Events

Plan your week of Saluki spirit! From parades to tailgates, contests to campus traditions, don’t miss a moment of the action, check out the full

SIU Homecoming/Carbondale Halloween Festival, we will be shutting down the strip once more! This year, we’ll be bringing a full festival style to our iconic downtown strip for this perfectly aligned SIU Homecoming/Carbondale Halloween celebration with carnival games, food trucks, vendors, and two alternating stages with a robust lineup of Read more

Annual Fort Massac Encampment -Ft. Massac State Park, Metropolis. 10am to 5pm daily. Military and civilian craft activities and demonstrations. Both days begin with a post of colors. Highlights include mock battles and tactical demonstrations, voyagers, traders, craftsman, children’s games, music and period food and dress. Free admission. 618-524-4712

Each fall, vultures soar and glide over Makanda and the surrounding areas and signal the beginning of fall and the arrival of the incredible fall colors of Makanda and southern Illinois. Vulture Fest features live music, food, shopping, and art by local artists for purchase (618) 457-0360

The full moon that appears in October is called the Hunters Moon, so named as the preferred month to hunt summer-fattened deer and fox unable to hide in now bare fields. Like the Harvest Moon, the Hunters Moon is also particularly bright and long in the sky, giving hunters the Read more

This program engages elementary to middle school age children on a guided trick-or-treat adventure through the Wetlands Center and along the Egret Slough Trail. The half-mile trail will give families a chance to interact with misunderstood creatures of the swamp and enjoy the magic of Halloween. Children are welcome to Read more

The Haunted Hollow provides a perfect Halloween atmosphere for everyone with a balance of laughs and gasps in a safe and fun environment. Costumes are encouraged. The Haunted Hollow will go on rain or shine so we encourage participants to dress accordingly for the day's weather. Festivities include: A haunted Read more

The Illinois Climbers Association is proud to present "Holy Boulders: The Pilgrimage" Nestled on a Southern Illinois hillside, the Holy Boulders is a world-class bouldering area offering classic lines of all grades on perfectly textured sandstone. Help us to continue to raise funds for the Holy Boulders and Illinois climbing, Read more

Come to Giant City as we kick off Halloween in the park! Hike the Devil's Standtable trail for an easy, self-guided hike through the beautiful forest. Along the trail your family will meet our creature characters who will teach you about some of the wonderful and most misunderstood creatures that Read more

Select wineries of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail have paired up to create a wonderful weekend of savory and seasonal wine and food pairings.  We invite you to join us for a progressive tasting along the trail and enhance your appreciation and enjoyment of our wines paired with delicious samples. Read more

The Illinoisan glacier pushed farther south in Illinois than anywhere in North America, including encroaching on the Northern edges of Giant City Park, reforming the landscape across our region with plentiful evidence of that event that remains today. Bring your lunch and join Steve Gariepy, experiential education specialist with the Read more

Botanist Chris Benda (aka Illinois Botanizer) travels throughout Illinois every year, visiting nature preserves, leading nature tours for the public, and en-countering all kinds of neat plants and animals. Join him as he presents photographs highlighting his best nature encounters of 2025. Registration is required. Please call Jennifer Randolph, the Read more