The essentials
One Free Saturday in Paw Paw
- Sept. 26Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Freeadmission, rain or shine
- 5,000festival visitors from 20 states last year
- 314Chapman Street, Paw Paw, IL 61353
Come for the fruit. Remember the people.
One surprising small-town Saturday
The fruit gets you curious. The growers, makers, neighbors, and the wider Northwest Illinois getaway are what make the day memorable.
America’s largest native fruit
Meet the pawpaw
Chief Shabbona’s Potawatomi knew this grove; the stagecoaches between Chicago and Galena stopped here for it; the town took its name from it. The fruit itself is custard-textured with a banana-and-mango sweetness. With a shelf life of two or three days, it never reaches a grocery store. You taste one where it grows, in the few weeks it ripens.
At the festival: fresh fruit and seedlings for sale (bring a cooler), pawpaw ice cream and cheesecake, a pawpaw Kölsch in the beer garden, and tram tours out to the plantings.
Saturday, September 26
The Day, Hour by Hour
10:00 a.m. · Festival opens
Vendors, food trucks, the bake sale, kids’ activities and the pawpaw market open at Veterans Memorial Park. Fresh fruit and seedlings go fast; bring a cooler.
11:00 a.m. · Music, tram tours, talks and the beer garden begin
My 80’s Band opens the band shell (11 to 1). Tram tours roll out to see the pawpaw trees. The beer garden, sponsored by Resource Bank, opens.
11:30 a.m. · “Growing Pawpaws from Seed”
A talk by Austin Cliffe. More speakers through the day: Neal Rogers, Jack Pizzo, Dr. Melani Duffrin and Sabii of PopomoDAO.
12:00 p.m. · Biggest pawpaw entries due
The winner is announced at 12:30.
1:30 p.m. · Marques Morel
Live at the band shell until 3:30.
2:30 p.m. · Best Pawpaw Competition
Growers put their best fruit up against each other.
4:00 p.m. · Closing ceremony, then Sound Check 815
With house band Slow Cooker, playing the beer garden out to 6:30. Times can change. Pawpawfest.org carries the live schedule, parking and weather calls.
Plan your festival getaway
The essentials, all in one place
Paw Paw Veterans Memorial Park, 314 Chapman Street, Paw Paw, IL 61353. Just off I-39 in eastern Lee County, about 90 minutes west of Chicago. Free admission. Pawpawfest.org is the source of truth for parking, accessibility and day-of changes.
Good to know
Before You Go
When and where is the festival?
Saturday, September 26, 2026, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at Paw Paw Veterans Memorial Park, 314 Chapman Street, Paw Paw. Admission is free, rain or shine. The Paw Paw Lions Club and the Pizzo Group host the festival.
What exactly is a pawpaw?
The largest edible fruit native to North America, with a custard texture and a taste somewhere between banana, mango, and pineapple. It ripens in northern Illinois from early September into October and keeps only a few days, which is why you’ve never seen one in a supermarket.
Can I take pawpaws home?
Yes. Growers sell fresh fruit and seedling trees at the festival. Bring a cooler for the fruit; it’s riper and softer than it looks.
How do I get there, and what else is close?
Paw Paw sits just off I-39 in eastern Lee County. Beaver Den Tavern & Grill is in town, Rochelle’s hotels and railroad park are about 20 minutes away, and Reagan’s Dixon, the Lincoln Highway headquarters in Franklin Grove, and the Nachusa Grasslands bison are all within roughly 40 minutes.
Mark the calendar
Happening in Lee County
Food & DrinkPawpaw FestivalSep 26 · 10:00 AM – 6:30 PMPaw Paw Veterans Park · Paw PawA festival for North America’s largest native fruit, in the village that shares its name — tastings, food trucks, tram tours out to the groves, growers’ talks and live music.
Arts & TheaterNikki D & The Sisters of Thunder ConcertOct 3 · 7:30 PM – 9:30 PMThe Dixon: Historic Theater · DixonNikki D & The Sisters of Thunder bring a powerful mix of gospel, blues, soul, and groove to The Dixon on March 21. Based in Toledo, Ohio, the family ensemble is led by Nikki D, whose expressive steel guitar playing has earned national attention for its bold, inventive sound. Her gritty vocals and commanding stage pr…
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Make it an overnight
The free 2026 Expedition Guide covers every back road between the festival and the rivers, and the newsletter will remind you when pawpaws ripen.