Pork Day U.S.A.

The day includes a colorful parade in the morning followed by entertainment, pageants, drawings for pork products, games, kids tractor pull, contests, raffles and vendors. The best traditional food: pork burgers, barbecue pork, bratwurst, pork chops, chicken and more to help stave off the hunger!

CITY: Albion

Alton Memorial Day Parade

Celebrate Memorial Day by experiencing the oldest consecutive running parade in the entire nation. This parade began in 1868. Celebrate the history of Pie Town, Upper Alton and those who serve our country.

CITY: Alton

Atlanta Fall Festival

Atlanta Fall Festival includes food, a carnival, a parade, children's activities and local royalty.

CITY: Atlanta

Windmill City Festival

Windmill City Festival has long been a staple of the community and has become a tradition for many families. This 3 day event includes a carnival, 5k race, pet parade, and an ice cream eating contest. Every member of the family is sure to find a new favorite activity! This year's festival will be held Friday, July 12 through Sunday, July 14 at the Riverwalk in downtown Batavia. Admission is free.

CITY: Batavia

Bourbonnais Friendship Festival 2013

During the five days of fun, rides, games, shows, beer garden, parades, teen Idol, baby contest and more. You are bound to see astronauts, Martians, the Jetsons, Buzz Lightyear, Luke Skywalker and more as you orbit the festival grounds.

CITY: Bourbonnais

Annual Lights Fantastic Activities & Parade

Take pictures with Santa’s reindeer in Carbondale's Town Square, stop by the Polar Express Station (the Old Train Depot) for candy cane treats, and enjoy the Holiday Cookie Walk, where downtown businesses offer cookies and refreshments. The Lights Fantastic Parade kicks off at 6pm.

CITY: Carbondale

Balloon Fest

A fun filled family weekend featuring over 40 hot air balloons, balloon glows Friday and Saturday, entertainment throughout each day, fireworks, car show, craft fair, children's activity area and more.

CITY: Centralia

Chicago Pride Parade

The Chicago 44th Annual Pride Parade will showcase GLBT Pride with over 850,000 participants and spectators.The parade contains over 200 registered entries that includes floats, decorated vehicles, marching bands and walking groups.

CITY: Chicago

North Halsted Halloween Parade

This iconic Halloween happening—now in its 17th year—is one of Chicago's largest celebrations of ghosts, goblins and costumes galore! Colorful and festive doesn't start to do justice to this iconic Halloween party that draws thousands of spectators of all ages who line the streets of Halsted to enjoy the evening's festivities. The parade receives widespread media coverage, and one of its highlights is the costume contest that draws scores of outrageously attired parade participants.

CITY: Chicago

Danvers Days

Danvers Days takes place each August in the Danvers Village Park, featuring entertainment, food, raffles, kids games, Bingo and Tug of War. Attendees also enjoy a carnival, craft show, community auction, and the biggest parade in Central Illinois.

CITY: Danvers

Dixon Petunia Festival

Come to Dixon, the Petunia Capitol of Illinois, for the 49th annual celebration in the Hometown of President Ronald Reagan. Headline entertainment will be The Spin Doctors and a new family event will be the Brush, Bloom and Boom painting competition for all ages. In addition to a kids carnival every day, there will be fireworks on the 4th, a parade, 14th annual Reagan 5K run, the men’s garden club pancake breakfast, bags tournament, Elks Lodge poker tournament, Dixon Municipal Band concert, community worship service, a fishing derby and an art show.

CITY: Dixon

64th Annual Midsommar Swedish Days Festival

This “Granddaddy” of Illinois festivals features a host of family-friendly activities with live musical entertainment, a carnival, Rosemaling show, pet parade, Kids’ Day fun, Grand Parade, the state’s largest Music Competition, multi-ethnic food plus great shopping in our historic downtown. Geneva’s train station is located just blocks from the festivities.

CITY: Geneva

Genoa Days 2013!

Come enjoy fireworks, great food, live bands & amusement rides at Genoa Days, June 13 - 15. Don't miss the King & Queen Scholarship Contest on Wednesday, June 12th, 2013 at 8:00 PM. Sponsored by Genoa-Kingston Fire Department.

CITY: Genoa

Mallardfest

This fun fest includes a parade, beer/wine garden, food booths, children's games, pontoon rides, music, a duck calling contest, fireworks and more.

CITY: Hanover

Harvard Milk Days

Illinois' longest-running festival. Includes a carnival, food, petting zoo, races, fireworks, parade and much more.

CITY: Harvard

Cruise Nite and Classic Car Show

One of the largest Cruise Nites in Illinois. This event brings in classic and antique autos for a weekend of fun for the whole family. Watch the cars cruise on Saturday night and then attend the car show on Sunday.

CITY: Jacksonville

Jersey County Fair

Food, merchandise, vendors and more. A week-long annual county fair offering rare glimpses of livestock, agriculture competitions mixed with nightly entertainment. Don't miss the NTPA tractor and truck pulls, a monster truck challenge, demo derby and Queen competitions. General admission is $2 per person, children under 13 free. Separate pricing for grandstand events.

CITY: Jerseyville

Lena Lions Fall Festival

This fall fest features carnival rides, games, food, a 5K run hosted by the Lena Park District, a parade on Saturday at noon, a pork chop BBQ, raffle drawings for a car and a 4 wheeler at 10 pm on Saturday, musical entertainment, an antique tractor display, firemen water fights and much more.

CITY: Lena

Mendota Sweet Corn Festival

The Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce is preparing for the gigantic undertaking of hosting over 60,000 visitors, who consume nearly 50 tons of sweet corn during the festival weekend. Free musical entertainment is in abundance. The Crafters Market Place and flea market features over 200 dealers in hand made crafts and unique merchandise. There is a Queen Pageant, beer garden with live bands, grand parade and a carnival with rides and games for both adults and children, plus much more. The midways are lined with food booths, featuring a multitude of ethnic, regional and festival foods, but the "BIG EVENT" is the serving of the free Del Monte sweet corn on Sunday afternoon. For over 60 years, it has been cooked to its golden goodness with the help of a vintage steam engine. The good times are waiting, the welcome mat is out, come to Mendota for one of the Midwest's oldest and largest harvest festivals, the 66th annual Sweet Corn Festival.

CITY: Mendota

Middletown Homecoming

Middletown's second annual homecoming will include antiques, autos, music of all genres, food, local royalty, a parade, crafts, kids' games, raffles, cash drawings, fireworks, a community church service and a quarter raffle.

CITY: Middletown

Mount Pulaski Fall Festival

Mount Pulaski Fall Festival is held on the downtown square, around the original courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law. Activities include food, a carnival, a parade, a local history museum, children's activities and local royalty. Visitors can also enjoy murals that highlight the town's history.

CITY: Mount Pulaski

Mt. Vernon Fall Festival

This three day October festival in downtown Mt. Vernon includes a beer tent with live entertainment, parade, children's area, food, fun, car show, band competition, pumpkin competition, and so much more!

CITY: Mount Vernon

Downtown Car Show/Cruise Night

Downtown Car Show / Mt. Vernon Cruise Night - The Car Show will be located on 9th Street between Harrison and Jordan. Features cruise night, car, truck, and motorcycle show; entertainment, food, demonstrations, and a 50/50 drawing. The Car Show will have various models from "Classics" to "Modern".

CITY: Mount Vernon

Moweaqua Pow Wow Days

Come and enjoy this family-friendly festival with plenty of food, entertainment, and vendors everyday with a parade on Saturday. All at events at the festival are located in the downtown park.

CITY: Moweaqua

Murphysboro Apple Festival

The Murphysboro Apple Festival is the oldest and largest, alcohol-free festival in southern Illinois. Over 45,000 people attend the festival each year. During the five days of the Apple Festival, there are numerous activities drawing large crowds such as evening stage shows, carnival/concessions, Queen Contest, Prince and Princess Contest, contests from apple pie eating to apple core throwing, firefighters' water fights, marching band competition, car shows, Appletime 5K Walk/Run and much more. In addition, the festival's Grand Parade is one of the largest parade in Southern Illinois. The parade features an average of about 160 total units, 25 of those marching bands, and a variety of groups and organizations.

CITY: Murphysboro

Lincoln Days Civil War Re-Enactment

Civil War Re-Enactment held at the Pittsfield City Lake. Featuring a parade, military drills, soldier camps, Living History Lectures, music, period food, vendors and artisans. Step back in time to historic Pittsfield as Union and Confederate forces prepare for battle.

CITY: Pittsfield

Polo Town and Country Days

This family friendly event runs four fun-filled days. Highlights include: fireworks display on Thursday evening, carnival rides all weekend; kids activities, mainstage musical entertainment, chainsaw carving, crafts & collectibles show, kids water fights, food stands, hot air balloon rides, huge parade Sunday at noon and much more!

CITY: Polo

Scarecrow Daze Festival

During the 17th Annual Scarecrow Daze Festival, the entire city of Shelbyville is decorated with scarecrows. With a different theme every year, entrants decorate their homes and businesses to the theme. There is also a large parade on Saturday, kids' games, a beer tent, music, a quilt show, and plenty of food and crafts, in downtown Shelbyville. Held in conjunction with Touchstone Energy Balloon Fest.

CITY: Shelbyville

Stanford Good Old Days Festival

Come see the biggest small-town fireworks at the Stanford Good Old Days Festival. The festival includes a fish fry, music and vendors on Friday night; a 5K run/walk, kids games, raffle, vendors, kiddie tractor pull, garden tractor rodeo, parade, car show, live music and fireworks on Saturday; and an antique engine show and tractor pull on Sunday.

CITY: Stanford

Heritage Tractor Adventure

Save the date! A four day adventure tractor drive combining vintage tractors and displays with a historic ride along the Illinois and Michigan Canal Corridor, Max Armstrong (Famous agriculture reporter), entertainment, great food, and camaraderie. Stops in Streator, Ottawa, Sheridan, Pontiac, and Toluca. Whether a spectator or a participant, everyone in your family will enjoy this family-oriented event.

CITY: Streator

Sycamore Pumpkin Fest

2013 is the 52nd Annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival downtown. Back in 1956, Wally Thurow, who is known as Sycamore’s "Mr. Pumpkin", began what was to become the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival when he displayed a few decorated pumpkins on his front lawn to turn Halloween into a time of fun and creativity. In 1962, through the efforts of Mr. Pumpkin and the Sycamore Lions Club, the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival became an official celebration in Sycamore. The Courthouse lawn is the center of activities, including thousands of decorated pumpkins on display, there are also art and craft shows, a house walk, a pie eating contest, a carnival, a fun fair, a race and other events. The festival is concluded by a giant parade on Sunday afternoon.

CITY: Sycamore

Windsor Harvest Picnic

Come and enjoy this family-friendly festival which is in its 117th year. Entertainment comes to you in gospel, country and rock, with entertainers from as far away as Australia and Country Star "Eddie Raven". Fountain City Amusements provide a carnival atmosphere with plenty of food served by various organizations as well as the Ice Cream Social. There is also a 5K run/walk, a pedal tractor pull, parade, and a raffle drawing.

CITY: Windsor