Champaign-Urbana Area Summer Fairs and Festivals

Savor the summer with Champaign-Urbana area fairs and festivals

 

Whether you love the food, the carnival rides or the music and entertainment, nothing beats a summer fair or festival in the Champaign-Urbana area. And there are so many to choose from!

Fair season is coming and we have made sure you know where all the fairs are happening this summer. Within about a 90-minute drive, there are dozens of summer fairs and outdoor festivals happening and we are going to list them all for you, all season long. Be sure to bookmark this and check back often.

Chambanamoms thanks Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch for presenting this comprehensive list. 

Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch ranks among the top agritourism destinations in Illinois, offering entertainment, shopping and learning experiences for all ages, with a Wizard of Oz themed twist.

Converted from a traditional Illinois grain and livestock farm in the late 1970s, Curtis Orchard boasts over 13,000 apple trees, 16 acres of pumpkins, a 6,000 sq. ft. gift shop, donut and pie bakery, 100 seat café with additional outdoor seating and seven acres of outdoor activities. Guests can pick apples and pumpkins seasonally or purchase produce from the store while shopping the hundreds of food and gift items in the store, including cider, preserves, melons, sweetcorn, and a wide variety of food and gift items.

Lunch in the Flying Monkey Café and treats from the bakery are always popular, and 2025 has seen the biggest expansion to the newly rebranded Land of Oz Activity Area in over a decade. New offerings include a completely redesigned Ruby Slipper Maze, the new Glinda’s Zinnia Maze & Pick-Your-Own Bouquet, a new slide for kids, a grain wagon basketball shootout, and
renovation of all existing activities. The giant Wizard of Oz barn mural is also completely new for the best photo opportunities ever!

For more information: Website, Facebook or Instagram

We’ve included Champaign-Urbana area fairs happening now through Labor Day. We will keep adding details and events as they become available. One exception: find everything related to Champaign-Urbana area Fourth of July happenings here.

From county fairs, to special event festivals that feature music, art, food, and more — we’ve got it covered. So break out your calendar and be sure to load up your schedule.

If you’re looking for Fairs and Festivals outside of Champaign-Urbana, we have a list of seven great Central Illinois Summer Festivals. Want detailed info on the Champaign County Fair? We will have an article on that, too.

Want to get info about featuring your fair or festival in this post? Email us now.

Click on the individual date of the fair or festival to find more detailed info.

Want a quicker view of what’s planned? Check out this list.

FARMER CITY HERITAGE DAYS

Thursday, May 29 – Saturday, May 31
Great music and activities all weekend long. Admission to the music festival and Main Street Fair is free. There is a free Kids Zone on Saturday.

CATLIN STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

Saturday, June 7
Old fashioned family friendly fun with games, contests, and food. Pack swimsuits to play in the splash pad. Cost: Admission is free (food available by donation).

MAHOMET SODA FEST

Saturday, June 14
Make your way to historic downtown Mahomet to enjoy soda from classic, family-owned bottlers from all over the country, along with family friendly games, local food and live music.

PIATT COUNTY FAIR

Thursday, June 12 – Sunday, June 15
Tractor pulls, bands and more are going to be at this year’s fair, along with vendors offering favorite fair foods. Fireworks on Friday, too!

PIATT COUNTY TRAIL BLAZERS RODEO

Thursday, June 19 – Saturday, June 21
Gates open at 5 p.m. and rodeo begins at 7 p.m. each night. Get a pass for one night or the whole weekend.

FORD COUNTY FAIR

Sunday, June 22 – Saturday, June 28
Highlights include a petting zoo and of course, carnival rides and favorite fair foods.

VERMILION COUNTY FAIR

Wednesday, June 25 – Saturday, June 29
$9 gate admission that includes unlimited carnival rides. Also a queen pageant, demo derby, rodeo, and more. Family four-pack bundle of tickets available.

RIGGS-FEST

Thursday, June 26 – Sunday, June 29
Food trucks, music and more.

TOLONO FUN DAYS

Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28
Events in years past have included a lighted golf cart parade and outdoor family movie night.

Looking for 4th of July events and activities? View the list here soon.

GEORGETOWN FAIR

Saturday, July 5 – Saturday, July 12
Horse show, queen pageant, talent contest, tractor pulls, rodeo and demo derby — plus the carnival will be there all week long.

FISHER FAIR

Sunday, July 6 – Saturday, July 12
Queen pageant, carnival, pedal tractor pull, ax throwing, rodeo, demo derby and more, along with food vendors including Kona Ice.

HISTORIC FARM DAYS (PENFIELD)

Thursday, July 10 – Sunday, July 13

Annual activities include blacksmith shop, corn crib filling and shelling, potato digging, tractor parades, a tractor pull and an extensive tractor/truck display.

BALLOONS OVER VERMILION

Friday, July 11 – Saturday, July 12

Balloons Over Vermilion will feature hot air balloons launching and tethering, as well as mass ascents, fly ins and balloon glows at the Vermilion County Regional Airport.

FARMER CITY & DEWITT COUNTY FAIR

Dates coming soon
Evening entertainment, Queen and Little Miss pageants and talent show, harness racing, livestock judging and floriculture displays.

MATTOON BAGELFEST

Wednesday, July 16 – Saturday, July 19
Queen pageant, carnival, pedal tractor pull, ax throwing, rodeo, demo derby and more, along with food vendors.

PHILO SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Thursday, July 17 – Sunday, July 20

Philo celebrates 150 years! Join in the celebration with a talent show, inflatables, tractor display, 5K, “touch a helicopter”, fireworks and more.

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY FAIR

Friday, July 18 – Sunday, July 26
Carnival rides, games, food and more at our community’s very own county fair.

GIFFORD SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Friday, July 18 – Sunday, July 20
Plans still to come for this sesquicentennial event!

MCLEAN COUNTY FAIR

Wednesday, July 23 – Sunday, July 27
Visit the Food and Farm Fun Zone with free activities daily, carnival, demo derby, tractor pull and more.

MOULTRIE-DOUGLAS COUNTY FAIR

Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, Aug. 2

Special performances along with all kinds of usual fair food and fun make this two-county fair a special event.

SIDNEY FUN DAZE

Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26
Sidney Fun Daze features a kiddie tractor pull, inflatables, a parade and live music.

RC FEST

Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27
Final RC fest – grand finale! Tickets include eight events including the bash, crawler and boating events.

COLES COUNTY FAIR

Dates coming soon
Activities in years past have included bull riding, demo derby, dirt drag racing, harness racing, K-9 demo, queen pageants, tractor pull, carnival, music and more.

ROYAL DAYS

Friday, Aug. 1 – Sunday, Aug. 3
Activities in years past have included music, food trucks, kiddie tractor pull, golf cart parade and Kids Zone.

ST. JOSEPH COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

Thursday, Aug. 7 – Saturday, Aug. 9
Fun small-town festival including a daily fish fry, carnival, and kids’ games.

CHAMPAIGN-URBANA DAYS

Friday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 9

This two-day event offers an amazing variety of activities, such as live music, local cuisine and a marketplace. Kids can have a blast with inflatables, face painting, caricatures, balloon animals, and a variety of other exciting activities all day long.

VILLA GROVE AG DAYS

Friday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 9

Fun for kids of all ages, including vendors, local merchant giveaways and sidewalk sales, a parade and display of modern and vintage farm and garden tractors, garden tractor pulling and racing, corn hole tourney, 5K race, corn-eating contest, demo derby, live music, and more.

MANSFIELD HOMECOMING

Friday, Aug. 15 – Sunday, Aug. 17
Carnival, kids games, tractor pull, car/motorcycle show and more. Free entertainment!

LEROY FALL FESTIVAL

Tuesday, Aug. 19 – Saturday, Aug. 23
Food, carnival and games-live entertainment nightly.

MAHOMET MUSIC FESTIVAL

Friday, Aug. 22 and Saturday, Aug. 23
Enjoy free admission, free live music, parade, carnival rides (for a cost), street vendors, bags tournament, and more up and down Main Street.

OGDEN STREET FEST

Date coming soon
Fun for all ages including a car show, rock climbing wall, laser tag, face painting, food vendors and more.

HOOPESTON NATIONAL SWEETCORN FESTIVAL

Thursday, Aug. 28 – Monday, Sept. 1
Besides the normal carnival, demolition derby, Grand Parade and other events, the festival cooks approximately 50 tons of sweetcorn with an antique steam engine and distributes the corn free.

ARTHUR AMISH COUNTRY CHEESE FESTIVAL

Saturday, Aug. 30 – Monday, Sept. 1
This festival is full of family fun with a parade, tractor pull, music, inflatables, pony rides, face-painting and more.

ARCOLA BROOMCORN FESTIVAL

Friday, Sept. 5 – Sunday, Sept. 7
This unique festival has three days of fun, including the “National Broom Sweeping Contest” and a huge parade!

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