Rockford, Illinois, has had an incredible year filled with growth, innovation, and community celebrations. From significant milestones to exciting new ventures, GoRockford has played a pivotal role in showcasing all that makes Rockford shine. Here are 40 wins from 2024 that highlight why Rockford continues to be a top destination for residents and visitors alike:
A panel of local leaders discuss the launch of Thrive 2035 at the 40 Forward Luncheon on September 27, 2024.
Milestone Achievements
- 40th Anniversary for GoRockford/RACVB: The 40th Forward Luncheon was one of the first events at the newly opened Hard Rock Casino Rockford. The celebration launched an official name change to GoRockford and new branding, and launched the Thrive 2035 Destination Master Plan. Over 600 attendees celebrated this milestone event.
- Destination Master Plan Launch: For the over a year, a team of community leaders have been collaborating on the design of a new destination vision for our region. This builds on the transformational work of the past decade to further develop our waterways, greenspaces, sports facilities, main streets, and downtowns. From this process, five strategic goals and initiatives were created. More information can be found on the Thrive 2035 webpage.
- Invest in Tourism Product
- Create Compelling Experiences
- Create Cool, Vibrant Spaces & Neighborhoods
- Enhance Connectivity & Mobility
- Develop Our Workforce & Attract New Talent
- New GoRockford Brand: The new brand GoRockford will catapult the region into a memorable brand, promoting Rockford, Illinois with bold colors, a brand new “R” logo in the logo suite. The main brand color of burnt orange and the shape of the “R” pays homage to the iconic sculpture “The Symbol”.
- New GoRockford Experience Guide: A refreshed new guide showcases Rockford’s attractions, dining, shopping, events, and provides itineraries. Over 30,000 copies were printed and distributed to 63 major attractions and hotels. The new guide will be promoted to visitors and meetings. Get a copy at our visitor's center downtown Rockford or order one here.
- New GoRockford Website Launch: A fresh, modern website was launched in August 2024 and allows for new functionality to help visitors and residents find the best things to do, places to eat and more.
- Hard Rock Casino Rockford Opening: The new Hard Rock Casino Rockford opening was one of the biggest events of the year. The attraction boasts 175,000 square feet of gaming, entertainment, and restaurants. The Hard Rock Casino Live space hosts events including live entertainment, and has already brought big names to Rockford.
- Midway Village 50th Anniversary: Midway Village Museum celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. The museum preserves Rockford’s rich history and is looking to launch a new exhibit next year for Camp Grant.
- Made for Rockford: In 2024, Whitney Martin joined the GoRockford team as the Made for Rockford Program Director. Under her leadership, the program launched a "Go Team" to welcome new residents and held its first new resident mixer. The program aims to attract and recruit new talent to live and work in Rockford.
- Rockford Region Restaurant Week: In its fourth year, Rockford Region Restaurant Week, a GoRockford initiative, celebrates local dining during a slow late January and drives diners to try new exciting dishes. This year’s celebration included 62 restaurants and had record engagement. Rockford Region Restaurant Week is back January 23-February 2, 2025. The specials for 2025 will be available on our website.
- IRONMAN 70.3 Rockford, Illinois Announcement: One of the biggest announcements of the year was the GoRockford sales team securing IRONMAN 70.3 Rockford, Illinois, for the next three years. The triathlon is set for June 22, 2025.
- 12th Annual Stroll on State: Stroll on State drew visitors and residents alike to downtown Rockford for its 12th year. Santa visits were brought back for the first time since 2019, and there were a record number of Dasher Dash 5K runners at 1,450.
- CRE8IV Music & Arts Festival: CRE8IV (pronounced "Creative") transformational art was a community-building, arts-infused initiative launched in 2019 as part of RACVB's placemaking and public art efforts. Designed to enhance the region for residents and visitors, CRE8IV grew to include more than 57 mural projects and 16 sculptures. The CRE8IV initiative ended in 2024 with a 3-day celebration of art and music at a festival in downtown Rockford and an additional 14 murals were added during the festival. "One More Time", a Daft Punk Tribute band performs at CRE8IV Music & Arts Fest on June 1, 2024.
- Beats & Bites: Held Thursdays from May until August, the 13-week Beats & Bites series invited residents and visitors to come to downtown Rockford for lunch at various food trucks and enjoy some tunes. Each week had a different theme with prizes and games were also available.
- South Main Mercado: Larger than in 2023, the second year of the South Main Mercado was a success. The outdoor market showcased the Hispanic/Latino community with food trucks, retail vendors ad community partners.
- Juneteenth Celebrations: Rockford’s Juneteenth is the longest running Juneteenth celebration in Illinois. The celebration is in its 34th year and Juneteenth community awards recognize local black-owned and organizations.
- Eerie Autumn Lights: The first Eerie Autumn Lights at Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden attracted visitors and residents to enjoy magical Halloween lights, a corn maze and a spooky market.
A corn maze at Eerie Autumn Lights. - NXT Pro Sports: A new basketball tournament brought in an estimated economic impact of 1.1 million to the region. The tournament will be back in 2025.
- Phantom Regiment: The Drum and Bugle Corps, placed fourth at the 2024 Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships.
- New Live at Levings Pavilion: The Rockford Park District unveiled a new Live at Levings pavilion this year and provided a beautiful backdrop for the summer concert series. On Sundays, listeners could enjoy free music from either Live at Levings or Domingos en el Parque (the series alternated weekly).
- First Drone Shows: GoRockford brought the first drone show to the region during the CRE8IV Music & Arts Festival. In November, Stroll on at State brought the first holiday-themed drone show.
A sock monkey lights up the sky during the first drone show in the region on June 1, 2024. - Rockford 815 Day: In 2024, Rockford 815 Day was expanded to multiple events throughout the community. This celebration of civic pride kicked off at Midway Village Museum for the museum's 50th anniversary.
- Rockford Adventure Trail: Launched this summer, the Rockford Adventure Trail includes over 30 attractions, both indoor and outdoor for visitors and residents to check in and earn prizes. The trail will be available until September 2025.
- Rockford Area Coffee Trail: November launched the Rockford Area Coffee Trail and encourages trying local shops for favorite brews.
- WWA Regional Wakeboarding Championships: A new event brought to Rockford was the WWA Regional Wakeboarding Championships. The competition took place over two days at West Rock Wake Park the Rock River, bringing in an estimated economic impact of $455K. A competitor performs a jump at the WWA Regional Wakeboarding Championships at West Rock Wake Park.
- Tough Mudder Chicago: Rockford has hosted Tough Mudder Chicago since 2016, and the event brings in 10K attendees. The estimated economic impact of this event is $861K.
- Restaurant Grant: State Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, and GoRockford launched a $1.5 million state-funded grant program. The funding provided vital relief to restaurants in Rockford and Winnebago County that suffered skyrocketing unemployment insurance rates resulting from state-mandated closures during 2021. Grant awards totaling $469,000 have been given to 33 area restaurants.
- More Destinations at the Chicago Rockford International Airport: New destinations were added in 2024 including Los Angeles, Cancun, and Punta Cana. The expanded service of the airport allows more visitors to come directly into Rockford, or travel from Rockford with ease.
- Business Openings: Many new restaurants and retail locations opened in the Rockford region in 2024. Some of these include: Disco Chicken, Sheila's Daquiri Lounge, Plume, Crave, The Music Box, Culture Crunch, The GOAT, Sticky Rice Bites, The Parks Cimino's Kitchen, Sushi KO, Marrufo's Tacos, Top Dog Pizza & Pub, La Croute Bakery Cafe, The Novel Spot and Inkwell.
- Illinois Governor’s Conference Awards: GoRockford received two awards at the Illinois Governor’s Conference in March 2024. The awards were 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 2023 Midwestern and Pacific Coast Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships—As A Partnership GoRockford, BMO Center, Skating Council of Illinois, City of Rockford Government. 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 Stroll on State 2023.
- Citzen of the Year: GoRockford President/CEO John Groh was awarded Citzen of the Year by the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce.
- "20 People You Should Know": The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce recognized GoRockford Executive Vice President Kristen Paul on their 20 People You Should Know annual reception.
- Women in Business Nomination: The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce nominated GoRockford's Vice President of Finance and Administration Joanne Nold for their annual Women in Business awards.
- USSSA Hall of Fame Induction: The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) inducted GoRockford into the Hall of Fame for sports tourism.
- Tourism Hall of Fame Induction: During the 40 Forward Luncheon, GoRockford recognized Tommy Meeks for the creation of Rockford Juneteenth in 1990, Marco Lenis, for his efforts introducing soccer to Rockford in the 1970s which led to Rockford’s prominence as a sports destination. Painter’s District Council 30, Local 607 was also for their pivotal role in prepping and priming walls throughout the area to prepare them for the almost 60 murals that now decorate our city and region as part of GoRockford’s CRE8IV mural initiative over the past five years. Fourth of July Civic Committee was inducted for continuing the legacy of Joe Marino (Mr. Fourth of July) by leading the downtown Fourth of July celebration and the annual Festival of Lights.
- Media Trips from the U.K. and Germany: GoRockford, with collaboration of the State of Illinois hosted several media trips to the Rockford region for journalists from the U.K. and Germany.
- Holiday Campaign: GoRockford launched a holiday campaign and photo pass in December to promote travel to the region for the holidays. The campaign includes billboards and social media advertising.
- Big Ideas Dinner: In January, GoRockford invited community leaders to a Big Ideas dinner to help kick off the Thrive 2035 Destination Master Plan. Speakers from 4 different destinations visited to provide ideas for the future of the region.
- Forest City Beautiful: Launched in 2014, Forest City Beautiful is an initiative of GoRockford that aims to beautify downtown Rockford. With the help of local sponsors, planter beds and pots are changed out seasonally. Forest City Beautiful
- Wall Street Journal Article: In the summer, the Wall Street Journal ranked Rockford, Illinois as America's Top Housing Market. This article helped Made for Rockford program gain momentum.
- National Travel & Tourism Week Hospitality Awards: National Travel & Tourism Week was celebrated in Rockford by offering 21 giveaways from local partners to drive visitors to Rockford for the summer season. The week also recognized local hospitality workers with the second annual Hospitality Heroes Awards. Winners were nominated by their peers for the recognition.
- Hotel: Tina Sumner, Holiday Inn Express
- Attraction: Gina Brown, Discovery Center Museum
- Sporting Venue: Milton Phillips, UW Health Sports Factory
- Entertainment/Meeting Venue: Donna Johnson, Savor/ASM
- Restaurant/Bar/Catering: Karla Graham, The Office Niteclub
Looking Ahead
Rockford’s successes this year are just the beginning. With continued innovation, community engagement, and strategic planning, the city is well-positioned for even greater achievements. For more information on Rockford’s events and initiatives, visit GoRockford.com.