Summer
Festivals and fun in the sun reign in Evansville during the summer months. From outdoor concerts to church picnics, social events are what bring the city together this season.
Come for Volksfest, the three-day celebration of Evansville’s German heritage held every August since 1934. Arrive hungry for brats, thirsty for German beer, and ready to dance the polka.
Music in the Park, which rotates between city parks from June to August, and First Fridays — held monthly at Haynie’s Corner Arts District from June to October — are ideal for live music, food trucks, and fun with friends.
That’s just the start. For a mellow vibe in mid-July, head to local PBS station WNIN’s Jazz Fest, which includes food truck fare, a wine and beer garden, and live music. Evansville Front Porch Fest each September at Haynie’s Corner hosts regional talent on historic homes’ front porches throughout the community.
For dishes of time-honored family recipes served in a picnic setting, stop by summer socials at churches and parishes such as Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. Philip Catholic Church, and St. Wendel Catholic Church.
Bookworms long for the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library’s summer sale held at Washington Square Mall. For more than 20 years, shoppers have combed through thousands of discounted books, movies, CDs, and more media at this library fundraiser.
A recent addition to Evansville’s summer calendar is the Pride Festival and Parade, held by River City Pride in June. Supporters march in a parade to a festival spread along Main Street featuring vendors, food trucks, a talent show, and more.
Bridge the mid-season gap with Fireworks on the Ohio. Taking over Riverside Drive in Downtown Evansville, throngs of spectators celebrate Independence Day with carnival rides, food trucks, and spectacular fireworks over the Ohio River.
SWIRCA & More Brewfest, in July on the lawn of the EVPL West Branch, raises funds for the organization which benefits local seniors. It draws craft beer producers from near and far.
What says summer like county fairs? You’ll find them the first two weeks in July spread across Vanderburgh and the surrounding counties. Enjoy concerts, cattle competitions, car shows, the best in baking and homegrown gardens, and activities for the whole family.
A seasonal staple is farmers markets. The largest arguably is the Franklin Street Bazaar, which spreads across the lawn of EVPL’s West Branch each Saturday morning from late May to late August. Other events such as pop-up yoga sessions are frequently held in conjunction with the market. On Wednesdays in summer, vendors set up at Downtown Evansville’s Market on Main and sell fresh produce, apple cider slushies, ice cold lemonade, and more. Hungry? Order lunch at one of the food trucks that parks alongside the market.
Summer days are well spent cruising slowly with the windows down, and cars steal the spotlight several times this season. Enthusiasts flock to the West Side Nut Club’s cruise-in each June along West Franklin Street. Adrenaline junkies can get a double shot via the monthly Cars ‘n Coffee series out- side Washington Square Mall. ShrinersFest in May also sports an eclectic car show alongside carnival rides, live music, food trucks, and more. But nothing beats the hundreds of street rods that descend on Evansville every August for E’Ville Iron’s three-day Frog Follies festival, which covers nearly every inch of the Vanderburgh 4-H Fairgrounds.
Autumn
For over a century, autumn’s arrival has delighted Evansville residents because it means a signature, joyous event in the city is nigh.
On the first full week in October, it’s West Side Nut Club Fall Festival time along West Franklin Street. Check the forecast before you go — the weather is always a wild card — but make sure you come hungry. You’ll find countless food choices — think apple dumplings, deep-fried Reuben rolls, doughnut burgers, and more — sold at more than 130 food booths manned by area nonprofits, churches, and organizations. Carnival rides, nightly entertainment, a pet parade, and a half-pot drawing are all part of this tradition that Evansvillians love.
Autumn in Evansville provides plenty of other opportunities to enjoy cooler weather. Wesselman Woods is the scene for an autumn celebration called Wandering Owl: Twilight Tasting, where guests can take in an urban old-growth forest and enjoy food, beer, and wine, plus guided encounters with wildlife.
In neighboring Newburgh, Indiana, Party in Paradise hosted by Warrick Parks Foundation and Warrick Trails features live music, food trucks, and a relaxed, festival-like atmosphere at Friedman Park.
Downtown Evansville invites your furry, four-legged friends to Dog Day on Main Street. Another Downtown event, WNIN Kids Fest, hosted by Evansville’s public broadcasting provider, promises a fun day for children and families.
Movie buffs will want to check out the Victory International Film Festival. It brings together regional, national, and international talent together for screenings, workshops, an awards ceremony, and more.
The autumn calendar at Evansville’s Haynie’s Corner Arts District includes the fall installment of Funk in the City featuring regional artisans, food trucks, and live music, while the Vanderburgh County Extension Homemakers’ Fine Arts and Crafts Show at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center is a 51-year-old tradition.
The Evansville Half Marathon & 5 Miler, the signature event of the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana, has drawn thousands of runners over two decades of races, while Fiesta Evansville — an annual celebration of Latino diversity — attracted more than 6,600 people in 2023 to Wesselman Park.
And lastly, Evansville is a great place to enjoy Halloween. Find frights at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden’s Boo at the Zoo, haunted houses, including The Catacombs and The House of Lecter, and zombie runs, ghost walks, truck-or-treats, hayrides, pumpkin carving, costume contests, and more across the city.
Winter
Winter in Evansville is flush with the holiday spirit, which shines throughout December with weeks of celebrations designed to bring the community together.
Harkening back to the city’s German heritage, Germania Maennerchor hosts a Christkindlmarkt early in the season featuring European holiday treats, handmade gifts, and photo ops with Santa.
Kids can meet Saint Nick at the West Side Nut Club’s Santa Land and get a special treat at the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville’s Elf Academy, where through seasonal-based activities they gain certification to be Santa’s helpers. Shoppers can select unique gifts from regional artists at the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and get in the holiday spirit at Downtown Evansville’s A Downtown Christmas, Holiday Open House, and Santa Stroll. Several animal rescues — including Vanderburgh Humane Society, It Takes a Village No-Kill Rescue, and Warrick Humane Society — sponsor adorable pet pictures with Santa.
The Evansville Philharmonic family shares a festive spirit each Christmas. In December, the orchestra and chorus are joined for the highly anticipated Peppermint Pops concert by a guest vocalist performing classic hymns and contemporary holiday tunes. The chorus changes tack later in the month by performing George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” under the timber-lined Gothic arches of 158-year-old Trinity United Methodist Church.
Already a historic staple in Evansville, the Reitz Home Museum particularly sparkles amid 19th-century holiday decorations at its Victorian Christmas celebration each December. Don’t miss a special evening of candlelight tours.
For a small-town holiday experience, visit Christmas in Newburgh, Indiana, for a town-wide decorating contest, holiday home tours, Winterlights holiday display, a parade, and more.
It’s not Christmas in Evansville without driving through Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights. Garvin Park is aglow with 90,000 bulbs across more than 80 holiday displays. Traditionally held from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, this long-standing fundraiser for Easterseals Rehabilitation Center bookends the holiday season.
Once the twinkle of holiday lights fades away, Evansville throws itself into sports. Bridging the new year’s gap is Thunderbolts hockey, which throws down on the Ford Center ice from October to April. Particularly popular are the Thunderbolts’ theme nights spotlighting pop culture classics, first responders, and even four-legged friends.
Starting in February, warm up inside Amazonia at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden during the annual Orchid Escape, a six-week exhibit featuring artistically displayed orchids.
March basketball excitement comes in the form of the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, bringing the top eight men’s and women’s teams to town to compete for the conference title — and the first bid to the NCAA Division 1 tournament.
Spring
After a winter of hunkering indoors and avoiding the cold, spring in Evansville is the perfect opportunity to branch out with the blooming dogwoods and experience events outdoors.
Downtown Evansville kicks off a season of outdoor events in April with the Spring Wine Walk. Hundreds of people (adults only — sorry, kids) take to Main Street for wine tasting, shopping, and live music. May’s Sidewalk Sale is an art-fair-meets-garage-sale with 100-plus vendors selling handmade goods as well as knickknacks.
If you’re looking for a more art-focused fair, keep Spring Funk in the City on your radar. The longstanding event features more than 100 curated art vendors, plus live music and food, all at Haynie’s Corner Arts District.
One great way to take in the city’s finest artists and outdoor live music is the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana’s On the Roof concert series beginning in May. Visit the Main Street gallery to see the current exhibition, and then go upstairs for a rooftop concert.
Take in a picturesque, curated garden and live music at the Reitz Home Museum’s Wine Down to the Weekend. Held on the museum’s lawn, concerts are on Thursday evenings from May through June.
Spring is a perfect time to experience the area’s natural beauty. The Evansville Trails Coalition kicks off April with National Walking Day, followed by a season of other group walking and hiking events. April also is ideal for birdwatching, so don’t miss the annual Ohio Valley Birding Festival. Hosted by the Evansville Audubon Society and John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, Kentucky, the event connects bird lovers between both states.
If you’d rather buy plants and bring them home than walk through them for leisure, check out the following events. Billed as the “Tri-State’s largest indoor plant sale,” the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners Association hosts its annual sale at Vanderburgh 4-H Center each May. There’s also Mesker Park Zoo’s Bloomin’ Zoo Plant Sale, which boasts tropical varieties and unique items for your indoor or outdoor gardens.
Is watching first responders throw jabs at each other more your sport? Don’t miss the annual Guns & Hoses charity boxing event, where police and firefighters square off for a good cause — and bragging rights.
What better way to take in spring than with the sound of the crack of a bat and a hot dog in your hand? Take a seat for the opening of the Evansville Otters baseball season in May at Bosse Field, the nation’s third-oldest ballpark in continual operation.
