This summer, the Elgin area is chock-full of annual festivals, parades and other events. Here’s a rundown of things you can add to your calendar.
June 1: Elgin Valley Fox Trot begins and ends just north of the Gail Borden Library at Grove Avenue and Kimball Street in downtown Elgin. The 10-mile run starts at 7:30 a.m. followed by a 5K starts at 7:40 a.m. Registration is $60 for the 10-mile and $45 for the 5K. A free post-race party, featuring music, food and beverages, is open to the public. elginfoxtrot.org
June 6-8: St. Sophia Greek Fest, taking place on parish grounds at 525 Church Road in Elgin, celebrates Greek food, music and culture. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. stsophiagreekfest.com
June 7: Elgin’s family-friendly LGBTQ+ Pride Parade will step off from the South Riverside Drive parking lot at 11 a.m., and make its way to Festival Park, 132 S. Grove Ave. A related fest with music, vendors, food and beverages will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the park. elginpride.org
Rails to Victory World War II reenactment rides be held at10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m Sunday at the Fox Valley Trolley Museum, 365 S. LaFox St., South Elgin. (Courier-News file photo)
June 7-8: Rails to Victory World War II reenactment rides be held at10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m Sunday at the Fox Valley Trolley Museum, 365 S. LaFox St., South Elgin. Bob Marshall, a 100-year-old Marine veteran who served in World War II, will be the guest of honor from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $24. railstovictory.com
June 14: Flag Day will be celebrated with a 9 a.m. ceremony outside Carpentersville Village Hall, 1200 LW Besinger Drive. www.cville.org
June 14: East Dundee will hold a Flag Day ceremony at 11 a.m. outside The Depot, 319 S. River St. eastdundee.net
June 14: Elgin’s Flag Day ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park along the Fox River, north of the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. elginil.gov/2693/Flag-Day
June 19: The Elgin Symphony Orchestra and local church choirs will present a Juneteenth concert at 6 p.m. Friday on the outdoor stage at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. elginsymphony.org/concert-and-event-schedule/juneteenth-celebration-at-gail-borden-public-library
June 20: Prior to an after-dusk screening of “Soul,” the School of Rock Elgin will perform in the Wing Park Bandshell, 1010 Wing St., Elgin. elginil.gov/1775/Summer-Movies-in-the-Park
June 22: The Micheleros Festival will be held from noon to 11 p.m. in Festival Park, 132 S. Grove, Ave. Elgin. More than a dozen bands will perform, and food and drinks available, including the michelada, which is a Mexican-style Bloody Mary. Tickets are $30 and $40. elginmichefestival.com
June 27-28: Duke’s Blues Fest will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday in Carpenter Park, 275 Maple Ave., Carpentersville. Live blues music will be performed and barbecue and southern vendors onsite. dukes-blues-n-bbq.com
June 28: Carpentersville’s annual Independence Day parade through Old Town starts at 10 a.m. www.cville.org/516/Independence-Day-Parade
June 28: From 6 to 9 p.m., the Dundee Township Park District will be hosting a festival featuring food, vendors and entertainment in Meadowdale Park, LW Besinger Drive and Maple Avenue, Carpentersville. A fireworks display will be held at dusk. dtpd.org/fireworks-and-community-event
July 4: A Fourth of July pet parade starts at 8:30 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Ann Street and ends at Douglas and Highland avenues, near Elgin City Hall.
July 4: Elgin’s annual downtown Independence Day Parade will start at 9 a.m. at the intersection of Douglas and Slade avenues and end about 11 a.m. at Douglas and Highland avenues. elginil.gov/1740/Fourth-of-July
July 4: From 5 to 10 p.m. there will be music, vendors, food and beverages in Festival Park, 132 S. Grove Ave, culminating with a Fourth of July fireworks display. elginil.gov/1740/Fourth-of-July
July 4: Sleepy Hollow is planning Fourth of July events from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Sabatino Park, 1 Thorobred Lane. shsc-il.org
July 6: Sleepy Hollow Service Club will present a fireworks show slated to start sometime after 9 p.m. at Sabatino Park, 1 Thorobred Lane. Parking in fields near the park will open at 7 p.m. costs $20 per vehicle. shsc-il.org
July 12: A free Classic Car Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Elgin History Museum, 360 Park St. Vehicle entry fee is $15. elginhistory.org/event/classic-car-show-2025
July 12: Blind Flights, a picnic-style outdoor craft beer tasting event hosted by the Carpentersville Rotary Club, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. in Carpenter Park, 275 Maple Ave.. Tickets are $43.40. ticketsignup.io/TicketEvent/BlindFlightsBeerTasting
July 18: West Dundee River Challenge bike races and related events take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in and around Grafelman Park, 112 N. 5th St., and downtown outside VIllage Squire,125 Washington St. wdundeeriverchallenge.org
July 25: Dennis Jurs Memorial Elgin Classic bike race and related events will be held from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Elgin’s northeast side, with a staging area at Cooper Avenue and Spring Street. dennisjursmemorialrace.com
Aug. 1: South Elgin will hold a combined Back to School and National Night Out event from 6 to 8 p.m. in Panton Mill Park, 9 N. Water St. flipsnack.com/southelgin/south-elgin-program-events-guide-summer-2025/full-view.html
Aug. 2: Side Street Studio Arts holds its second Area 22 Arts, Crafts and Oddities Fair from 1 to 7 p.m. along Riverside Drive in downtown Elgin. sidestreetstudioarts.org/area22
Aug. 9: Elgin’s End of Summer Bash will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. in Festival Park, 132 S. Grove Ave. elginil.gov/2509/End-of-Summer-Bash
Aug. 30: Love on the Lawn music festival will be held in Festival Park, 132 S. Grove Ave. The event features music from deejays and food. Hours, schedule and admission rates not posted. lotlfest.com/home
Aug. 30-31: We In The Basement will present “The Community Get Down Fest,” a free music and wellness event, from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday in Elgin’s Wing Park, 1010 Wing St. cultur5.com/thecommunitygetdown
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
