WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND: SEPTEMBER 18–20
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.
And if you want to head into Chicago, this weekend is stacked with Riot Fest, Chicago Live!, World Dumpling Fest, Retro on Roscoe and more.
Here’s what’s worth knowing before you make your weekend plans.
🍂 RIGHT HERE IN BERWYN
BERWYN FALL FEST
📍 Berwyn Depot District — Windsor & Grove
📅 Friday, Sept. 18 • 6–11 PM
📅 Saturday, Sept. 19 • Noon–11 PM
🎡 Carnival returns Sunday • 1–5 PM
🎟️ FREE
This is the big one.
Berwyn Fall Fest takes over the Depot District for two days of live music, food, carnival rides, vendors, family activities and two beer gardens.
🎶 FRIDAY
6:00 PM — R-Gang
8:30 PM — Sixteen Candles
🎶 SATURDAY
Noon — DJ Rudy Romo
2:00 PM — Anchors Away
4:00 PM — Victor Garcia Quintet
6:00 PM — Gorilla Tuesday
8:30 PM — Lake Effect
The carnival also returns on Sunday from 1–5 PM, so families have one more chance to hit the rides after the main festival wraps Saturday night.
✨ DON'T MISS: Sixteen Candles Friday night.
🚆 DB TIP: This is about as Metra-friendly as a festival gets. The event is right next to the Berwyn BNSF station.
🧸 MOLDFEST AT FITZGERALD'S
📍 FitzGerald's • 6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn
📅 Saturday, Sept. 19 • Noon
🎟️ Check venue for details
Here's something considerably different.
Mold-A-Mania and FitzGerald's bring back Moldfest, a celebration of those gloriously weird Mold-A-Rama souvenir machines.
Buy, sell and trade Mold-A-Rama figures, dig through collectibles and grab some BBQ while you're there.
If you've ever brought home one of those freshly molded plastic dinosaurs, gorillas or zoo animals, you know.
🎶 LIVE MUSIC AT FITZGERALD'S
FitzGerald's has a full weekend going even while Fall Fest is happening across town.
Friday
Kathryn & Chris — Patio Happy Hour • 5 PM
The Rhythm Rockets — Patio • 7 PM • FREE
The Heartwreckers — Tom Petty tribute • 8:30 PM
Meadowlark Lemons — Sidebar • 9 PM
Saturday
Moldfest • Noon
Groove Witness — Patio • 4 PM
Omar Coleman — Patio • 7 PM
So if Fall Fest isn't your thing or you aren't ready to go home afterward, Roosevelt Road has options too.
🚗 AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
🎬 MOVIE AT THE MAUSOLEUM
📍 Forest Home Cemetery • Forest Park
📅 Friday, Sept. 18 • 7–9 PM
Yeah. We're putting this near the top.
The Forest Park Public Library and Historical Society of Forest Park are showing A Quiet Place outside at the Lehmann Mausoleum.
Before the movie, you'll also hear the story of why the mausoleum is empty and why Forest Park ended up surrounded by so many cemeteries.
Watching A Quiet Place in a cemetery after dark?
That's a pretty solid Friday night.
✨ DON'T MISS: The location. Obviously.
🌙 INTERNATIONAL OBSERVE THE MOON NIGHT
📍 Barrie Park • Oak Park
📅 Saturday, Sept. 19 • 8–10 PM
Here's a great free-ish change of pace from beer gardens and live bands.
Oak Park celebrates International Observe the Moon Night with NASA Solar System Ambassador Mark Benson and telescopic views of the moon.
Bring the kids or just come stare at space for a couple of hours.
🎬 MOVIE IN THE PARK
📍 Scoville Park • Oak Park
📅 Friday, Sept. 18
🎟️ FREE
Oak Park's Movies in the Park series continues Friday night with Michael.
Bring a blanket, snacks and a chair and catch a movie under the stars in Scoville Park.
🌱 FALL NATIVE PLANT GIVEAWAY
📍 Riverside Public Library
📅 Saturday, Sept. 19 • 9:30 AM–12:30 PM
Not everything this weekend involves a beer tent.
Riverside is giving away native plants for fall gardens Saturday morning at the library.
A nice little local stop if you're working on the yard before heading out to one of the bigger festivals.
🎶 STOOP SESSION: MUSIC AT THE MAUSOLEUM
📍 Lehmann Mausoleum at Forest Home Cemetery • Forest Park
📅 Sunday, Sept. 20
🎟️ Advance registration available
Apparently one mausoleum event wasn't enough for Forest Park this weekend.
The Historical Society of Forest Park returns to Lehmann Mausoleum Sunday for live music from Bloody Tambourine and the Musical Mafia.
Bring a chair or blanket, grab a hot dog and settle in among the stones.
Parking around the mausoleum is limited, so walking or biking is encouraged.
✨ DON'T MISS: Possibly the most unusual concert venue you'll visit all year.
🎪 BIG FESTIVALS CLOSE TO HOME
🎸 WINDY CITY BLUES FEST
📍 Veterans Park & Smith Park • Lyons
📅 Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 19–20
🎟️ FREE
This might be the sleeper event of the entire weekend.
Lyons is hosting America's Blues Birthday Party with two stages and more than 40 performances across Saturday and Sunday.
Sunday's main-stage lineup finishes with Demetria Taylor & Her Bad Boys followed by Mud Morganfield from 7:30–9 PM.
Then the weekend closes with fireworks around 9:10 PM.
✨ DON'T MISS: Mud Morganfield + Sunday-night fireworks.
🌾 WESTERN SPRINGS HARVEST FEST
📍 Spring Rock Park • Western Springs
📅 Saturday, Sept. 19 • Noon–10 PM
🎟️ FREE
Western Springs packs an entire fall festival into one Saturday.
Expect carnival rides, games, food, face painting, balloon artists, a magician, kids entertainment and live music throughout the day.
Mike & Joe headline the music lineup before the night ends with fireworks.
✨ DON'T MISS: Mike & Joe + fireworks.
🍺 OKTOBERFEST AT BROOKFIELD ZOO CHICAGO
📍 Brookfield Zoo Chicago
📅 Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 19–20 • 10 AM–5 PM
🎟️ Included with zoo admission
German-style music, dancing, games, giveaways, seasonal food and beer take over the zoo for the weekend.
And while you're there, the Dinos! exhibit is still running, with life-size dinosaurs spread throughout the zoo.
That makes this one of the weekend's better family options.
🎬 OAK PARK FILM FESTIVAL
📍 Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre + Madison Street Theater
📅 Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 19–20
The Oak Park Illinois Film Festival brings a full weekend of screenings and programming to Oak Park.
This year's festival includes multiple film blocks, filmmaker programming and special events spread between the Lake Theatre and Madison Street Theater.
If you'd rather spend your weekend watching independent film than standing in another beer garden, here's your answer.
🍺 DOWNERS GROVE OKTOBERFEST
📍 Downtown Downers Grove
📅 Friday–Saturday, Sept. 18–19
🎟️ $25 general admission
This isn't just another suburban Oktoberfest.
Friday night's lineup includes Local H and Candlebox, while Saturday brings family entertainment during the day before Liquid Soul closes the festival Saturday night.
✨ FRIDAY DON'T MISS: Local H → Candlebox.
🌆 WORTH THE TRIP INTO CHICAGO
🎸 RIOT FEST
📍 Douglass Park
📅 Friday–Sunday, Sept. 18–20
One of Chicago's biggest music weekends of the year returns to Douglass Park.
This year's lineup includes Twenty One Pilots, Tool, Alanis Morissette, Iggy Pop, Morrissey, Nas, Pixies, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Patti Smith, Pierce The Veil and a whole lot more.
And yes, the Riot Fest carnival is back too.
✨ DON'T MISS: Pick your day based on the lineup. This isn't a festival you casually wander into for an hour.
🎭 CHICAGO LIVE!
📍 Navy Pier
📅 Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 19–20 • Noon–6 PM
🎟️ FREE
More than 110 artists and organizations turn Navy Pier into a giant performing-arts festival.
Expect live music, dance, theatre and performances throughout the Pier.
And unlike a lot of Chicago festival weekends, admission is free.
✨ DON'T MISS: A full afternoon of performances without buying a festival ticket.
🥟 WORLD DUMPLING FEST
📍 Wrightwood Park • 2555 N. Ashland Ave
📅 Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 19–20
This one doesn't require much explanation.
More than a dozen vendors serving dumplings from different cultures, plus live music, traditional dance and local artisans.
Come hungry.
✨ DON'T MISS: As many dumplings as your personal situation allows.
🎨 LAKEVIEW EAST FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
📍 Broadway in Lakeview East
📅 Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 19–20
Broadway becomes an outdoor gallery for one of Chicago's biggest neighborhood art festivals.
More than 150 juried artists are joined by live music, food and family activities throughout the weekend.
A good pick if you want a Chicago street festival that isn't primarily about beer.
🚗 RETRO ON ROSCOE
📍 Roscoe Village • 2000 W. Roscoe St.
📅 Friday–Sunday, Sept. 18–20
Classic cars, vintage shopping, throwback music and six blocks of Roscoe Village.
Retro on Roscoe celebrates its 25th year with another weekend built around everything old becoming cool again.
🍺 OLD TOWN OKTOBERFEST
📍 Wells Street between Schiller & Evergreen
📅 Friday–Sunday, Sept. 18–20
Old Town goes Bavarian for the weekend with German beer, bratwurst, pretzels, live entertainment and stein-holding contests.
If your idea of fall involves lederhosen and a very large beer, here you go.
🗓️ THE WEEKEND CHEAT SHEET
FRIDAY
🍂 Berwyn Fall Fest — Berwyn
🎬 Movie at the Mausoleum — Forest Park
🎬 Movie in the Park — Oak Park
🎸 Riot Fest — Chicago
🍺 Downers Grove Oktoberfest
🚗 Retro on Roscoe
🍺 Old Town Oktoberfest
SATURDAY
🍂 Berwyn Fall Fest
🧸 Moldfest — Berwyn
🎸 Windy City Blues Fest — Lyons
🌾 Western Springs Harvest Fest
🍺 Brookfield Zoo Oktoberfest
🎬 Oak Park Film Festival
🌙 International Observe the Moon Night — Oak Park
🥟 World Dumpling Fest
🎭 Chicago Live!
🎨 Lakeview East Festival of the Arts
🎸 Riot Fest
SUNDAY
🎡 Berwyn Fall Fest Carnival — 1–5 PM
🎸 Windy City Blues Fest + Fireworks — Lyons
🎶 Music at the Mausoleum — Forest Park
🍺 Brookfield Zoo Oktoberfest
🎬 Oak Park Film Festival
🥟 World Dumpling Fest
🎭 Chicago Live!
🎨 Lakeview East Festival of the Arts
🎸 Riot Fest
🍂 WANT EVEN MORE FALL FESTIVALS?
This weekend is only the beginning.
Our 2026 Fall Festival Guide tracks Oktoberfests, fall festivals, pumpkin events, live music, Halloween events and more across Berwyn, Chicago and the western suburbs.
And if you want us to do the searching for you, join The Insider.
We send the best events, restaurants, festivals and things to do around Berwyn, Chicago and the western suburbs straight to your inbox.
Live Here. Explore Everywhere.
Sources
Berwyn Fall Fest — Berwyn Development Corporation — official Fall Fest information; BDC confirms Sept. 18–19 and the event format.
Oak Park Illinois Film Festival — Official 2026 Festival — official festival dates and programming; the weekend festival is Sept. 19–20 at Madison Street Theater.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago — Events — official source for Oktoberfest Sept. 19–20 and the continuing Dinos! exhibit.
Forest Park Public Library — Outdoor Movie at the Cemetery — official listing for A Quiet Place at Lehmann Mausoleum, Friday from 7–9 PM.
Western Springs — Community Calendar — municipal calendar confirms Harvest Fest Sept. 19 from noon–10 PM.
Riot Fest — Official Festival FAQ — official source for Sept. 18–20 festival hours.
Navy Pier — Chicago Live! Festival — official Chicago Live! information and schedule.
Choose Chicago — America's Blues Birthday Party — confirms the free two-day Lyons festival, 40+ performances, two stages and Sunday fireworks.
