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Holiday costumes, hidden elves, festive drinks, trolley rides, and a whole lot of Christmas cheer are taking over Berwyn's Historic Depot District. Santa has his workshop. Berwyn has the Depot District. And on December 5, things are about to get a little elfed up. Elfin Around The Depot The annual Elfin' Around the Depot Holiday Pub Crawl returns Saturday, December 5, 2026, bringing a night of festive fun, neighborhood adventures, holiday costumes, and plenty of reasons to ra

November ISSUE #3 • 2026 The Discover Berwyn Insider Live Here. Explore Everywhere. November has arrived, and Chicagoland is gearing up for one of the most wonderful times of the year! From spectacular holiday light displays and festive markets to Thanksgiving traditions, live entertainment, and great local restaurants, there's plenty to explore. In this edition of the Discover Berwyn Insider, we're kicking things off with our 2026 Chicagoland Holiday Lights Guide, plus upc

The Best Christmas Lights, Drive-Through Displays & Holiday Experiences in Chicago and the Suburbs November 2, 2026 | Discover Berwyn That half-dead strand of C9s hanging off your gutter? It's not a light show. It's a cry for help. Fortunately, Chicagoland is about to light up in a big way. Illumination Morton Arboretum Photo MortonArb.org From millions of twinkling lights at Brookfield Zoo to illuminated forests, dazzling drive-through displays, and Chicago's most beloved ho

Mustaches. Aviator sunglasses. Sweater vests. Polish sausage. And thousands of Chicagoans celebrating Da Coach. There are 5Ks, and then there's the Ditka Dash. Ditka Dash Photo by Max Herman On Saturday, December 12, 2026, Soldier Field will once again be transformed into a sea of mustaches, aviator sunglasses, navy and orange, and Chicago football fans for one of the city's most entertaining running traditions. This year's event carries special meaning. Legendary Chicago Bea

Applications are officially open for the 2027 Berwyn Shops season, giving local entrepreneurs a chance to take their businesses from online sales, farmers markets, and pop-up events into their very own storefronts. The Berwyn Shops Have you ever dreamed of opening your own shop but weren't quite ready to commit to a traditional retail space? Berwyn Shops might be exactly the opportunity you've been looking for. Located at 6931 Roosevelt Road in Berwyn, this colorful collectio

October 21, 2026 | Discover Berwyn Coffins are racing through Forest Park. Berwyn's parks are filling with trick-or-treaters. And downtown Chicago is preparing for one of the biggest Halloween parades in the country. Photo: Heather Moreton / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. License. If you've been waiting for the perfect weekend to get into the Halloween spirit, this might be it. From free family fun in Berwyn and a fall celebration in Oak Park to Brookfield Zoo's final Hallowee

One of Chicago's most magnificent forgotten landmarks is welcoming visitors inside for a rare look at its spectacular past. And best of all, admission is free. Uptown Theatre Phot Credit Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL For the first time as part of Open House Chicago, the legendary Uptown Theatre will welcome the public inside on Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18, 2026. Closed since 1981, the massive theater at 4816 N. Broadway has remained largely inaccessible for m

October ISSUE #2 • 2026 The Discover Berwyn Insider Live Here. Explore Everywhere. October Is Here — Let's Get Out and Explore! Fall is one of our favorite times of year around Chicago, and October certainly doesn't disappoint! From the outrageous Forest Park Casket Races to Chicago's spectacular Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade, there's no shortage of reasons to get out and explore. Add in haunted attractions, neighborhood celebrations, colorful fall scenery, and some inc

Chicago knows how to celebrate Halloween, but few events capture the city's creative spirit quite like Arts in the Dark. Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade, James Richard IV Photography On Saturday, October 24, 2026, the 12th Annual Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade returns for an unforgettable evening of music, movement, larger-than-life creations, and a little Halloween magic. And here's the big news for 2026: the parade is moving back to Columbus Drive, with Grant Park, Buc

One of the near-west suburbs' wildest Halloween traditions is back, and it's absolutely worth experiencing. Only in Forest Park could a group of people racing homemade coffins down a neighborhood street become one of the most entertaining fall traditions around. Forest Park Casket Races Photo by ForestPark.net On Saturday, October 24, 2026, the 14th Annual Forest Park Casket Races return to Beloit Avenue for a morning of spooky creativity, questionable aerodynamics, and some

Skip the marathon crowds. From Berwyn to Brookfield, Oak Park and Chicago, there is plenty happening closer to home this weekend. Yay Weekend Fall is officially in full swing. FitzGerald’s is basically turning Roosevelt Road into a weekend-long fall party, Brookfield Zoo has trick-or-treating and pumpkin-eating animals, Oak Park has architecture and farmers markets, and Sunday brings Bears-Packers from Lambeau. Here are some of the best things happening around the near west s

2026 HOUBY FEST UPDATE: Details for this year's festival are beginning to emerge, but a complete official schedule has not yet been published. Discover Berwyn is tracking announcements and performers' schedules and will update this guide as additional information becomes available. Last updated: September 21, 2026 The performers I can independently verify right now are Wedding Banned, Saturday Oct. 3 at 8:30 PM; FUZE, Sunday Oct. 4 from 2–3:15 PM; Mac Attack, Sunday Oct. 4 fr

This is one of those weekends when you really don't need to go far. Berwyn Fall Fest takes over the Depot District, Lyons has two days of blues and fireworks, Western Springs has its own massive fall celebration, Brookfield Zoo is breaking out the Oktoberfest festivities, and Forest Park is showing a horror movie at a mausoleum. Oktoberfest and Fall Festivals In Full Swing And if you want to head into Chicago, this weekend is stacked with Riot Fest, Chicago Live!, World Dumpl

Oak Park IL Film Festival 2026 Returns September 16, 19 & 20 Opening Night with Tavi Gevinson • Independent Films • Documentaries • Shorts • Animation • Filmmaker Q&As • Industry Panels You don't have to head downtown for an independent film festival this September. The Oak Park IL Film Festival returns for its third year September 16, 19 and 20, bringing three days of movies, filmmakers and special events to two Oak Park venues. And this isn't just a collection of random ind

For decades, the James R. Thompson Center has been one of those Chicago buildings almost everyone recognizes. Now, its next chapter is getting closer. Designed by legendary Chicago architect Helmut Jahn and opened in 1985, the colorful postmodern building at 100 W. Randolph Street has been praised, criticized, threatened with demolition and debated for years. Now it is being transformed into something entirely new. Google Thompson Center Google is preparing to make the renova

This is one of those September weekends when staying home feels like a questionable life choice. Berwyn has a 17-band independent rock festival, an Irish block party and the Bears season opener. Head a few minutes out and you'll find fall festivals, bluegrass, art, mariachi, carnival rides and one of the area's biggest Hispanic festivals. Keep going into Chicago and you've got Oktoberfest, Printers Row Lit Fest, Mexican Independence Day celebrations and the Cubs at Wrigley. I

September 25–27, 2026 | Oak Park, Western Suburbs & Chicago The final weekend of September is absolutely packed. Oktoberfest season is still going strong, but this weekend also brings live music, Latin food and culture, African and Caribbean music and food, chicken wings, family activities and one of Oak Park's biggest annual street festivals. Chicago fall festivals and Oktoberfests September 25–27, 2026 From Oaktoberfest just down the road in Oak Park to Oktoberfest Chicago,

September 17–20, 2026 | Berwyn, Western Suburbs & Chicago Fall festival season is officially in full swing. The third weekend of September brings one of the strongest lineups of the season, with Berwyn Fall Fest right here at home, Oktoberfests from Downers Grove to Fulton Market, a full-day Harvest Fest in Western Springs, German-style fun at Brookfield Zoo, three days of music in Norwood Park and one of Chicago's biggest free performing-arts celebrations at Navy Pier. Oktob

The final weekend of August is going out with a bang. Right here in Berwyn, hundreds of classic cars take over historic Route 66 for one of the city's signature events. Oak Park is closing out its summer concert season, Brookfield has another Friday night block party, Riverside is exploring its architectural history, and Chicago has everything from Asian street food and fine art to House music, Kesha and Miranda Lambert. RT 66 Car Show In Berwyn Basically, staying home is goi

September 10–13, 2026 | Berwyn, Near West Suburbs & Chicago Labor Day may be over, but fall festival season around Chicago is just getting started. The second weekend of September brings one of the most diverse festival lineups of the season with Hispanic culture in Melrose Park and Grant Park, German beer and brats in Lincoln Square, carnival rides in La Grange, art in the West End, a huge throwback music weekend on the Northwest Side and even a little St. Patrick's Day cele