28th Batavia City-Wide Garage Sale 'Will Be Our Biggest One Yet'

BATAVIA, IL — In just over a month, the annual city-wide garage sale is returning to the streets of Batavia. The two-day event is set to take place May 6 and May 7.

The event turns 28 this year, and organizers of the city-wide garage say it "will be our biggest one yet."

"In honor of this tradition and its 25+ years of success, we are hoping for a record garage sale year," organizers wrote in a news release Tuesday. "Our goal is to have at least 250 garage and/or yard sales registered for this unique Batavia event."

When the garage sale first started out, organizers said there were just 25 sales, making this year's goal 10 times grander.

A registration form for the garage sale can be found online. To host a garage or yard sale, a $35 fee is required. For those who would prefer to fill out a physical form, they can be found and printed online and dropped off at Batavia City Hall, 100 N. Island Ave., by 5 p.m. April 27.

All registered sellers will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards to a Batavia business.

Event organizers said the community can expect an interactive map of participating homes "soon."

While the two-day event serves as a way for Batavia residents to declutter their homes and sell items they might not want to hold onto anymore, the garage sale is also a fundraiser for the Batavia Fireworks Committee, which hosts the Fourth of July Sky Concert in Engstrom Park every year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee has had to hold off on hosting fundraising events, and the last one took place in late fall 2019, according to organizers. As a result, committee members are asking the community to "strongly consider" donating to the Fireworks Committee Fund.

Besides the garage sale, the Sky Concert is made possible with help from sponsors, fundraising events and donations from residents.