Cultural festivals. Foodie fairs. Car shows. Pet parades. No matter what kind of festival fun you like to have, we have an event just for you.

In Northeast Indiana, we love to throw a party. Simply add “fest” to the end of the name, and we’ll see you there.

There’s a lot to pick from, too. Here’s a short list of different types of festivals we host in the region.

Eleven Different Types of Festivals in Our Region

1. We love to throw festivals.

In Northeast Indiana, we encourage people from all walks of life to dream big — like festival big. From Greek Fest and Germanfest to the Cherry Blossom Festival and  Berne Swiss Days, we celebrate culture here because diversity makes our community richer. It gives us truly original flavor, and that’s something we can all benefit from.

2. Welcome home, neighbor. Now let’s celebrate.

We love our home in Northeast Indiana, and you can benefit from this hometown pride, too. Whether  it’s in Adams County or Whitley County, each of our 11 counties celebrates hometown pride. Fort Wayne has the Three Rivers Festival, Indiana’s second-largest summer festival—a family-friendly nine-day community-wide party.

3. Beer. Wine. Spirits. There’s a festival for that.

Local breweries, wineries, and distilleries are scattered throughout Northeast Indiana, but when you want to find them all in one place, just attend any one of the many festivals in the region. Not only does a festival bring all the best local vendors to one place, but it also draws visitors in with its taste-testing atmosphere. At many of our local beer or wine festivals, you can taste as many samples as you’d like, and there are always discounted prices on nonalcoholic choices for the designated driver, too!

4. We’ve reinvented the average arts festival.

There’s unique beauty in handmade art, and in Northeast Indiana, our region is teeming with stunning artwork. We are shaking up your average art festival, too. How do live art demonstrations sound? You can benefit from our creative arts culture and any number of our region’s art festivals. From artisans who are molding sculptures of people to those who are reinventing painting techniques, innovative craftsmanship prospers here.

5. We love a parade!

We love any reason to parade around town. Whether you are showing off your classic car or walking your dog to benefit pooches, festival parades are a part of life in the region. The best part? You get to pick the festival that interests you most!

6. We’re crafty, and we show it.

We have many different arts and craft festivals in the region. But one very popular destination is in LaGrange County—the Shipshewana Arts and Crafts Festival. The festival is a tribute to the crafting and old-fashioned culture in the surrounding Shipshewana countryside. Quilters, carvers, painters, cloggers, musicians, and crafters of all types flood the town and its many quaint stores, providing demonstrations and entertainment.

7. We are always celebrating downtown.

Our regional downtowns are full of energy and enthusiasm. When you there, you can feel it. It’s a good feeling too. Our downtowns are vibrant, and there are always fun things to do. In our smaller communities, you’ll find quaint and charming First Friday events that feature arts, live music, and local food. In Fort Wayne, our region’s largest city and the second-largest city in Indiana, you can enjoy a different festival nearly every weekend during the summer.

8. Northeast Indiana: a Midwestern music hotspot.

Momentum has a soundtrack, and it’s loud. With a mix of up-and-coming bands and national touring acts, Northeast Indiana’s music-festival scene is getting louder. Can you hear it? This is a place where indie, hip-hop, and rock and roll don’t just coexist, they converge.

9. Welcome to our 4-H fairs, where you can celebrate country heritage.

The smell of elephant ears fills the air. Loud music is muffled by excited screams from this year’s most popular fair ride. And you finally get to taste a fried Oreo. Welcome to an Indiana 4-H fair. Remember, you don’t have to be a farmer to enjoy a good, ol’-fashioned 4-H fair. From the homemade-pie competition to the livestock auction, the 4-H fair is where we honor the best in our country traditions, while being open to new ones. At the 4-H fair, you’ll get a real taste of our welcoming community, and that’s just one way you can benefit from our Hoosier hospitality.

10. Calling all motorheads! Come to Northeast Indiana and show off your sweet ride.

Cars are part of our history in Northeast Indiana. We design them. We build them. Today, we still celebrate this part of our history. At the Auburn Cord Duesenberg (ACD) Festival, hundreds of thousands of people venture to DeKalb County from around the world to honor the automobile legacy of the Auburn Automobile Company. Want to show off your car? You can do that, too. Many car clubs hold social events at local restaurants that include outstanding car shows. So cruise on in with your sweet ride and show us what’s under the hood.

11. Holidays are a time to celebrate—together. Join us, won’t you?

How do we celebrate holidays in this region?  With a community-wide festival, of course. Whether it’s Halloween, Christmas or any other holiday, the counties throughout our 11-county region celebrate in the streets with parades, live music, outdoor movies, and more. Holidays are big in Northeast Indiana because we love spending the important moments in life together. Are you ready to reap the benefits of living in a close community? We hope so, neighbor!