Whether you are visiting or you live in DeKalb, there is an assortment of activities for everyone year-round! Attractions include concerts, festivals, museums, recreational activities, sporting events and theatres.
Concerts
DeKalb is home to a 10,000 seat Convocation Center, a $36 million multipurpose facility that hosts morethan 200 events each year ranging from local stage productions to big name acts such as Styx, BB King, and the comedy of Bill Cosby. Other events include; concerts, family shows, theatrical productions, commencement ceremonies, job fairs, trade shows, and Huskie Athletic events.
DeKalb hosts several festivals throughout the year. In April, the Heartland International Tattoo Music & Dance Festival fills NIU's Convocation Center with music. Featured are drum & bugle corps, Highland dancers, Irish dancers, bagpipe bands, musical acts, brass bands and drill teams. The 2008 Tattoo will be Saturday-Sunday, April 12-13. The annual Corn Fest is held the last weekend each August. The festival celebrates corn as one of the top crops produced within the DeKalb area. The festival features, live music, races, historical tours, and much more! Then, in September, it's Kite Festival time! The skies over DeKalb are filled with colorful and imaginative kites of all types and sizes at this popular event. Features include kite-making, food vendors, a candy drop for kids and other fun activities.
As the birthplace of barbed wire, DeKalb is the home of many historic sites. The homestead built by Joseph Farwell Glidden, inventor of "The Winner" barbed wire, is being restored as a living history museum. The Ellwood House, a grand Victorian mansion, is located in a lovely park in the heart of DeKalb, Illinois. Built by Glidden's manufacturing partner, barbed wire millionaire Isaac L. Ellwood in 1879, the mansion remains with its original furnishings just as when the Ellwood family lived there decades ago. Although his home is no longer standing, the legacy of Jacob Haish lives on in his philanthropic ways which helped build DeKalb Public Library and the hospital, among others.
Whether an active participate or a cheering fan in the stands DeKalb has many great activities for residents and visitors that enjoy the outdoors, and other activities. In DeKalb, through the award winning DeKalb Park District, there are two public golf courses, over 40 public parks, over six miles of paved bike trails, a water park with Olympic size pool, soccer and ball fields. To escape the in climate weather DeKalb offers many indoor venues such as a health club, community center and a YMCA.
DeKalb is home to a 10,000 seat Convocation Center, a $36 million multipurpose facility that hosts more than 200 events each year ranging from local stage productions to big name acts such as Styx, BB King, and the comedy of Bill Cosby. Other events include; concerts, family shows, theatrical productions, commencement ceremonies, job fairs, trade shows, and Huskie Athletic events.
Smaller venues include the Egyptian Theatre, a restored 1930 movie palace, complemented by many restaurants, night clubs, and coffee houses offering live entertainment throughout the year.
164 E. Lincoln Highway (Route 38) DeKalb, Illinois 60115 (877)-DeKalb1