CARBONDALE – We’re shutting down the strip again- this time for the Carbondale Halloween Homecoming Music Street Festival!
We are combining two of the best Carbondale traditions, Carbondale Halloween and SIU Homecoming, and we’re celebrating in full Carbondale style by shutting down the iconic Strip for an unforgettable night of music, food, and family-friendly fun, on Friday, October 24, from 3-10 PM.
Presented by Hangar 9, City of Carbondale, SIU Alumni Association, Carbondale Main Street, Student Programming Council, and Koerner Distributing, this music street festival will feature two stages, showcasing high-energy bands, turning the heart of downtown into one massive concert venue. The festival atmosphere will spill across the Strip with local vendors, food trucks, carnival games, the annual Halloween Candy Walk, a costume contest, and even the rock-climbing wall from SIU’s Touch of Nature!
City Manager, Stan Reno, gives his perspective on the event: “Carbondale has always been a place where people come together to celebrate, and this festival brings two of our greatest traditions, Halloween and SIU Homecoming, onto the iconic Strip for one unforgettable night. We’re proud to welcome residents, alumni, students, and visitors back downtown to experience the very best of Carbondale: music, food, family fun, and community spirit.”
The Strip (Illinois Ave.) will be closed off at 11 am on Friday, Oct. 24, from College Street to Elm Street and re-open after the event is fully shut down. This area is included in our designated Downtown Entertainment District which allows guests to enjoy beverages in an open container. The only exception is, no glass bottles. Parking for the event will be clearly marked at designated locations, with additional street parking available throughout town.
“Halloween in Carbondale spans generations of SIU alumni and the community” says Molly Hudgins, executive director of the SIU Alumni Association. “It is a tradition that is embedded in SIU’s history, and its intersection with Homecoming in 2025 provides SIU and the community the opportunity to come together to showcase Carbondale as the great college town that it’s been known to be for decades. The Alumni Association is proud to be one of the sponsors and key planners for this event. Across campus and throughout the community, I have been asked to find a way to reinvent Halloween in Carbondale. Here we are! To our alumni, current students and community – come back and come out to experience a new twist on an iconic Carbondale tradition.”
Scott Moller shares that he and Andrew Perlmutter, co-owners of Hangar 9 and both proud Saluki Alumni, “are incredibly excited to sponsor this event and bring great music to an even larger audience. Hangar 9 is known for its legendary indoor stage, and now we’re helping to bring that same energy literally outside our front door with two stages. It’s going to be a special and festive evening for everyone.”
Don’t fight The Urge to come back to Carbondale, enjoy some great music, relive some great memories and make new ones! Mark your calendars today for this vibrant, family-friendly celebration you won’t want to miss- let us know you’re coming by RSVP’ing here. This event is FREE and open to everyone!
Breakdown of the biggest music street festival Carbondale has ever seen:
- Event Kickoff– 3:00 PM – Family-friendly, downtown fun will kick off at 3 PM with the annual Halloween Candy Walk presented by Carbondale Main Street and Carnival Games, put on by Registered Student Organizations from SIU! Guests can explore a City of Carbondale Fire Department firetruck and chat with local firefighters. For those seeking new heights, scamper up the portable rock wall from SIU’s Touch of Nature.
- Live Music– 3:50-10:00 PM – Two open air stages will feature The Urge, Keller Williams presents DeadPettyKellerGrass, Hot Like Mars, and Modern Day Saints ft. Tawl Paul & Others.
- Dining, Drinking, & Shopping – Guests will have many exciting options on the strip for dining, drinking and shopping, with a wide array of food trucks, bar & restaurant specials, beer tents, local vendors selling arts, crafts, jewelry, and more, available downtown for this event.
- Unveiling of Dia De Los Muertos Community Altar – Unveiling during Candy Walk – Join SI CABE and The Varsity in celebrating those we have lost. The community altar, displayed in the lobby of The Varsity Center, will feature contributions from community members to celebrate as many as possible in traditional Dia de Los Muertos style.
- Carbondale Halloween Costume Contest – Registration- 3:30-7:30 PM / Winners Announced 8-8:20 PM
All ages are encouraged and welcome to enter into one of four categories for the Carbondale Halloween Costume Contest! Winners of each category will receive a gift card to a local business. Contestants can register at the Carbondale Main Street booth from 3:30-7:30 PM, and winners will be announced at 8:00 PM.
The categories are: Best Family Costume, Most Creative Costume, Scariest Costume, Funniest Costume
More about the Music – As the night goes on, the lights flash, the amps crank, and Carbondale does what it does best: a street party you can feel in your bones! Learn more about the bands that will have the Strip rocking:
Main Stage (6:30- 10:00 PM)
HEADLINER
The Urge (8:30-10:00 PM): This iconic staple of the 90s music scene is coming to Carbondale, ready to rock our main stage for the Carbondale Halloween Music Street Festival for a throwback party like none other to relive all your favorite Carbondale Halloween nostalgic memories!
St. Louis-based ska-punk-alt-rock outfit, The Urge, was formed in 1987 by vocalist Steve Ewing and bassist Karl Grable, with the current lineup of Matt Kwiatkowski, Bill Reiter, John Pessoni, and Jerry Jost solidifying in the early 1990s. After independently recording and releasing four albums -“Bust Me Dat Forty” (1987), “Puttin’ the Backbone Back” (1990), “Magically Delicious” (1992), and the live “Fat Babies in the Mix” (1993) – the band’s raucous live reputation, as well as radio airplay, brought them to the attention of Immortal Records, who re-released their 1995 cult-classic “Receiving the Gift Of Flavor”. Constant touring throughout the U.S. and Europe, especially with friends 311, Korn, and Incubus, as well as radio airplay of their popular single “Jump Right In” from the 1998 album “Master Of Styles”, built an enthusiastic, rabid fan base.
Keller Williams Presents DeadPettyKellerGrass (6:30-8:00 PM): For most of his career, Keller Williams has performed solo. Un-beholden to conventionalism, he seamlessly crosses genre boundaries. The end product is music that encompasses rock, jazz, funk and bluegrass, and always keeps the audience on their feet. His stage shows are rooted around Keller singing his compositions and choice cover songs, while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, bass, guitar synthesizer and drum samples; a technique called live phrase sampling or “looping”. The end result often leans toward a hybrid of alternative folk and groovy electronica, a genre Keller jokingly calls “acoustic dance music” or ADM.” Keller’s constant evolution has led to numerous band projects as well; Keller & The Keels, Grateful Grass, KWahtro, Keller and the Travelin’ McCourys, Grateful Gospel, More Than A Little and now DeadPettyKellerGrass ft. The Hillbenders! We’re so excited to welcome to Carbondale, the newest project of this listing, Keller Williams Presents DeadPettyKellerGrass, bringing bluegrass versions of Grateful Dead, Tom Petty and Keller Williams classics with harmonious singalongs and a hint of psychedelia.
Parking Lot Stage (3:50-6:20 PM)
Hot Like Mars (5:20-6:20 PM): Hot Like Mars is Chicago’s funkiest, most soulful rock band, turning heads with their exhilarating live performances and consistently compelling studio releases. The dynamic quintet – Anthony Perry (Lead Vocals / Keys), Frank Minella (Guitar / Vocals), Patrick Walsh (Guitar), Tae Norwood (Bass / Vocals), and Wes Julien (Drums / Vocals), has earned regional acclaim in recent years, delivering high-energy, genre-bending live shows that leave audiences spellbound. Leading with exceptional song craft, intrepid improvisation, and world-class instrumentation, the group’s uplifting presence has earned them a reputation as one of the most exciting bands on the circuit today.
Modern Day Saints ft. Tawl Paul & Others (3:50-4:50 PM): A group that has certainly earned themselves the title of local legends, Modern Day Saints return to Downtown Carbondale to kickoff the Carbondale Halloween Homecoming Street Music Festival. With their formative years setting the alternative rock scene in Carbondale in the 80s, this group made the move to LA and toured nationally for years at iconic bars and venues across the country. Having all gone their separate professional ways, they return “home” for special occasions such as this and will be bringing larger-than-life guests such as Tawl Paul and others onto the stage with them for an unforgettable Carbondale kickoff to this exciting event.
Live Music Rain or Shine – In the event of inclement weather, The Varsity Center & Hangar 9 will generously open their doors and welcome guests to enjoy these concerts from both venues.
Get Involved – Vendors, artists, nonprofits, and Carbondale businesses—this is your moment to get your name in front of the biggest crowd downtown has seen in years!
- Vending- Our food trucks and vendors set the whole vibe! If interested in vending, fill out the form here or contact Carbondale Main Street Asst. Director at eseanti@carbondalemainstreet.com.
- Volunteer- Come be a part of the Carbondale Halloween Homecoming Music Street Festival team! Fill out the form here or contact Carbondale Main Street Asst. Director at eseanti@carbondalemainstreet.com. Sign up early for volunteering to get a free t-shirt!
- Business Involvement- Want to create fun and unique specials for your establishment during the biggest party of the year downtown? Contact Carbondale Main Street Asst. Director at eseanti@carbondalemainstreet.com to have these specials promoted as part of the offerings for this street music festival.
We can’t wait to celebrate this momentous occasion with all of you! Spread the word far and wide and let’s make this a night to remember for decades to come.
