Houby Fest 2026: The Complete Guide to Music, Carnival Rides, Food & One of Our Area's Best Traditions
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 from 4–5:30 PM; and Sixteen Candles, Sunday Oct. 4, with Sixteen Candles' own current tour schedule confirming Houby Fest.
There are fall festivals.
And then there's Houby Fest.
For nearly six decades, October in Cicero has meant mushrooms, carnival rides, food, music, crowds along Cermak Road and one of the most unusual community traditions you'll find anywhere around Chicago.
Houby Fest returns October 2–4, 2026, bringing three days of live music, carnival rides, food, vendors and family fun to the Cicero Fairgrounds at 34th Street and Laramie Avenue.
And if you're wondering why thousands of people are celebrating a mushroom...
There's a story behind that.
🍄 What Does "Houby" Mean?
Houby is the Czech and Slovak word for mushrooms.
The festival dates back to 1968 and grew out of the Czech and Slovak heritage that once defined much of Berwyn and Cicero. Mushroom hunting and the fall harvest were longtime traditions, and the mushroom eventually became the symbol of the celebration.
The official Houby Festival history describes the event as a celebration of the area's Czech and Slovak heritage and annual harvest that eventually grew to include food booths, vendors, a carnival, arts and crafts, music and other community activities.
But Houby's story is also the story of Cicero.
The communities have changed enormously since 1968. New generations, cultures and families have made this area home.
Houby changed with them.
Today it's a much broader community celebration while still holding onto the wonderfully strange little mushroom that started the whole thing.
📍 Houby Fest 2026: When & Where
Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4, 2026
📍 Cicero Fairgrounds / Cicero Community Park34th Street & Laramie Avenue
Cicero, Illinois
🎟️ Admission: FREE
Expect carnival rides, games, food vendors, community organizations, arts and crafts, shopping and three days of live entertainment.
And this year's music jumps all over the musical map.
🎸 Friday, October 2
Friday gets Houby weekend started with classic rock before turning things over to a full-blown dance party.
6:30–7:45 PM — Generation
The weekend begins with Generation, bringing classic-rock hits to the stage.
8:30–10:00 PM — Hello Weekend
Then it's Hello Weekend to close Friday night with high-energy pop and dance covers.
If you're looking for a Friday-night Houby plan, come hungry, walk the carnival and vendors, then stick around as the festival turns into a party after dark.
🎸 Saturday, October 3
Saturday is the marathon.
Music begins in the afternoon and continues straight through 10 PM, moving from the '60s through classic rock, ZZ Top and the '80s.
2:00 PM — The Class of '68
Saturday begins with The Class of '68, taking Houby back to the classic sounds of the 1960s.
4:00–5:30 PM — One of the Boyzz
Next comes One of the Boyzz with classic rock and party anthems.
6:15–7:45 PM — The Eliminator Band
Then break out the sunglasses and imaginary beards.
The Eliminator Band brings its ZZ Top tribute to Houby Saturday evening.
8:30–10:00 PM — Hi Infidelity
Saturday closes with Hi Infidelity and an evening of '80s rock favorites.
And there's even more music happening around the festival Saturday: Wedding Banned and Addicted to Love are also scheduled to perform on alternative stages.
If you're picking one day to make a full afternoon and evening out of Houby, Saturday gives you plenty to work with.
🎸 Sunday, October 4
Sunday may be the final day, but Houby isn't winding down quietly.
2:00–3:15 PM — Fuze Band
Sunday starts with Fuze Band, bringing Latin rock and fusion to the afternoon lineup.
4:00–5:30 PM — Chasing Rumours
At 4 PM, it's time for some Fleetwood Mac.
Chasing Rumours brings its Fleetwood Mac tribute to Houby, covering music from one of rock's most enduring catalogs.
6:15–7:45 PM — Fueled By Emo
Then the timeline jumps forward.
Fueled By Emo takes over at 6:15 with emo and pop-punk covers.
8:30–10:00 PM — 16 Candles
And there's probably no more appropriate way to finish a Chicagoland street festival than an enormous '80s party.
16 Candles closes Houby Fest Sunday night from 8:30–10 PM.
🎡 The Carnival
Of course, Houby isn't just about music.
The carnival is a major part of the weekend, with rides, games and attractions for kids and families throughout the festival.
Festival admission itself is free. Carnival rides require tickets or wristbands.
🎉 The Houby Day Parade
The parade is almost as much a part of Houby as the mushrooms.
The International Houby Day Parade traditionally brings schools, marching groups, businesses, community organizations, cultural groups and floats onto Cermak Road for one of the area's big fall parades.
🍔 Food, Vendors & More
Come hungry.
Houby traditionally includes food booths, vendors, arts and crafts, community organizations and shopping in addition to the carnival and music.
The food is also another example of how Houby has evolved.
The festival's roots remain Czech and Slovak, but modern Cicero is an extraordinarily diverse community, and Houby has increasingly reflected the cultures and families that live here today.
That's part of the fun.
Walk around.
Try something.
And if somebody is serving mushrooms, it seems almost disrespectful not to order them.
🍄 Why Houby Still Matters
This is the part of Houby we love most.
It's easy to look at it as another carnival with bands and food trucks.
But it's more interesting than that.
Houby started in 1968 because of the people who lived here.
Generations of Czech, Slovak and Bohemian immigrants helped build Berwyn and Cicero. They opened businesses, built homes and churches, raised families and created traditions.
The demographics changed.
The neighborhoods changed.
And instead of disappearing, Houby changed too.
Nearly six decades later, families with completely different backgrounds gather around the same carnival, listen to the same bands, watch the same parade...
and somehow we're all still celebrating a mushroom.
That's a pretty great local tradition.
🍂 KEEP EXPLORING WITH DISCOVER BERWYN
Houby Fest may be coming in October, but don't skip the final festival weekend of September.
September 25–27 is packed with events around the western suburbs and Chicago, including Oak Park Oaktoberfest, La Grange Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest Chicago, Sabor Fest, WingOut Chicago, Rosetober Fest and more.
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🔗 OFFICIAL SOURCES & EVENT INFORMATION
Festival history, schedules, admission information and event details were compiled from official organizers and event sources. Festival information can change, so check the official event pages before heading out.
📍 Cicero Community Park / Fairgrounds — 34th Street & Laramie Avenue
🎉 International Houby Day Parade — Cermak Road
