Thursday, September 5th
Eat a pumpkin cookie, Art Mart, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., $3
‘Tis the season for pumpkin cookies. Art Mart’s seasonal pumpkin cookie is in stock now until Thanksgiving. Go ahead and get one this weekend. It’s a perfect taste of September, and then when friends say to you later this fall, “Oh, Art Mart’s pumpkin cookies are in!” you can say you know already. (AB)
Stroll the Market at night, Urbana’s Night Market at the Square, Illinois and Vine, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., free
Urbana Arts and Culture Program has created a night market experience for the area, in the same location as Saturday’s Urbana’s Market at the Square. Enjoy strolling through the market while checking out vendors. Grab a bite to eat from one of the food trucks before sitting down to enjoy music from bands. Make sure to bring your own lawn chairs or blankets. (KH)
Get your groove on with Flatlands Dance Film Festival, Spurlock Museum, 7 p.m., $5-$10
The University of Illinois’ Dance department gets us going this weekend with a new film. Flatlands Dance Film Festival will feature director Laura Chiaramonte’s Bad Like Brooklyn Dancehall (2023) at this year’s festival. The documentary focuses on New York and Jamaican luminaries who share their community story of building cultural bridges using the language of dance and the dancehall. Seating is limited and doors open at 6:30 p.m. (AP)
Friday, September 6th
Get your brooms, Arcola Broomcorn Festival, Downtown Arcola, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., free
The annual Arcola Broomcorn Festival kicks off Friday and continues through the entire weekend. Watch how brooms are made, and consider purchasing a handmade broom for your home. There will be a variety of things to do, from watching a parade to a kiddie tractor pull to shopping with local vendors. This event is the perfect intro to the fall season. (KH)
Check out Homegrown Music Festival, Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center, 5 p.m., $20+
Homegrown Music Festival is both Friday and Saturday, and will feature a whole bunch of local bands, performers, artists, and other artisans. Ticket prices vary depending on one or two days. You won’t want to miss out on learning about local bands making music across all genres. (JH)
Immerse yourself in experimental music and video, Immersion Festival at Gallery Art Bar, 5 p.m., free
The fifth annual Immersion Festival is this weekend — both Friday and Saturday. Introduce yourself to electronic music and other non-traditional forms of sound making, as well as other multidisciplinary and experimental arts practices, including Video Sync, a meeting of video artists. Read more in my interview with Jake Metz, one of the festival organizers. (JH)
Keep grooving with the Ladies of Hip Hop, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m., free
It’s KCPA’s opening weekend and they have packed it with dance, music, performance, and a whole lot of heart. Just show up at KCPA on Friday and enjoy two full days of party. Friday night we’ll be in for a treat in the beautiful lobby as New York’s Ladies of Hip Hop show us how it’s done. (AP)
Saturday, September 7th
Experience the art of hip-hop, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, noon, free
Join this community gathering led by Era Footwork Crew and DJ Spinn to learn about the art of hip-hop and share in the process of creation and improvisation. Featuring Versa-Style Dance Company and local artists. The party continues all day Saturday. (AP)
Learn about translation and text interpretation while drinking local brews, 25 O’Clock Brewing, 7 p.m., free to attend but bring money for brews
Local researcher David Mihalyfy will talk about a breakthrough with the Ancient Egyptian language at 25 O’Clock Brewing Company. Listen and drink special Egyptian-inspired brews by 25 O’Clock or kombucha by Cloud Mountain Kombucha. 25 O’Clock Brewing made a special Ancient Egypt-inspired beer, and Cloud Mountain made kombucha with flavors from the long-gone civilization. (AB)
Sunday, September 8th
Celebrate the start of Illinois Homecoming week, various locations, 10 a.m., prices vary
The first event is a pancake breakfast at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, and there is a 5k race, too. You can learn more on the Homecoming website, which will link you to race registration, too. Festivities continue throughout the week, culminating with the football game on Saturday, September 14th. (JH)
Learn how to play tennis (sort of), Dodds Tennis Center, 1 to 3 p.m., free
Champaign Park District is holding an open house at the Dodds Tennis Center, their indoor tennis facility that is open through the winter. If you’re interested in learning to play, or already play and want to know more about the programs, this free open house is a way to introduce yourself to the facility. There mini clinics for 30 mins for a variety of age groups; check the Facebook event page for more details. (JH)
All event information is accurate to the best of our abilities, but sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes event information, times, prices, etc., change after we look them up. Whenever possible, we’ve provided a link to the original event page; you should always double-check the source before you make any firm plans. Thanks for your understanding.