For nearly 95 years, the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade has been one of the most attended October 31 events in the Metro East, bringing in as many as 25,000 spectators. The parade features more than 125 entries and includes marching bands, floats, school groups and entertainers.

ARTEAST was initiated to bring attention to the extraordinary artists in the Metro East. Now in its 14th year, ARTEAST continues to showcase the artists who live and work in Madison County as they open their studios to the public or participate in exhibits. More than 150 artists working in a range of disciplines — including collage, painting, ceramics, photography, printmaking, sculpture, glass and digital media — show their work and demonstrate their craft. Venues include buildings with historical or architectural interest, as well as local art galleries and shops. A self-guided tour, ARTEAST provides an opportunity to get a glimpse into the workspace, inspiration and techniques of resident artists, while exploring the neighborhoods, historic city centers and beautiful countryside.

On star-spangled summer nights, small-town Americana lives on in band concerts at City Park. Sponsored by the Office of the Mayor and the
Edwardsville Department of Parks and Recreation, Arts in the Park is a seven-week series of free arts, entertainment and activities in Edwardsville City Park. Events include art classes for children on Saturday mornings. Bring a blanket, your neighbors and friends to one of Edwardsville’s most treasured summer events!

Bonifest is a two-day Memorial Day weekend festival has been sponsored since 1985 by St. Boniface Catholic Church, which holds the event as a fundraiser. Bonifest features games, rides, food, a 5K run and entertainment.

Formed in 1927, Edwardsville Municipal Band is a professional community band with over 65 members performs for special occasions throughout the year and holds Summer Pops Concerts on Thursday evenings from June through August in Edwardsville City Park.

Sponsored by the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, Fallfest spotlights special events going on in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon and on SIUE’s campus during the first weekend in October.

This hometown event kicks off a season of festivity each June and is sponsored by the Village of Glen Carbon and area businesses. The event features amusement rides, children’s activities, crafts, game booths, demonstrations, a car show, food booths, a beer garden, a parade and live music.

Leclaire Parkfest is held annually on the third Sunday in October from 12-5pm at Leclaire Lake Park in Edwardsville. The 20th annual festival in 2011 featured Dixieland jazz and old time folk music, as well as a wine and beer garden, festival food, crafts, pony rides, a display of vintage tractors, games and activities for children, and DAR’s annual book sale. Narrated trolley tours of the Leclaire National Historic District run every half hour. Leclaire Parkfest is hosted by Friends of Leclaire as a celebration of the unique history of the Leclaire National Historic District.

Edwardsville’s City Park is the place to go for great food, exciting entertainment, family fun and a walk or cruise down memory lane during the Annual Route 66 Festival! Come for a variety of food and drink and listen to live music on the bandstand. Bring the whole family to enjoy local talent, trolley tours of Edwardsville’s historic districts, face painting, a balloon artist and a caricaturist. Inflatables, children’s activities, local artists and historic displays are in the park all weekend, while the much-anticipated classic car cruise takes place on Saturday.

The Edwardsville Veterans Day parade began on November 11, 1919, on the first anniversary of the end of World War I, and has been held every Veterans Day, rain or shine, except for two years during WWII. The parade, co-sponsored by the Edwardsville VFW and the American Legion, was once illuminated by Boy Scouts bearing railroad flares in the years before streetlights. These days, anywhere from 85–125 units participate in the parade, including color guard, all divisions of the military, school and community groups, and numerous floats and bands.