Things To Do This Weekend April 24-26, 2026

By: Stephanie Wylie 04/24/2025

This weekend Lake County blossoms with a renewed sense of energy, inviting explorers to step outdoors for traditions and indoors for cutting-edge technology. From the simple joy of planting a sapling to the thrill of a mid-afternoon tasting, spring's arrival is in every corner of the community. Lake County offers the perfect backdrop to celebrate the return of spring.

Let's look at Lake County's top five things to do this weekend, April 24-26, 2026. 

1. Long Grove’s 9th Annual Craft Beer Festival

The historic downtown village celebrates its 9th annual festival April 25 at Brothers’ Field, gathering area breweries, live music and a few hours of unhurried afternoon tastings into one of the north suburbs’ most established traditions. Tickets include a festival taster glass, unlimited craft beer samples from a lineup of Midwestern breweries and live music by Bluewater Creek Trio. Food vendors will also be on-site. A full list of participating breweries will be available on the event’s website as the date approaches. For updates, visit LongGrove.org.

Saturday, April 25; Noon to 4 p.m. Tickets are $60. Must be 21+ to purchase tickets and must show ID to enter. Brothers' Field, 340 Old McHenry Rd., Long Grove. 

2. Arbor Day Celebration at Paulus Park in Lake Zurich

The Village of Lake Zurich hosts its annual Arbor Day celebration this weekend at Paulus Park. The morning opens with a tree-planting ceremony led by the Lake Zurich Tree Commission, followed by free tree saplings and compost from SWALCO (bring your own bucket and shovel), a community painting project with Do Art Productions and a park scavenger hunt for younger attendees. Village representatives will be on hand to offer coffee and cocoa to discuss local topics, particularly Lake Zurich’s natural areas. A community park cleanup rounds out the morning for those who want to leave the park better than they found it. The event reflects Lake Zurich’s standing as a Tree City USA community designation from the Arbor Day Foundation recognizing municipalities that maintain a tree board, uphold a tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrate Arbor Day. For details, visit LakeZurich.org.

Saturday, April 25; 9 a.m. to noon. Free admission. Paulus Park, 200 S. Rand Rd., Lake Zurich.

3. Arbor Day Celebration in Highland Park

The city of Highland Park hosts its 2026 Arbor Day Celebration, which combines practical gardening resources with plenty of hands-on activities. Plant and tree giveaways headline the morning, giving attendees a way to mark the occasion at home. A tree-planting demonstration and question-and-answer session offer guidance for those who want to do it right once they get back to their yards. Join Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab & Education for a meet-and-greet with birds of prey. Rounding out the morning is a Touch-A-Truck exhibit, an electric vehicle showcase and tool sharpening services from Veterans Edge Sharpening. A site map is available at CityHPIL.com.

Saturday, April 25; 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Free admission. Ravinia Festival, West Parking Lot, 301 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park.

4. Fear No Art Festival at College of Lake County in Grayslake

The annual Fear No Art Festival returns with three performances across two days, bringing together a mix of emerging choreographers, dancers, musicians, singers, actors, photographers, graphic designers and poets onto a single stage. The festival supports the artistic development of college students alongside community artists, giving emerging voices a stage and a real audience at a formative moment in their creative lives. For showtimes, visit JLCenter.CLCIllinois.edu.

Friday-Saturday, April 24-25; Fri.: 7 p.m. and Sat.: 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets start at $11. James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts at College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake. 

5. Hologram Zoo in Vernon Hills

The dinosaurs are back. They never left any fossil record here, but walk into Hawthorn Mall on any given afternoon and a 60-foot corridor of roaring, stomping prehistoric giants will make a convincing case. Chicago’s first permanent holographic zoo has set up inside Hawthorn, offering families a walk-through experience built entirely from laser-light holograms: no virtual reality headsets, no animals in captivity, just oversized 3D glasses and a genuine sense of wonder. The attraction features seven distinct experiences, including a Dinosaur Tunnel, an Asia Tunnel populated with tigers and elephants, and a newly launched Space Tunnel that guides visitors past planets, asteroid fields and distant moons on foot. Explore something genuinely new. For more information, visit HologramZooIL.com.

Friday-Sunday, April 24-26; Fri. and Sat.: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sun.: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets starting at $25. Hologram Zoo, 318 Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills.

For more things to do this weekend April 24-26, 2025 continue here.