Fantastic Fairs and Festivals This Spring and Summer in Illinois and Wisconsin

Apr 23, 2024

Looking for a fun day out with family and friends this Spring and Summer? Well, ladies and gents, step right up! We’ve got a great list of carnivals, state fairs, and county fairs that will surely razzle and dazzle you. We’re dishing up plenty of fun, excitement, and delicious foods with our lineup on today’s blog.

Fantastic Fairs and Festivals for Spring and Summer 2024

From April 25th through April 28th, the Grayslake Carnival will offer rides, games, and delicious food for all ages, and a special $25 unlimited ride wristband on Thursday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon!
The Long Grove Craft Beer Festival is for visitors 21+ to enjoy an incredible lineup of local participating breweries, live music, and good eats! You’ll also get a commemorative glass and unlimited 3oz samples with your admission.
On April 27th, the Adler Arts center in Libertyville is hosting their Annual Earth Day event featuring family-friendly activities, educational demonstrations, recycled artwork, and more.
On May 18th in Lake Zurich, enjoy a unique family-friendly event for an unforgettable experience at the Water Lantern Festival at Paulus Park. Design your own lantern to join in on the lantern launch, sample some delicious eats from local food trucks, enjoy the live music and try some fun games and activities.
From May 24th through the 26th, the Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center will host the annual Lake County Food Festival featuring everything rom wood-fired pizzas to delectable seafood to gourmet sliders and more. It’s a great family-friendly event for foodies!
June 1st and 2nd at the Lake County Fairgroudns and Event Center is “Illinois Vintage Fest” – a gathering of more than 200 vendors with vintage clothing, fine handicrafts, artisan works, antiques, retro collectibles, and more.
Running June 7th through the 29th at Port Clinton Square on Fridays and SAturdays is the Bitter Jester Music Festival, featuring live music from local musical acts and bands from all across the Midwest in Downtown Highland Park
The 4th Annual LAke County Pride Fest is happening on June 8th at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center.
Long Grove’s Strawberry Festival promises to be “berry fun” this year from June 21st through the 23rd!
On June 8th the B4 Summer Festival from 4:30 to 11 PM featuring the largest corn maze in the world is coming to Spring Grove!

2024 County Fairs in Illinois

July 24th through July 28th Lake County Fair in Grayslake
July 25th through the 28th Dupage County Fair in Wheaton
July 30th through August 4th Mclean County Fair in Bloomington
July 31st through August 4th Kankakee County Fair and Expo in Kankakee
September 4th through the 8th Dekalb County Fair in Sandwich

2024 Summertime State Fair Fun for the Midwest

The Illinois State Fair is back this August 8th through the 18th in Springfield, IL. This wonderful fair is inspired by our state’s long, rich history of agriculture, and features an incredible yearly lineup of live music and entertainment, unmatched food and beverage from local vendors, a plethora of family-friendly activities, and more games and rides than you could ever imagine. It’s one of our favorite annual activities.

The Wisconsin State Fair returns to West Allis from August 1st through the11th, which gives you plenty of time to split your days and visit this and Illinois! The Wisconsin State Fair also focuses on the state’s agricultural achievements, and highlights the best in local eateries and food trucks. There’s also lots of live entertainment, games, and rides for visitors of all ages, making it a great family day out!

The Indiana State Fair runs August 2nd through the 18th, highlighting the best of the state’s agricultural and cultural heritage, with fun and interesting exhibitors and vendors, lots of live entertainment, and plenty of classic fair foods as well as dining from local favorite establishments.

The Iowa State Fair rolls out on August 8th through the 18th in Des Moines, and is home to some of the most incredibly interesting butter sculptures. Yes, you read that right! In addition to these unique edible art installations, there will of course be live entertainment, music, and rides and games galore!