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St. John Brebeuf Oktoberfest (Niles): Free
Date: Thursday, October 1 – Sunday, October 4, 2026 (Thursday 5 PM - 10:30 PM, Friday 5 PM - 10:30 PM, Saturday 12:30 PM - 11 PM, Sunday 12:30 PM - 10 PM)
Venue: St. John Brebeuf School Parking Lot, 8301 N. Harlem Avenue, Niles, IL 60714
Details: The St. John Brebeuf Oktoberfest & Carnival is a four-day community event featuring a full-scale carnival, live music, family activities, and diverse food and beverage options. Admission and parking are free.
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Oktoberfest at Buffalo Creek Brewing (Long Grove): Free
Date: Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4, 2026 (Friday 12 PM - 11 PM, Saturday 11 AM - 11 PM, Sunday 12 PM - 7 PM)
Venue: Buffalo Creek Brewing, 360 Historical Lane, Long Grove, IL 60047
Enjoy a family-friendly Oktoberfest with German-inspired food and music, games, live performances, and traditional Bavarian-style festivities. Proceeds benefit the Lake Zurich Rotary.
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Festival of Arts & Crafts Show (Grayslake): $5 (Ages 11 and under Free)
Date: Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4, 2026 (Friday 2 PM - 7 PM, Saturday 9 AM - 4 PM, Sunday 10 AM - 4 PM)
Venue: Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road, Grayslake, IL 60030
Browse handmade crafts from approximately 280 crafters representing 11 states. The indoor show offers a wide variety of handmade products, along with free parking.
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Oktoberfest at St. Paul of the Cross (Park Ridge): $5+
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026 (5 PM - 10 PM)
Venue: St. Paul of the Cross Church, 320 S. Washington Avenue, Park Ridge, IL 60068
Join the SPC Women’s Club for its first Oktoberfest featuring live bands, bouncy houses, food and beverage trucks, cotton candy, and family-friendly activities. The event is open to school, parish, and community members.
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Harmony Fest Featuring the Taste of Arlington Heights : Free
Date: Friday, October 2 – Saturday, October 3, 2026 (Friday 5 PM - 11 PM, Saturday 3 PM - 11 PM)
Venue: Harmony Park, 7 S. Vail Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Enjoy two days of free live music, food and drinks from Arlington Heights restaurants, local vendors, family-friendly activities, and a lively downtown festival atmosphere.
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Pumpkin Palooza (Park Ridge): Free
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 (4 PM - 10:30 PM)
Venue: Park Ridge Farmers Market, 15 Prairie Avenue, Park Ridge, IL 60068
Enjoy a new fall tradition featuring live entertainment, local restaurant food, beverages, artisans, bounce houses, face painting, and plenty of family-friendly activities.
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Octoberfest (Schaumburg): Free
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 (12 PM - 5 PM)
Venue: Meineke Park, 220 E. Weathersfield Way, Schaumburg, IL 60193
Gather with family and friends for food, live entertainment, and fun for all ages. Family activities include a balloon twister, face painter, and inflatables; a $10 activity bracelet is available for these activities.
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Zine Fest (Hoffman Estates): Free
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 (11 AM - 4 PM)
Venue: Hoffman Estates Village Hall, 1900 Hassell Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
Explore independent self-publishing with local creators showcasing zines, comics, photography, fine art, graphic design, and other original works. Zines will also be available for purchase.
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Founders Day Festival (Roselle): Free
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 (2 PM - 7 PM)
Venue: Clauss Recreation Center, 555 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Roselle, IL 60172
Celebrate Roselle’s founding with live music from Hillbilly Rockstarz and Semple, plus free activities including a zipline, Euro bungy, rock climbing wall, bounce house, face painting, obstacle course, hayrides, pumpkin decorating, and more. Food trucks will also be available.
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Harvest Craft & Vendor Fair (Bartlett): Free ($2 Suggested Donation)
Date: Friday, October 2 – Saturday, October 3, 2026 (Friday 5 PM - 9 PM, Saturday 9 AM - 3 PM)
Venue: Bartlett Community Center, 700 S. Bartlett Road, Bartlett, IL 60103
Shop more than 100 artisans, crafters, and home-based businesses offering handmade décor, seasonal wreaths, candles, jewelry, apparel, gourmet treats, and other unique gifts. A $2 donation benefits the Bartlett Parks Foundation.
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Da Vinci Waldorf School Fall Festival (Wauconda): Free
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 (1 PM - 4 PM)
Venue: Da Vinci Waldorf School, 150 W. Bonner Road, Wauconda, IL 60084
Celebrate autumn with pony rides, pumpkin carving, face painting, fall crafts, storytelling, woodworking, blacksmithing demonstrations, live music, homemade soups, breads, desserts, and fresh popcorn. Admission is free, with some activities requiring tickets.
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Pumpkin Patch Festival (South Elgin): Free
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 (9 AM - 1 PM)
Venue: SEBA Park, 151 S. Water Street, South Elgin, IL 60177
Celebrate 25 years of fall fun with a costume pet parade at 10 AM, pyramid of hay, craft show, Halloween inflatables, face painter, pumpkin decorating contest, and more. Pumpkins, mini-pumpkins, hay bales, corn stalks, and concessions will be available for purchase.
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Arts & Riverwoods (Riverwoods): Free
Date: Saturday, October 3 – Sunday, October 4, 2026 (10 AM - 4 PM)
Venue: Riverwoods Village Hall, 300 Portwine Road, Riverwoods, IL 60015
Arts & Riverwoods is a juried outdoor community art fair set among the village's wooded municipal grounds. The fair showcases fine art, photography, ceramics, glasswork, and handcrafted jewelry by dozens of prominent regional artisans and village craftsmen. Attendees can enjoy live acoustic performances, local specialty food concessions, and nature-inspired interactive art workshops designed for all ages.
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Autumn Harvest Festival (Schaumburg): $5 / $20 Family
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026 (12 PM - 4 PM)
Venue: Volkening Heritage Farm at Spring Valley, 201 S. Plum Grove Road, Schaumburg, IL 60194
Experience fall harvest traditions with 19th-century farm-life demonstrations, kids’ crafts and games, pumpkin decorating, live music, food, beverages, and more. Admission is $5 per person or $20 per family; children 2 and under are free.
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Oktoberfest at Twin Lakes (Palatine): Free
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026 (1 PM - 4 PM)
Venue: Twin Lakes Recreation Area, 1200 E. Twin Lakes Drive, Palatine, IL 60074
Enjoy a family-friendly afternoon with games, hayrides, live music by Die Musikmeisters, raffles, food, and fall activities. A free pumpkin is available with a donation of five nonperishable items to the Palatine Food Pantry; pumpkins can also be purchased for $5.
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Grant Township & Fox Lake Fall Festival (Ingleside): Free
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026 (10 AM - 3 PM)
Venue: Grant Township Center, 26725 W. Molidor Road, Ingleside, IL 60041
Enjoy a family-friendly fall festival featuring food and refreshments, hayrides, pumpkin decorating, face painting, inflatables, vendors and crafters, a petting zoo and pony rides, touch-a-truck and car show, police and fire displays, and more.
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Devonshire County Fair (Skokie): $15
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026 (12:30 PM - 3:30 PM)
Venue: Devonshire Cultural Center, 4400 Greenwood Street, Skokie, IL 60076
The fair features musical performances, a bounce house, hayrides, lawn games, fall crafts, circus activities, face painting, dance, food, and more. Admission is a wristband for $15 per person; ages 2 and up must purchase a wristband to participate.
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Barktober Fest (Arlington Heights): Free
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026 (11 AM - 4 PM)
Venue: Bark BBQ, 4240 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Enjoy a fall celebration with local vendors, pups, fall-themed activities, photo opportunities, a pet costume contest, food vendors, giveaways, samples, and pet products. The event is family-friendly and dogs are welcome.
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Jack O’Lantern World (Lake Zurich): $17.99+
Date: Thursday, October 1 – Sunday, November 1, 2026 (select dates and timed entry)
Venue: Paulus Park, 200 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich, IL 60047
Walk through an illuminated pumpkin trail featuring thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns, giant pumpkin sculptures, themed displays, photo opportunities, and work created by more than 50 artisans. The trail takes approximately 45 minutes.
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Chicagoland GlutenFree Fall Fest (Long Grove): Free
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026 (11 AM - 3 PM)
Venue: Brothers’ Field, 340 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove, IL 60047
Enjoy a gluten-free community festival featuring 40+ local vendors, gluten-free food and drinks, live music, family activities, local artists and artisans, and a gluten-free home baker bakeoff. The first 500 attendees receive a free gluten-free gift bag.
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