Woodstock, IL Celebrates Groundhog Day (The Holiday AND Movie)

In 1992, Woodstock, Illinois served as the filming location of the timeless comedy classic, Groundhog Day. The film starred Bill Murray as Phil Connors the reluctant weatherman who is forced to relive the same holiday he resents everyday.

Every year, the town celebrates the holiday and film with guided tours of filming locations, parties and, of course, The Pennsylvania Polka. The main event for Groundhog Day is the annual prognostication at 7 am, February 2nd. Hundreds will gather on the Woodstock Square to see Woodstock Willie emerge from his tree trunk home. If he sees his shadow, it means there will be 6 more weeks of winter and if he doesn’t see his shadow, it means we will have an early Spring. To wake Woodstock Willie from his winter nap, there will be a Polka band playing in the bandstand on the Square. This is their re-enactment of the Groundhog Day ceremony that as a weatherman, Bill Murray reported on; over and over again.