glendale Heights Oktoberfest
Glendale Heights
Daily, September 10-20, 2026
Families can enjoy German foods and music under a spacious tent in Camera Park for a full 10 days at this Glendale Heights Festival. Strolling Oompah bands and souvenirs like German hats and steins will complete the fun. Website
Rock the Block Party (in Downtown Elmhurst)
Elmhurst - FREE
Friday & Saturday, September 11 & 12, 2026
Families can celebrate the end of summer with live entertainment and local food vendors at this annual Elmhurst festival. Kids can enjoy face painting, arts and crafts, games, a photo booth, and performances from local musicians. Adults can enjoy beverages from the beer and wine tent. Website
Winfield Good Old Days
Winfield - FREE
Friday - Sunday, September 11-13, 2026
Bike races, a bags tournament, a steak cook-off, duck races, shoe-kicking contests, and a meatball-eating contest are the highlights of this nostalgic west suburban festival. Kids can also enjoy historic trolley rides, live music, and a parade on Sunday at Church and Beecher Streets in downtown Winfield. Website
German-American Fest (in Lincoln Square)
Lincoln Square - FREE
Friday - Sunday, September 11-13, 2026
Families can don their dirndls and lederhosen and step out to Lincoln Square for German and American food, music, and gemuetlischkeit. The event features carnival games, the annual Steuben Parade through North Center and Lincoln Square, and traditional German music and dancing. Website
Throwback Music Fest (at Gladstone Park)
Norwood Park - FREE
Friday - Sunday, September 11-13, 2026
Introduce kids to the music of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s at this annual northwest-side festival. While grown-ups enjoy tribute bands, a throwback pinup contest, and a classic car show, kids can play games, do crafts, enjoy face painting, and bounce in a bounce house. Website
79th Street Renaissance Festival
Auburn Gresham - FREE
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Attendees can enjoy local food, retailers, organizations, and performers from all genres from cultural to modern dance and blues to hip hop at the 79th Street Renaissance Festival! Website
Fine Arts Festival Downtown Downers Grove
Downers Grove - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2026
Visit Downtown Downers Grove for its 49th annual Fine Arts Festival on Main Street. Explore an outstanding collection of juried artists showcasing works across a variety of mediums, including painting, photography, jewelry, ceramics, glass, fiber, mixed media, wood, sculpture, and more. Website
Printers Row Lit Fest
South Loop - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2026
Bibliophiles of all ages are welcome at Printers Row Lit Fest, where they can enjoy talks, demonstrations, and workshops with authors of all genres. Kids' authors and books will be featured throughout the fest. Website
Ravenswood ArtWalk: 22nd Annual Tour of Arts & Industry
Ravenswood - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2026
The ultimate end-of-summer festival returns to Chicago’s northside with the 24th Annual Ravenswood ArtWalk. “RAW” features open studios and galleries, pop-up performances and activations, live music, an Outdoor Artist Market, a Children’s Corner, and a pop-up Beer Garden. Website
West End Arts Festival
LaGrange - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2026
Families can enjoy visual, culinary, and performing arts at this annual festival in west suburban LaGrange. More than 60 artists will display their works, while jazz musicians perform throughout the festival. Chefs from local restaurants will offer cooking demonstrations, and kids can enjoy art activities including face painting near Stone Avenue train station. Website
Norwood Park Fall Fest
Norwood Park
Friday - Sunday, September 18-20, 2026
Celebrate fall with live entertainment, food and drink vendors, and kids' activities for all ages. Kids can enjoy carnival games, a magic show, tattoos and henna, an inflatable corn maze, and kids' music and dance performances. Website
Spring Road Fall Fest
Elmhurst - FREE
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Families can enjoy fall-themed entertainment at the intersection of Spring Road and the Prairie Path in Elmhurst. Activities include a petting zoo, pony rides, a moon jump, temporary tattoos, carnival games, and musical entertainment. Kids can also paint pumpkins and enjoy concessions. Website
Lakeview East Festival of the Arts
Lakeview - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 19 & 20, 2026
Lakeview East Festival of the Arts offers over 150 artists featuring paintings, sculptures, photography, furniture, jewelry, and more. In addition to live music on two stages, the festival includes live demonstrations, family activities, and a garden oasis. Website
Brookfield Zoo Chicago Oktoberfest
Brookfield
Saturday & Sunday, September 19 & 20, 2026
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. Website
Oaktoberfest
Oak Park- FREE
Friday & Saturday, September 25 & 26,2026
Oak Park celebrates the changing seasons at Oaktoberfest with music, food from local restaurants, specialty craft beers, and a kids' root beer garden open from noon to 5pm. The pint-sized fun includes zucchini races, a ninja obstacle course, root beer floats, crafts, and other activities sponsored by local businesses. Website
World Music Festival
Citywide - FREE
Daily, September 25 - October 4, 2026
World music fans can enjoy FREE concerts throughout the City of Chicago during the 24th 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. Website
St. Alphonsus Oktoberfest
Lakeview
Friday - Sunday, September 25-27, 2026
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. Website
Long Grove Apple Fest
Long Grove
Friday - Sunday, September 25-27, 2026
How do you like them apples? Long Grove will make them any way you want—baked in pies, dipped in chocolate or caramel, or chopped up in sangria. Families can also enjoy a carnival and live music with their apple treats. Website
Beverly Art Walk
Beverly - FREE
Saturday, September 26, 2026
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. Website
Celebración de los Árboles (at Morton Arboretum)
Lisle
Saturday & Sunday, September 26 & 27, 2026
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. Website
Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Hyde Park - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 26 & 27, 2026
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! Website
Cantigny Fall Fest
Wheaton
Saturday & Sunday, September 26 & 27, 2026
Celebrate the season at Cantigny’s Annual Fall Festival. This family-friendly weekend features a vibrant Fall Market, live music, guided garden tours, and a variety of food trucks offering tasty bites. Kids can enjoy hands-on crafts, bounce houses, and a delightful petting zoo, creating memories for all ages. Website
Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up
Goose Island
Daily, September 19 - November 1, 2026
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 unique experience for each guest that comes through the doors. It is also kid-friendly! Website
Fall Fest - Lincoln Park Zoo
Lincoln Park
Daily, September 25 - November 1, 2026
Fall Fest offers a pumpkin patch, a hay mountain, professional pumpkin carvers, a Ferris wheel, and more throughout Lincoln Park Zoo. Website
Naper Settlement Oktoberfest
Naperville
Friday & Saturday, October 2 & 3, 2026
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. Website
Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest
Lincoln Square
Friday - Sunday, October 2-4, 2026
The 39th 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 Wiggleworms, musicians, jugglers, sing-a-longs, and so much more! Website
The Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival
Highwood - FREE
Friday - Sunday, October 2-4, 2026
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. Website
St. Benedict's Oktoberfest
North Center
Friday - Sunday, October 2-4, 2026
St. Ben's Parish Oktoberfest includes live entertainment, traditional German food, a carnival, and games. Proceeds will benefit local outreach programs and church operations. Website
Caldwell Woods Pumpkin Palooza
Edgebrook - FREE
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Paint pumpkins and bowl, dye buckthorn, play ring toss, maneuver through a fall-themed obstacle course, and more! Website
Elmhurst Family Fall Fest
Elmhurst - FREE
Saturday, October 3, 2026
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 Beavers Donuts, Billy Bricks Deli Truck, Kona Ice, Nick’s Pizza Truck, Smallcakes of Elmhurst, and Smash N' Roll. Kids can also enjoy face painting and a balloon artist. Website
Lombard Fall Fest
Lombard - FREE
Saturday, October 3, 2026
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. Website
Brookfield Zoo Chicago Boo at the Zoo
Brookfield
Daily, October 3-25, 2026
Kids can trick-or-treat with the animals at Brookfield Zoo at this not-so-scary event during the three weeks leading up to Halloween. Other weekend 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. Website
Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns (at Chicago Botanic Garden)
Glencoe
Wednesday - Sundays, October 7-25, 2026
Don't be a scaredy cat—these hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns are a real treat! Explore the Chicago Botanic Garden for a spooktacular adventure with more than 1,000 hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns to light the way. Along the way you may come across interesting characters, watch haunted model trains in the garden, and catch an artist carving a new pumpkin for the path. Website
St. Charles Scarecrow Festival
St. Charles - FREE
Friday - Sunday, October 9-11, 2026
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. Website
Open House Chicago
Citywide - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, October 17 & 18, 2026
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. Website
Arts in the Dark (starting on Columbus Drive)
Downtown - FREE
Saturday, October 24, 2026
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. Website
BOOmingdale Halloween Party
Bloomingdale - FREE
Saturday, October 24, 2026
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 a trunk-or-treat while the library will host a hay maze, a moon jump, a balloon artist, a face painter, and refreshments. Website
Batfest (at Peg Bond Center)
Batavia - FREE
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Visit downtown Batavia to enjoy bat-themed fun including trick-or-treating, a parade, a pumpkin bowl, bat art, stories, games, and more. Kids can see a show of live bats, watch dance performances, and listen to live music. Website
Pumpkin Palooza (at DuPage Children's Museum)
Naperville
Saturday, October 24, 2026
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! Website
Naperville Halloween Happening
Naperville - FREE
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Visit the Naperville Riverwalk's Grand Pavilion for Halloween games, activities, and treats. Hayrides and a pumpkin patch add to the fall fun. This free event is intended for kids 10 and under. Website
Westmont Halloween Fun Fair
Westmont - FREE
Friday, October 30, 2026
The whole family is invited to a safe and fun-filled evening as you trick-or-treat at the Community Center. Beware of trickery and silly fun when you meet Patrick, the spirited magician. Create a spooky craft and try your luck at a game or two along the way. Take a fun photo with your friends and family. There will be plenty of treats and activities to make your evening fangtastic! Website
Slightly Spooky Saturday: Family Halloween (at Navy Pier)
Navy Pier - FREE
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Halloween takes over Navy Pier! Families can enjoy circus acts, mad scientist demos, axe throwing, a costume contest, face-painting demos, and more at shops and restaurants around the Pier. Website