CHESTNUT FESTIVAL IN CHICAGO: Traditional event returns this year with new attractions, football and bocce tournaments, and of course – hot chestnuts!

The aroma of roasted chestnuts will once again herald the arrival of autumn in Chicago, where Krajina Serbs have been organizing the “Krajina Chestnut Festival” for 15 years.

The all-day festival will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the new property of St. John the Baptist Church in Homer Glen. The event is organized by the Association of Krajina Serbs “Prelo,” and this year it will once again offer visitors the opportunity to experience the spirit of the “old country” through traditional dishes, exhibitions, sports competitions and shepherds’ contests.

The program will include football and bocce tournaments, as well as competitions in traditional skills. Visitors will be able to watch competitions in stone throwing, standing long jump, stick pulling and tug-of-war.

The organizers say these competitions are an opportunity for older generations to remember traditional skills, while younger generations will have the chance to learn about them.

A special part of the program will be dedicated to Krajina folk tradition. Visitors will be able to see an exhibition of traditional costumes, handicrafts and old musical instruments, while a children’s play area on the same theme will also be organized.

For lovers of traditional food, specialties such as roasted chestnuts, grilled smoked Banija sausage, ćevapi, homemade cakes, pancakes and other traditional treats will be prepared.

Dijana Antonijević and Stanimir Stošić have been announced as the entertainers responsible for the good atmosphere.

The Chestnut Festival will also have a charitable purpose. Visitors and participants will be able to make monetary donations to a fund providing scholarships for doctoral research on the suffering of Serbs in Krajina and Croatia during the 20th century, with particular focus on the tragedy of the 1990s.

The “Krajina Chestnut Festival” will once again bring together tradition, sports, homemade food and socializing, accompanied by the aroma of roasted chestnuts that has heralded autumn in Chicago for 15 years.