CARLINVILLE
EVENTS
From beloved hometown traditions to once in a lifetime celebrations, Carlinville’s calendar is filled year round with events that bring the community together and welcome visitors to experience the charm of small town life.
APRIL - NOVEMBER
Held on the first Saturday of each month from April through November, Market Days brings the historic downtown Square to life with vintage finds, handmade goods, local vendors, food, music, and small town charm. It’s the kind of morning that invites you to slow down, stroll awhile, and discover something unexpected in the heart of Carlinville.
Carlinville Market Days
LAST WEEKEND OF MAY
The Macoupin County Historical Society Spring Festival is a Memorial Day weekend tradition that brings history to life with antique tractors, live music, artisan vendors, demonstrations, mansion tours, good food, and old fashioned small town charm. Held on the beautiful Historical Society grounds.
MCHS Spring Festival
FIRST WEEK OF JUNE
The Macoupin County Fair is one of the region’s longest standing traditions, bringing together agriculture, entertainment, carnival rides, live music, grandstand events, food, family fun, and community spirit. Held at the Macoupin County Fairgrounds, the fair has been creating memories for generations and remains a beloved celebration of rural heritage and small town tradition.
Macoupin County Fair
JUNE 26, 2026
On June 26, 2026, Carlinville will celebrate a once in a lifetime moment as the date matches the town’s ZIP code. 62626 Day will transform the historic downtown Square into a community wide celebration filled with local food, live music, family activities, Route 66 spirit, and small town summer magic. It’s a celebration of everything that makes Carlinville special, all happening on one unforgettable day.
62626 Celebration
LAST WEEKEND OF JULY
Super Summer Weekend is one of Carlinville’s favorite summer traditions, filling the historic Square with sidewalk sales, live music, classic cars, chalk art, local food, family activities, and community events all weekend long. Held each July along Historic Route 66, it’s a celebration of small town summer at its best and the perfect time to experience the energy, charm, and traditions that bring Carlinville together.
Super Summer Weekend
FIRST WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER
For generations, the Carlinville Lions Carnival has been a hometown tradition that marks the unofficial close of summer. On the historic downtown Square, the weekend features carnival rides, games, food, the beloved parade, queen coronation, and the kind of small town memories families return for year after year.
Lion's Carnival
MID SEPTEMBER
The Macoupin County Historical Society Fall Festival celebrates the region’s rural heritage with antique tractors, blacksmith demonstrations, handmade crafts, live music, historic tours, great food, and hundreds of vendors spread across the beautiful grounds. Held each September, the festival blends history, agriculture, craftsmanship, and small town community spirit into one unforgettable fall weekend.
MCHS Fall Festival
LAST WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER
Blackburn Homecoming Week is a local tradition bringing alumni, students, families, and the community together for a weekend filled with events, live entertainment, campus traditions, reunions, art, food, and celebration. From beloved Homecoming transforms the campus and surrounding community into a weekend full of pride, nostalgia, and Beaver spirit.
Blackburn Homecoming
MID OCTOBER
Brave Days is a fall festival that brings the Carlinville Square to life with makers, merchants, live music, food, shopping, and Route 66 spirit. Centered around local businesses and handmade creativity, the weekend blends seasonal charm, community energy, and small town hospitality into a lively celebration on the historic Square
Brave Days
LAST THURSDAY OCTOBER
Merchants Night is one of Carlinville’s most beloved traditions, transforming the square into a festive evening of costumes, candy, community fun, and safe trick or treating. With streets closed to traffic and local businesses hostingthe fun, it’s a night that brings generations of families together to celebrate Halloween small town style.
Merchants Night
LAST THURSDAY OCTOBER
Carlinville Area Hospital & Clinics brings the Macoupin County Fairgrounds to life (or death?) with its Haunted Halloween Drive Thru, a spooky community tradition filled with haunted scenes, costumed characters, lights, candy, and Halloween fun for all ages. Created by hospital staff and volunteers, the immersive drive through experience has become a favorite annual event for families across the region.
CAH+C Haunted Halloween Drive Thru
SATURDAY BEFORE HALLOWEEN
The Rotary Halloween Parade is a longtime Carlinville tradition that fills the streets with costumes, floats, candy, music, and community spirit each October. From creative entries and local organizations to excited children lining the parade route, it’s one of those classic small town events that generations of families have grown up attending year after year.
Rotary Halloween Parade
TUESDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING
Each holiday season, Carlinville gathers around the historic Square for the annual Christmas lighting ceremony, a beloved tradition that officially welcomes the start of the holidays. With preschool children singing Christmas carols, the downtown lights glowing for the first time, and Santa making his first visit to his little house on the Square, it’s one of those magical small town moments that generations of families look forward to year after year.
Lighting of The Square
FIRST WEEKEND OF DECEMBER
Christmas in Carlinville transforms the community into a holiday destination filled with twinkling lights, festive storefronts, Christmas markets, live entertainment, local shopping, carriage rides, and small town holiday magic. Held the first weekend of December, the beloved tradition brings together vendors, businesses, historic sites, and community spaces across Carlinville for a weekend that feels straight out of a Hallmark movie.
Christmas in Carlinville