Support the Main Street Fair in 2026
The Main Street Fair is a reboot of the former Custer Fair, which was a signature Evanston tradition before it closed in 2020, drawing thousands of residents and visitors for live music, local art, food, and family-friendly activities. In 2025, the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club resurrected it as the Main Street Fair, and the local community cheered.
The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club, which organized the 2025 Main Street Fair, is unable to produce the event in 2026 so a coalition of local nonprofits including Evanston Made, Shorefront Legacy Center, Evanston Latinos, Evanston ASPA, Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Around Evanston, Hive Center for the Book Arts, and the Main-Dempster Mile, has begun planning to sustain the Main Street Fair this year and beyond.
“This event is more than a street festival — it’s a celebration of Evanston’s diversity, creativity, small businesses, and community spirit,” said organizers from the nonprofit coalition.
These organizations are now working against the clock to secure the funding necessary to produce the 2026 Fair at the scale the community has come to expect. Their fundraising efforts seek sponsorships from local businesses, and grant funding where they can find it as well.
This is your chance to directly help the process!
Read more about the Fair's fundraising situation:
**All funds will be donated to the Main Street Fair via Evanston Made, which is acting as the fiscal agent for the Main Street Fair in 2026