The village of Paw Paw, Illinois, is getting ready to welcome thousands of regional and international visitors as community organizers prepare for the return of the third annual Pawpaw Festival. Scheduled to take place at Paw Paw Veterans Park on September 26, the community-led gathering aims to highlight the distinct flavors and heritage of North America’s largest native tree fruit.
Following an impressive turnout during the previous harvest season, organizers are intentionally structuring a significantly expanded event for 2026. Last year’s gathering drew an estimated crowd of 5,000 people to the municipality, signaling a rapidly growing public curiosity regarding native agriculture and the unique fruit that shares a name with the host village.
Festivities are slated to officially open at 10 a.m. at the park grounds located at 314 Chapman St. In order to ensure the event remains fully accessible to regional travelers, horticultural enthusiasts, and neighborhood families, organizers have announced that general admission to the festival grounds and park amenities will remain entirely free of charge.
At the center of the celebration is the pawpaw itself, widely celebrated among naturalists as the largest edible tree fruit indigenous to the North American continent. Although rarely stocked in conventional commercial grocery stores, the pawpaw has attracted widespread culinary interest due to its creamy, custard-like consistency and a distinctive tropical flavor profile that many compare to a blend of mango, banana, and pineapple.
In addition to promoting native fruit appreciation, the festival provides a prominent platform to showcase the village of Paw Paw. The annual event provides an opportunity for the small Illinois community to welcome outsiders, promote local tourism, and highlight the shared identity that binds the municipality to this native forest fruit.
Data from the 2025 festival demonstrated that enthusiasm for the pawpaw stretches far beyond local municipal borders. Official sign-in logs from last year’s celebration confirmed that attendees traveled from 20 different states across the country and as far away as France, representing a total of 210 individual cities and towns who made the trek to the village.
Urban and suburban day-trippers made up a substantial portion of the festival’s overall attendance. According to registration and sign-in records gathered by the organizers, approximately 34 percent of all logged visitors at the 2025 event traveled directly from the greater Chicago metropolitan area to take part in the seasonal festivities.
Leadership within the planning committee emphasized how rapidly the festival has evolved from its humble beginnings. Neal Rogers, who serves as the chair of the Pawpaw Festival Committee and is an active member of the Paw Paw Lions Club, noted the event’s emergence as a significant regional destination for autumn travelers.
"What started as a small community gathering has quickly become a regional destination," Rogers stated regarding the festival's dramatic growth. "People drive hours to taste a fruit many have never heard of, and they leave talking about the village of Paw Paw. We're building on everything we learned in 2025 to make this year's festival bigger, smoother, and even more welcoming."
Culinary exploration will serve as one of the central attractions of the festival, featuring complimentary fruit tastings designed to let newcomers sample the pawpaw's tropical notes. In addition to tasting fresh samples, visitors will have the opportunity to buy whole, fresh pawpaw fruit and purchase live pawpaw trees to plant in their own home gardens.
For attendees interested in value-added goods, the festival will showcase a variety of specialty foods and beverages incorporating the unique flavor of the native fruit. Organizers have arranged for an assortment of pawpaw-infused products to be available on-site, including specialty pawpaw beer, craft ice cream, and custom pawpaw cheesecake prepared by Eli's Cheesecake of Chicago.
A wide variety of entertainment and family attractions have been integrated into the daily schedule to ensure a comprehensive festival experience. The event grounds will host live musical performances, an extensive lineup of local artisans and market vendors, and a dedicated Kids Corner equipped with inflatable bounce houses and interactive youth activities.
Education forms another crucial pillar of the festival's overall programming. Throughout the day, attendees can engage with educational sessions centered around the cultivation and biology of native fruits, as well as board organized tram tours designed to transport guests around the local area to view established pawpaw trees growing in their natural environment.
The third annual event is formally organized and hosted by the Paw Paw Lions Club in close partnership with the Pizzo Group, bringing together civic volunteers and community partners dedicated to preserving local culture and fostering regional community engagement.
Multiple regional organizations and corporate partners have joined together to support the event’s logistics and outreach. Supporting entities include Visit Northwest Illinois, Northern Illinois University, NuMark Credit Union, Paw Paw Farms Inc., and Eli's Cheesecake, all contributing to the staging of this year's harvest gathering.
As final preparations continue ahead of the September 26 start date, festival coordinators confirmed that application windows remain actively open for vendors and sponsors seeking to participate in the event. Guests and prospective participants can prepare for gates to open at 10 a.m. for another full day celebrating the region's native harvest.
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