FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS
A Fair of the Arts
Date: Saturday, May 9
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: 401 N Morton St.
Admission: Free
Shop for handmade art and fine crafts! Bloomington Parks and Recreation hosts a celebration of art and community with the sales, demonstrations, and displays of art and fine crafts by local and regional artists.
Learn to Fish at Lake Lemon!
Date: Saturday, May 9
Time: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Location: Lake Lemon
Admission: Free
Curious about fishing, but don’t know where to start? Join us on Saturday, May 9th 2026 for the Lake Lemon Fishing Clinic! This hands-on workshop will equip you with the toolkit needed to read the water, choose the right gear, handle/release different species, and most importantly find the fish—no matter your experience level.
Cosmic Songwriter Festival
Date: Thursday, May 14 through Saturday, May 16
Time: Times vary
Location: Venues vary
Admission: Prices vary
Announcing the 4th Annual Cosmic Songwriter Festival! Thank you for your continued support of Cosmic Songwriter! We are excited to announce the 2026 Festival. Please note that the Orbit Room and Blockhouse have lower capacities…get your tickets early. For more information, click here.
Summer Blast Off
Date: Thursday, May 21
Time: 9:00 AM-8:00 PM
Location: WonderLab Museum
Admission: Free admission all day
Spend the day exploring hands-on science, building, experimenting, and following your curiosity wherever it leads. As the sun goes down, the celebration expands outdoors—WonderLab stays open late. Local organizations, vendors, and food join the fun, inviting families to enjoy every moment of the first night of summer.
Bloomington Early Music Festival
Date: Tuesday, May 26 through Saturday, May 30
Time: Times vary
Location: 111 S Grant St
Admission: Prices vary
The Bloomington Early Music Festival is an annual, week-long celebration of music before the mid-19th century, featuring free live and virtual concerts, workshops, lectures, and more! For more information, click here.
Garage Con
Date: Saturday, May 30
Time: 10:00 AM-10:00 PM
Location: Bloomington Convention Center
Admission: $5.00 per ticket
Garage Con is back again! It's been 7 years, and we're ready to get back to it. Come play board games, card games, RPGs, and more all day. We'll have game demos, scheduled games, or you can choose from our huge games library. Everyone is encouraged to bring your own games to share as well.
LIVE MUSIC & PERFORMANCES
The Bluebird
Location: The Bluebird
Enjoy live performances by the following artists:
- Benjamin Tod
- Date: Thursday, May 7
- Time: 8:00 PM
- Admission: $44.30 per ticket
- 6 Foot Blonde
- Date: Monday, May 25
- Time: 10:00 PM
- Admission: $12.43 per ticket
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Location: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Enjoy live performances by the following artists:
- Whose Live Anyway?
- Date: Monday, May 18
- Time: 7:30-9:00 PM
- Admission: $69.00-$79.00 per ticket
Constellation Stage & Screen
Location: Waldron Arts Center
Enjoy these live performances:
- Finn: A New Musical
- Date: Various dates throughout May
- Time: Various times
- Admission: $23.00-$35.00 per ticket
Recurring Events
Bloomington Food Truck Friday
Date: Every Friday
Time: 11:00 AM-9:00 PM
Location: Switchyard Park
Admission: Cost of meal
Grab some delicious, locally-made food, enjoy the amenities at Switchyard Park, and experience live music & performances from local artists.
Bloomington Community Farmers' Market
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 8:00 AM-1:00 PM
Location: Showers Common
Admission: Free
Locally-grown produce, annual and perennial plants, and a variety of prepared foods are available.
People's Market
Date: Recurring weekly on Saturday
Time: Saturday's 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: First United Church in the Fellowship Hall
Admission: Free
We strive to work towards intersectional anti-racism, create space for food justice in our food system while cultivating liberation and equity, and ensure access to local food, art, and education.
Looking for more events? Visit our events calendar.
