The festival got its start in 1948, after Warren County shipped a record number of cattle to Chicago for processing — enough to earn the area the nickname “Prime Beef Center of the World.” The Chamber of Commerce marked the occasion with the first Prime Beef Festival: three steers, cooked over three days by volunteers right on Monmouth’s Public Square. It’s run every year since.
Today it’s grown into a full week centered on Labor Day (September 5–12 in 2026), anchored by a parade that kicks off festival week, a Princess Pageant, and steer and hog livestock shows and auction. The rest of the week fills in with Figure 8 track racing on Thursday and Friday nights, a Saturday demolition derby, a carnival midway, a 5K race, a Farmer’s Appreciation Breakfast, and kids’ events like calf tagging, the chicken scramble, and Touch-a-Truck. Many of the family activities are free; parking is limited near the grounds, and most vendors are cash-only.
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