2025 Schedule of Major Events for the BHHA 

 

PDF of the Bishop Hill Map:  MapBH2016

 

May 31, 2025  Doodle Folk Music Festival

On Saturday May 31 2025, start the summer by enjoying the Bishop Hill Folk Music Festival. Located in the village park in Bishop Hill Illinois, some of the best-known Illinois folk musicians, such as Bucky Halker, the Bucktown Americana Music Show, Chris Vallillo, and more will be performing. Their musical styles span a wide range of folk music including bluegrass, coal mine songs, and Woody Guthrie songs, to name just a few. All the park concerts are free and open to the public. Bring lawn chairs and enjoy the music!

The music festival is named after Bishop Hill’s first folk musician. In the mid 1800’s, Jonas Danielson (“Doodle”) would travel around Bishop Hill and perform music on his fiddle for a meal or just a pail of milk. He was nicknamed “Doodle” because his favorite song was Yankee Doodle. A display about Doodle will be located in the park gazebo.

Music starts at 10 a.m. and continues throughout the day. Peoria’s singer-songwriter Barry Cloyd will start off the day performing songs from his 10 CDs. At 11:30 a.m., Chicago’s singer-songwriter Buck Halker will be playing songs about American Coal Miners. His program is sponsored by the IHC Road Scholars Bureau. After a lunch break, Chris Vallillo will perform at 1:30 p.m. Chris Vallillo is an award-winning rural singer/songwriter, folk musician and folklorist from Macomb, IL. The Bucktown Americana Music Show will finish off the day by performing at 3 p.m. If you’re a fan of bluegrass, folk, Celtic, Americana, or old-time music, you’ll love the Bucktown Americana Music Show.

This free event is funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, the Illinois Humanities Council, the Galesburg Community Foundation and the Geneseo Foundation. For more details, you can call 309 927-3899 or email bhha@mymctc.net. 

 

Concert Schedule for Saturday May 31
(main stage is located next to the park gazebo in the center of the village park)

10 a.m. Barry Cloyd
11:30 a.m. Bucky Halker
1:30 p.m. Chris Vallillo
3:00 p.m. Bucktown Americana Music Show

 

 

June 21, 2025  Midsommar Music Festival

The 2025 Bishop Hill Midsommar Music Festival is a family-friendly event occurring on Saturday June 21.  Highlights of this festival includes free concerts in the park, a Swedish Maypole celebration, and much more.  Please bring a lawn chair and join us as we celebrate this Swedish holiday in historic Bishop Hill, Illinois.

Celebrating Midsommar, one of the two most popular holidays in Sweden – the other being Christmas – is a very ancient practice, dating back to pre-Christian times. It has its roots in Pagan rituals to welcome summer and the season of fertility. In Sweden, Midsommar festivals have been around for at least 500 years. Even in agrarian times, people in Sweden welcomed summertime by decorating their houses and farm tools with foliage and raising tall May poles to dance around.

The free concerts at the village park gazebo will begin at 10 a.m.  This year’s lineup includes Black Hawk Pipes and Drums, Chloe Mae Finch, Orion Community Band, and the Norwegian Bachelor Farmers.  Immediately following the musical performances at 4 p.m., everyone is invited to decorate the Maypole with flowers and to join the procession. The procession will begin in the park and end at the Colony School where visitors can join in the Maypole dancing and have refreshments provided by the Bishop Hill Vasa Lodge. No experience is required to join in the dancing.

 

2024 MIDSOMMAR MUSIC SCHEDULE

SATURDAY June 22

Schedule for the day includes the following FREE performances at the center of the park

in front of the gazebo:

 

              – MAIN STAGE –

Black Hawk
Pipes & Drums                                          10 am

 

Chloe Mae Finch                                     11:30 a.m.

 

Orion Community Band                           1:30 p.m.

 

Norwegian Bachelor Farmers                  3 pm

 

***Maypole dressing begins at 4 pm and procession to the Colony
    School begins just after it is dressed.

 

Maypole dancing at Colony School at 4:30 p.m., followed by supper provided by the Bishop Hill Vasa Lodge

 

 

July 12, 2025  Dancing Queen:  ABBA Tribute Band Concert

                                                     
Dancing Queen: An ABBA Salute is quite literally the most accurate tribute band on the planet. With painstaking attention to detail, they’ve recreated an ABBA experience that is second to none.  This two-hour concert is FREE and open to the public. It will start at 1 p.m. in the Village Park.   For more information about this concert, contact the Bishop Hill Heritage Association at 309 927-3899 or bhha@mymctc.net.  Organized by the Bishop Hill Heritage Association.  Funded by the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Community State Bank, Minneapolis Foundation, and Illinois Arts Council Agency.

 

 

This is a listing of BHHA events only.  To view all other Bishop Hill events, please check out https://www.visitbishophill.com/.  Please confirm BHHA events details by emailing bhha@mymctc.net, visiting the Bishop Hill Heritage Association Facebook Page, calling 309 927-3899, or visiting www.bishophillheritage.org

*The programs of the Bishop Hill Heritage Association are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency.