It’s May in northeast Indiana, and that means summer festival season is upon us.
As the city comes alive with festivals almost every weekend, Current Fort Wayne might be your best resource for staying on top of event information.
While many organizations have provided niche event calendars over the years, Current Fort Wayne provides users with one, comprehensive place to find and share events.
Built by the team at Visit Fort Wayne, it integrates multiple community calendars of organizations, including Visit Fort Wayne, the Downtown Improvement District, Arts United, YLNI Living Fort Wayne, Riverfront Fort Wayne, Welcoming Fort Wayne, and more.
Now, the only challenge is adding all of the events to your schedule.
Here are a few festivals to watch out for this summer.
From ethnic food to arts celebrations, there is something for everyone in the Fort Wayne area.
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Summer festivals are popular events in northeast Indiana.
Summer Festivals
Fort Wayne Music Festival
May 10-12
Headwaters Park, 333 S. Clinton St.
Rock out to the 3rd Annual Fort Wayne Music Festival powered by Sweetwater Sound. It’s a chance to experience northeast Indiana’s rich musical tradition, discover the talent of new regional artists, and enjoy some of your nationally renowned favorites.
May 10: A Throwback Thursday concert with the Ying Yang Twins, Twista, Do or Die, Mike Jones and Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics with Kenny Redd & DJ RC performing live.
May 11: An Electric Spring concert, featuring RiFF RaFF, DJ Dub Knight, DJ DannyB, Adam Murphy, DJ Ruckus & 3 celebrity YouTube performers.
May 12: A Rock on the River Concert, featuring SEVENDUST, The Word Alive, Hell Came Home, and the Kicksbacks with three more national and one more incredible regional bands (to be announced).
Cherry Blossom Festival
May 20
Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza
Celebrate everything Japanese with a day of food, fold dance, traditional music, contests (anime, cosplay, haiku), a tea ceremony, taiko drums, karaoke, merchandise, games, origami, bonsai exhibits, and more.
Arab Fest
June 2-3
Headwaters Park Pavilions, 333 S. Clinton St.
Kick off the month of June with the 4th annual Arab Fest. This year will feature music by the world-famous Ali Paris and the return of Ronnie Malley with his Oud. There will also be camel rides, a market with international vendors, characters, dancing, and, of course, food from the Famous Falafel.
Germanfest
June 3-10
Headwaters Park, 333 S. Clinton St.
Get ready to polka! Germanfest is a weeklong celebration of northeast Indiana’s German heritage with Essen, Trinken, und Gemülichkeit (also known as eating, drinking, and having a really good time).
Canal Days
June 5th – 9th
Downtown New Haven on Broadway in Schnelker Park
Canal Days is New Haven’s premier homecoming event when residents welcome current and former townies as well as guests from the tristate area for a week complete with a parade, vendors, crafts, and tasty treats.
Hobnobben Film Festival
June 7-10
Cinema Center, 437 E. Berry St.
Interested in indie films? Discover some of the best productions in the Midwest at Hobnobben Film Festival, Fort Wayne’s premiere multi-day, multi-venue film festival.
BBQ Ribfest
June 14-17
Headwaters Park, 333 S. Clinton St.
Ready to eat? Fort Wayne is home to many festivals that feature great food, but the BBQ Ribfest is one festivals focused all on the food! From brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and more. BBQ Ribfest is a BBQ lover’s paradise!
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Dancers take the stage at Greekfest.
Greekfest
June 21-2
Headwaters Park, 333 S. Clinton St.
Opa! Celebrate Greek culture and heritage with Greekfest. Enjoy a large variety of Greek cuisine and entertainment including live music, dancing, and much more!
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Music-lovers shop the selection at Sweetwater Sound.Gearfest
June22-23
Sweetwater Sound, 5501 US Hwy 30 West Fort Wayne
Looking for some musical gear? Then you don’t want to miss Gearfest, the largest music tradeshow open to the public in the United States. Gearfest features a gear expo, entertainment, a flea market, and more.
Dragon Boat Races
June 23
Headwaters Park, 333 S. Clinton St.
Fort Wayne is situated on three rivers, making it the perfect destination for some river fun including Dragon Boat Races, a fun festival featuring teams of 20 paddlers racing 300 meters down the river.
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Street performers entertain at Buskerfest.Buskerfest
June 30
Downtown Fort Wayne, Corner of Wayne and Calhoun Streets
Celebrate the art of the street performer with Buskerfest. Enjoy quirky, unexpected live art including staged acts, buskers, mimes, and stilt walkers roaming the crowd.
Three Rivers Festival
July 13-21
Downtown Fort Wayne
You won’t want to miss Fort Wayne’s favorite summer party since 1969, the Three Rivers Festival! It’s a week packed with family fun, including art displays, amusement rides, food vendors, a parade, fireworks, and more!
Pride Fest
July 27-28
Headwaters Park, 333 S. Clinton St.
Celebrate diversity in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area with Pride Fest, featuring a vendor market, beer tent, kid space, and live entertainment from local, regional, and national singers and bands.
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Artists color the streets of Fort Wayne during the Chalk Walk at the Three Rivers Festival.Taste of the Arts
August 24-25
Downtown Fort Wayne, 300 East Main Street
Get a taste of Fort Wayne’s local arts and food community with a trip to Taste of the Arts, downtown Fort Wayne’s premiere arts and food festival.
Grabill’s Country Fair
September 6-8
Downtown Grabill, 13717 First St Grabill
Enjoy the perks of country living with Grabill’s country-style fair (September 6-8), highlighting the area’s Amish heritage with food, crafts, kids events, and more.
Middle Waves Music Festival
September 14-15
Headwaters Park, 333 S. Clinton St.
Music lovers will rejoice for Middle Waves Music Festival (September 14-15), Fort Wayne’s premiere music festival featuring local, regional, and national acts and headliners.
Johnny Appleseed
September 15-16
Johnny Appleseed Park, 1500 East Coliseum Boulevard
For an early fall festival, enjoy Johnny Appleseed featuring food, demonstrations, crafts, entertainment, children’s area, farmers market and more.
Dia Fort Wayne
October 20
USF Performing Arts Center, 431 West Berry St.
The USF Performing Arts Center will be transformed into the streets of Mexico to celebrate the Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos. This free event is complete with sugar skull face painting, some of the areas best taco vendors, games, live music, lucha libre wrestlers, and Altars with ofrendas (elaborate offerings dedicated to the spirit of the departed). It’s a chance to eat, sing, dance, and celebrate loved ones.
Current Fort Wayne
Stay up-to-date on what’s happening in Fort Wayne by browsing the events at CurrentFortWayne.com, following Current Fort Wayne on Facebook and Instagram, or by signing up for weekly current event emails.
Note: The author Jessica Campbell is Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Visit Fort Wayne, which manages Current Fort Wayne.