Princeton Homestead Festival

Pioneer your way into a spectacular weekend of nostalgia and midwestern charm at the Princeton Homestead Festival! This living history celebration transforms the heart of Bureau County into an absolute paradise of 19th-century traditions mixed with modern fun. Watch in awe as blacksmiths hammer glowing metal at working forges and women in bonnets demonstrate open-hearth cooking, while you gear up for the highly anticipated lumberjack competition and the beloved BBQ rib cook-off. When you aren’t marveling at the massive classic car show on South Main Street or browsing dozens of quirky vendor booths on the Courthouse lawn, grab a spot for the legendary Homestead Parade that rolls right down the middle of town. With live evening concerts, horse-drawn wagon rides, historic tours of the Owen Lovejoy Homestead, and an old-fashioned ice cream social, this September extravaganza proves that small-town Illinois knows exactly how to throw an epic end-of-summer party.