Visit Rockton

Get Swifty! Small Business Saturday Friendship Bracelet Making
2024-11-30 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Downtown Rockton, 110 East Main Street, Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
In Downtown Rockton, our local shops and customers all feel like family. Whether you’re looking for something fun to do with family and friends this Thanksgiving weekend or you’re looking to hide from family and friends (we won’t tell!), come hang out with us in Downtown Rockton as we celebrate Small Business Saturday by “Getting Swifty” and making friendsip bracelets. Check back for confirmed locations. We’ll have a few places you can start by grabbing your starter bag and supplies, then stop at the different participating locations for fun, unique charms and filler beads. FREE! We just want you all to “dress up like hipsters and make fun of our exes.”

Rockton Christmas Walk
2024-12-06 - 2024-12-08 | Downtown Rockton, 110 East Main Street, Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
Join us in Downtown Rockton for our full weekend of Christmas events! Here are just a few of our fun events: dueling pianos, ugly sweater pub crawl (adults only), tree lightings and lighted displays, visits with Santa, horse carriage rides, lighted parade, caroling, hot cocoa crawl and historic home tour – and SO. MUCH. MORE! For more info, visit www.rocktonchristmaswalk.com. Click Here to visit our gallery from our 2022 event.

Downtown Rockton Easter Egg Hunt
2025-04-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Settlers Park, 150 E. Hawick St., Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
Thanks to our awesome Downtown Rockton businesses, those that find some special eggs will get their opportunity to pick out a special prize from the grand prize tables underneath the gazebo (while supplies last). The egg hunt will start at 10 am, and the Easter Bunny will be available for photos until 11 am.

May Day Faerie Festival
2025-05-03 10:00 - 16:00 | Settlers Park, 150 E. Hawick St., Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
Join the Rockton May Day Faerie Festival in a 1,000+ years old tradition of welcoming spring. Fantasy/renaissance/mystical creature attire welcome! A schedule of events can be found here.

What is May Day? May Day, or May Eve, is celebrated in Europe as a vestige of bygone days. Floralia, celebrated during the Roman Republic era, is the first known celebration of the midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. Most of Northern Europe celebrated May Eve with bonfires during the Middle Ages. Gaelic Beltane and Welsh Calan Mai mainly focused on the symbolic use of fire to bless livestock as they moved to summer pastures. In the 19th century, cattle were made to jump over fires to protect their milk from being stolen by fairies. To this day, people still jump over fires on May Day. In Germanic countries, this became Walpurgis Night, commemorating the official canonization of Saint Walpurga on May 1, 870. As per many Christian holidays, the celebrations are a recapitulation of centuries old practices. Celebration of Spring is eternal. Mythic Welsh sovereign King Arthur (and Tudor heir apparent Queen Elizabeth I) has strong associations to May Day. In so keeping, Vanessa Redgrave performs Lusty Month of May in the Movie Musical Camelot.

Rockton Pelican Fest
2025-05-17 10:00 - 16:00 | Downtown Rockton, 110 East Main Street, Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
Rockton Pelican Fest is a celebration of the American White Pelicans migrating through the Rockton area and Nygren Wetland Preserve, the Rock River, wildlife and other natural assets surrounding Rockton, and promotes the local retail shops, eateries, and arts and culture of the historic Village of Rockton, Illinois. Check out the Pelican Fest website for a full, up-to-date schedule of events.

Rockton River Market
2025-05-21 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-06-04 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-06-25 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-02 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-09 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-16 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-23 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-07-30 17:00 - 20:00 and 4 more dates | Downtown Rockton, 110 East Main Street, Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULEVENDOR APPLICATION PACKET
Come for the shopping, stay for the music! The Rockton River Market provides a comfortable atmosphere to shop for handmade items, fruits, and vegetables. Live local music is provided for entertainment.
Click Here to view this year’s entertainment schedule.
Click Here to view the application packet if you’re interested in becoming a market vendor.
Coming soon! The 2025 vendor map.
Click Here to visit our photo gallery from the 2022 season.

Rockton River Market
2025-05-28 17:00 - 20:00, 2025-06-18 17:00 - 20:00 | Settlers Park, 150 E. Hawick St., Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULEVENDOR APPLICATION PACKET
Come for the shopping, stay for the music! The Rockton River Market provides a comfortable atmosphere with food trucks, drinks, and local artisans. Live local music is provided for entertainment.
Click Here to view this year’s entertainment schedule.
Click Here to view the application packet if you’re interested in becoming a market vendor.
Coming soon! The 2025 vendor map.
Click Here to visit our photo gallery from the 2022 season.

Summerpalooza
2025-06-07 17:00 - 22:00, 2025-07-12 17:00 - 22:00, 2025-08-09 17:00 - 22:00 | Downtown Rockton, 110 East Main Street, Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
We’re blocking off the first block of West Main Street for food, fun, activities and more. Each date has a theme, so dress to impress! June 7 – patriotic; July 12 – seaside shenanigans; and Aug. 9 – a Hawaiian luau.

Old Settlers Days
2025-06-12 16:00 - 2025-06-15 21:00 | Settlers Park, 150 E. Hawick St., Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
Join us for Rockton Lions largest fundraiser of the year at Settlers Park in Downtown Rockton! Old Settlers Days features all the carnival fun, fair food and national country music acts you could want in the Stateline area. All of the profits go back to our local community. For more info, visit www.oldsettlersdays.com.

Rockford IRONMAN Spectator Party
2025-06-22 08:00 - 12:00 | Settlers Park, 150 E. Hawick St., Rockton, IL, 61072, United States
Join us in Downtown Rockton for the premier spectator extravaganza focused on YOU, the spectators! During the 56-mile biking portion of the Rockford IRONMAN, athletes will bike through Downtown Rockton. Shops and restaurants will be open to keep you busy as you await your athlete’s arrival, and we’ll also be hosting lots of fun activities at Settlers Park – right along the bike route! We’ll have food trucks, sign making stations, yoga sessions, and the most fun, minimally-athletic spectator obstacle course!
