Annual Events & Festivals

Here in the midwest, we love a good festival with food, drinks, music and more! You can find plenty of those happening year round along with markets, holiday events and parades. After checking out the list of annual events below, find more info on our events page here.
 

January & February

When the weather is cold, the breweries and wineries are the places to go! Listen to some live music or play a few rounds of trivia as you sip on craft beer, cider or wine.

Explore the outdoors when the Indiana Dunes National Park hosts snowshoe hikes with a ranger for you to join.

When the weather has been just right, Valparaiso Parks and Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area both host ice fishing derbies. 
 

March

The beginning of March is Maple Syrup Time in Northwest Indiana. Friendship Botanic Gardens, the Indiana Dunes National Park and Deep River County Park all have events demonstrating the process of making maple syrup, starting with tapping the trees.

The St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Crown Point is a popular event with their nighttime parade starting at dusk. The city also hosts a corned beef and cabbage dinner at the downtown firehouse before the parade. Find this and more St. Patrick’s events in our blog here.
 

April

In the spring, celebrate Easter with fun events, photos with the Easter Bunny and family brunches. Find Easter events and places to enjoy brunch in our blogs.
 

May

Farmers’ Markets start popping up in May and early June. Browse the tents for fresh produce, canned and baked goods, jewelry, home decor, gifts and more. Try some delicious food from the vendors and, at quite a few of the markets, listen to live music and grab a beer, too!

Hobart’s Lakefront Festival is a four-day festival in late May or early June full of live entertainment, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, food and beer right off of Lake George. Don’t miss the Dam Duck Race they host on Sunday afternoon!

Finish off the month of May at Crown Point's Corn Roast at Bulldog Park with a corn eating contest, live music and more!
 

June

During Strawberry Fun Farm Weekends at Johnson’s in Hobart come out to pick fresh strawberries, enjoy plenty of kids’ activities and try some strawberry treats.

Early June brings all kinds of festivals to the region. Schererville Fest and the Dyer Summer Fest both bring carnival rides, games and music, while Live in the 'Ville features a variety of entertainment, including street performers.

Mid-June brings the Rhythm & Soul Fest in East Chicago. Come out for a vibrant atmosphere with food vendors offering delicious treats, fun-filled activities, and a variety of crafts for people of all ages. Hope you're hungry to round out the month with Region Eats Food Fest in Munster, bringing more than 15 food trucks from all over the region to try.
 

July

July in Northwest Indiana is packed with festivals all month long!

Cedar Lake Summerfest happens every 4th of July weekend on the shores of Cedar Lake. This multi-day festival includes fun contests for all ages, carnival rides, food vendors, live entertainment, fireworks and the entertaining cardboard boat race.

In mid-July, visit the Taste of Crown Point. This event features local live music, and you can get a taste of the delicious food from all over the city.

Hammond’s Festival of the Lakes is five days of fun and well-known musical acts. Come out for the fishing derby, polka party, fair rides, games, music and food.

Looking for live music? Decades Music Fest - A Celebration of Generations in Munster and Salsa in the Park in East Chicago provide fantastic tunes to get you up and dancing! Or if wine is your thing, sip on more than 100 red, white and sparkling varieties at the Valparaiso Wine Festival in Central Park Plaza.

Celebrate the Italian culture at Festa Italiana in Schererville with a bocce ball tournament, grape stomping and delicious authentic Italian food. Pierogi Fest in Whiting, the last full weekend in July, is a wacky event filled with food (including, of course, pierogi of all kinds), music, games and a Friday night parade that can’t be missed!

Porter County Fair in Valparaiso, Jasper County Fair in Rensselaer and Pun’kin Vine Fair in Kentland all happen in July. Jump on the rides, watch a demolition derby, fill up on fair food, visit the vendors and enjoy more traditional fair fun.

Ending the month of July and bringing in August is the Great Lakes Grand Prix in Michigan City, with an exciting high-speed boat race on Lake Michigan!
 

August

For ten days at the beginning of August, Lake County Fair in Crown Point hosts exciting grandstand events, horse shows, farm animals and thousands of exhibits, along with rides, games and the always popular fair food.

At the Gary Air Show, you can see some amazing aerial acts perform at the beautiful Marquette Park on Lake Michigan! The park is just outside Indiana Dunes National Park. Another event on Lake Michigan's shore is East Chicago's FUSIC Fest. The three-day fest is a fusion of food, music and fun at Jeorse Park Beach.

More into the arts? Lubeznik Center hosts their Arts Festival every August, featuring fine art and craft vendors, art activities for families, delicious food and live entertainment. The Chesterton Art Fair features 90+ artists and live music in Dogwood Park!

Family fun is abundant at the Leprechaun Hunt, where families can search the 200-acre lawn to win a cash prize, or at the Touch of Dutch Festival, which has activities designed for kids along with a car show and a parade.

Kielbasa Fest takes place mid-August in East Chicago and features Polish-themed entertainment, along with food and a beer garden. If you're a big fan of craft beer, you'll love Pints in the Park in Highland, where you can sample more than 100 craft beers from all over the region and the country.

Broad Street Blues and BBQ Festival in Griffith is a three-day festival featuring blues artists, plenty of lawn seating, fantastic BBQ, fireworks, beer and wine.
 

September

The Labor Day Festival in Lowell has the longest-running Labor Day parade in the state! The festival happens the whole weekend with food, crafts, activities, beer garden and music.

Falling on the Saturday after Labor Day, Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso celebrates this delicious treat with a popcorn parade, live music, Poppin’s Play Zone for kids, a variety of food vendors and more than 200 arts & crafts, commercial and fine arts booths.

Art Barn in Valparaiso hosts their annual Art Blitz every September with art demonstrations, plenty of activities for kids, live entertainment and food vendors.

If you love live music, visit Rock ‘N Rail Music & Street Festival for a weekend full of performances. Griffith shuts down the town’s main thoroughfare for the stage, a car and motorcycle show plus food and craft ware vendors.
 

October

Near the beginning of October you can find all kinds of places celebrating with Oktoberfests! The Town of Griffith, City of Crown Point and Fair Oaks Farms have one every year. Eat classic German fare, drink some beers, listen to music and more activities. Some of the breweries have Oktoberfest beer release celebrations, too, around this time.

The Fall Harvest Festival in Valparaiso is a favorite for families with lots of kids’ fall activities.

Munster Parks has a number of ways for the kids to celebrate Halloween. Pumpkins Witches and Hayrides is late September/early October followed later in the month by A Walk in the Woods, Trunk or Treat and the Bieker Woods Night Walk.

Dress up in your Halloween best for Wickedly Whiting! This event has spooky vendors, food, entertainment and more.

If you are looking for a really good scare, take a trip to one of the haunted houses in the area.
 

November

Starting mid-November through December, the “A Christmas Story” Comes Home exhibit in Hammond centers around six animatronic window displays from Macy’s in New York. Each display features scenes from the holiday classic “A Christmas Story”.

For special Christmas gifts, home decor and more, visit the many holiday markets happening late November and early December. Indiana Ballet Theatre also hosts their annual production of The Nutcracker during this time to get you into the holiday spirit. 
 

December

The first Saturday in December, celebrate the holiday season with Hammond’s Holiday Parade through downtown. You might even see Santa!

If you enjoy holiday light displays there are plenty to check out in December. Fair Oaks Farms, Harvest Tyme, the City of Whiting, Washington Park and Sunset Hill County Park all have fun displays to either drive or stroll through.