June 6 & 7, 2025

Aledo Rhubarb Fest will be celebrating 33 years in 2025!  Mark your calendar for June 6th & 7th, 2025 in beautiful, historic Aledo, Illinois!

Rhubarb Festival is a celebration of all things rhubarb – from pie to ice cream to soda pop. If it’s rhubarb, it’s here! Aledo’s affinity for rhubarb became official when the town of 3,600 was named the “Rhubarb Capital of Illinois” in 2007. The unique festival, founded by Darlene Johnson, draws thousands of visitors to the Mercer County seat. The festival is easy to find – at the crossroads of Illinois Highways 17 and 94 – at Aledo’s Central Park and the Mercer County Courthouse lawn, and it spills into the streets of historic downtown Aledo.  This family friendly Festival continues to offer free admission!  For more Rhubarb Festival Details, click on the “Event Details” Tab at the top of this page or visit our Facebook Page –  Aledo Rhubarb Fest.

Pictured is Aledo Rhubarb Festival Founder Darlene Johnson at her “Thank You/Retirement Party” held in August of 2016.  Johnson founded the Rhubarb Festival in 1991 as a way to draw people to the area and to her cousin’s shop, the House of Burgess in Aledo.  It started off as a simple idea.  That first year Mrs. Johnson and her cousin, Barbara McWhorter offered samples of 13 Rhubarb dishes on the front lawn of the House of Burgess.  That first Rhubarb Festival drew 67 people.   Darlene felt she was on to something so she gathered volunteers and together, under Johnson’s leadership, the Rhubarb Festival blossomed into a 2 day event that draws an estimated 10,000-14,000 people to our little charming town.  The Festival has become so well known, former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn declared Aledo the Rhubarb Capital of Illinois and visitors have been known to say that they plan their summer vacation around the little town’s festival!  The Aledo Rhubarb Festival has welcomed guests from all over the United States and several Countries.  The Aledo Rhubarb Festival Committee and the City of Aledo are very grateful for the tremendous impact Darlene has had on our community.  On December, 27th, 2023 Darlene Johnson passed away at the age of 93.  She is dearly missed but if you look around our Aledo you will see many community projects that would not have happened if not for Darlene Johnson’s love for her town and the unique Festival she founded known as Aledo Rhubarb Fest.