Notable Events & FestivalsThe following annual events have become traditions in the Decatur/Forsyth area, eagerly anticipated by locals and visitors alike. For more information on these events, plus a comprehensive listing of all events and tournaments in the Decatur/Forsyth area, please go to our Calendar page. Jazz Festival | Lakeside Music & Arts Festival | Cruisin' Downtown Central Illinois Jazz Festival
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Put
on by Decatur’s Juvae Jazz Society, this celebration of all types of jazz happens in early February each year and is held at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel.
Hundreds of folks come from all around the Midwest to spend the
weekend partying, dancing, parading and listening to great jazz
musicians with their friends. Book early, as the festival fills
up fast! 
The
Lakeside Music & Arts Festival takes place in Nelson Park alongside
beautiful Lake Decatur on the weekend before July 4th each year.
This top shelf undertaking spotlights the best in art, music, theater
arts and culinary arts and features: 
This day-long classic car show takes place in downtown Decatur’s Central Park and the streets of downtown, the second Thursday of July every year. This must-see show attracts nearly 500 of the finest classic automobiles in the Midwest. Food vendors, disk jockeys by day and live retro music by night. This is a fun family event that thousands look forward to attending each summer. 
The largest free family street festival in the Midwest. Twenty-two square blocks of Downtown Decatur, Illinois are closed off from Friday night through Sunday on the first weekend in August of each year. Imagine eleven stages with continuous live entertainment; a special square-block area with activities just for kids; your favorite celebrities and historic figures roaming around (impersonators in costume); over 150 acts and attractions to enjoy; food from every corner of the world; craft and souvenir stands; games, contests and big name headline entertainment. Decatur Celebration requires over 1,500 volunteers, and attracts over 300,000 in attendance over the course of the weekend. 
Progress
City, U.S.A. adjacent to Richland Community College in Decatur,
Illinois is the epicenter of farm technology during the last week
of August biennially in odd-numbered years. More than 450 exhibitors
bring their best new tools and technology to show visitors from
all over the world. During the 54-year history of the Farm Progress
Show, the event has grown to become the top spot for unveiling
new products for the fall selling season. Whether you're talking
new "hardware" in the form of farm machines and implements
or the "software" of seeds and technology, the show offers
plenty to see. 
Walk
in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln during the annual Shadows of
Lincoln Festival in Central Park in downtown Decatur, Illinois on the first Saturday
of June. Rain location is the 
Enjoy
free outdoor Blues concerts on the Central Park Stage in downtown
Decatur, Illinois!
The
Haunted Decatur Tour is an entertaining and spine-tingling trip
into the history & hauntings of Decatur.
Created by Troy Taylor & Skip Houston in 1994, it is one of the longest-running
ghost tours in the state of Illinois. As one of the "most authentic"
ghost tours in the Midwest, the tour is personally operated by nationally-known
author, Troy Taylor, and based on his best-selling series of books
on "Haunted Decatur".