Honey Festival · Sep 14–15, 2028 · Carbondale, Illinois
Update the details, add photos, or add your next date. Free, no account.
Dates: Thursday, September 14, 2028 to Friday, September 15, 2028 (2 days)
Venue: Evergreen Park, 1000 S Pleasant Hill Road, Carbondale, Illinois
Type: Honey Festival
Carbondale — the gateway to Shawnee National Forest and the cultural heart of Little Egypt in southern Illinois — presides over one of the most botanically distinctive honey-producing regions in the Midwest, where the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the sandstone escarpments of the Shawnee Hills, the Cache River bottomland cypress swamps, and the extraordinary floral diversity of the southern Ozark-Gulf Coastal Plain transition create honey varieties unknown in the Prairie State to the north. The Shawnee Hills' tulip poplar and black locust blossoms, the river-bottom persimmon, pawpaw, and sweetgum wildflowers, and the unique mix of northern and southern botanical species that southern Illinois straddles produce honeys with distinct terroir reflecting the region's position at the crossroads of four ecological zones. SIU's Evergreen Park hosts this September harvest festival celebrating southern Illinois honey culture, bringing together beekeepers from Jackson, Union, Pope, and Hardin counties who manage colonies in Shawnee's 280,000-acre forest interior. The festival features a Shawnee Honey Competition with classes for tulip poplar, black locust, wildflower, and rare pawpaw blossom honey; guided hikes to Garden of the Gods and Giant City State Park to observe honey plant communities in iconic Shawnee landscapes; cypress swamp canoe tours of Cache River State Natural Area pollinator habitat; educational sessions from SIU Entomology on southern Illinois bee diversity; and Appalachian food traditions blending southern Illinois honey with wild ramps, pawpaw, and persimmon recipes.
This listing does not state a price. Check illinoisstatebeekeepers.org for tickets, registration and times.
Official page: illinoisstatebeekeepers.org
One email three local days before the event, after you confirm by email. This is separate from The Honey Month newsletter.
With JavaScript enabled, we check current reminder availability. The calendar links work without an email reminder.
Honey festivals usually have tastings, vendor booths, talks and family activities.
Browse all upcoming honey events.