Went to this event for years, but never again if they continue the new format with payment to get…read morein ($10 a head). Obviously trying to make up for revenue that will be lost now that Ribfest is going to Romeoville.

This event is a disaster! Organizers would not let you into mainstage area until 5 pm when Seventh…read moreHeaven was going to begin to play despite the website saying gates open at 4:45! All the security is clueless! Management really dropped the ball on communication. Very disappointing after paying $10 per person online for tickets. Get a brain Last Fling!

We had so much fun. Plenty of parking near downtown. We parked near red mango and walked by the…read moreriver but didn't need to. We got there about 2 hours after the event began. Lot of people were already fully drenched in colors! the only pet peeve was that we were asked to get tickets first and then stand in a long line to buy colors. I'd've bought colors from home if i knew I'd have to stand in long lines for an hour. The event was free - but not really. great desi music to dance to! next time i'm getting all my friends and bring my colors!

I had never gone to this before, but it was super fun! The food was great and decently-priced for…read morebeing a festival ($2 to $5), the entertainment was fantastic (a live band plus some classical Indian dance groups), not to mention the super fun colors being thrown everywhere. (They sell colors on-site for $2 each, and you get quite a few. We bought one of each color available to split among our group of six people and we had more than enough). When we left we were sufficiently covered from head to toe. It was a bit chilly, but that can't be helped. I'd totally come back again next year. Everyone was so great and welcoming (strangers dancing with you, decorating you with colored powder, etc.). Super fun.

Everything about this event screams "we don't have to the money to put on a real festival anymore"…read more All of the bands are from West Chicago, no one has heard of any of them outside of that little suburban town. And most of them are terrible. That they can't even get one of the bigger Chicago area tribute bands like for instance, 16 Candles to play is telling. They probably don't pay the bands enough money so only bands desperate for a gig will play this festival. Oh and the vendor fees are outrageous. They are higher than most of the street festivals in Chicago that draw tens of thousands of people. Probably because they're relying on that cash to keep what's left of this festival running. For this reason, there aren't many good or interesting vendors, because it's so difficult for them to make money, and the vendors that do exist must charge high prices. This festival was mostly dead at 9pm on a Friday when I was there, even though the weather was decent. Mostly just some old people sitting around watching the band and their kids running around. Not a place to really have a good time. Oh and the stage sponsor was GROOT. The only sponsor they could get was a trash company. Just seeing the logo of a trash company on the stage says something about this festival. Surprised the pandemic didn't keep this festival from coming back. Perhaps it used to be good but those days are gone and I doubt it will be around much longer. There are so many better festivals in the Chicago metro area, why come here?

The West Chicago summer fest has been going on for many years and is always usually a fun event to…read moreattend. It happens each year about the second week of July and usually lasts a 4-day stretch of Thursday thru Sunday evening. Its a fun place to go for families, kids, and basically anybody who wants to go see a summer carnival with a lot of food vendors, rides, games, and bands. I enjoy going each year and usually walk around with some friends as it usually tradition to go see the fireworks show (occurs on the Saturday evening) and see certain bands. It's a fun atmosphere and is usually well organized and most people are well behaved. There is sufficient security and police abundant and many other people and even stations to help you about. The reason for the 3-star review is because of how I feel the last 6-7 years, certain aspects of the fest have downgraded a bit. I will briefly explain some of them. - First and foremost, it (like most other festivals and taste of Chicago) can seem like a 'hang-out'. This may annoy some people. Obviously many younger people go there to basically meander around, which isn't illegal, but I can understand how it can be aggravating for others. I probably even did it myself when I was younger. - Secondly, the last few years, the selections of bands playing there has diminished. There used to be bigger older acts that would be booked on Friday and Saturday evenings, but not so much anymore. This may have to do with budget constraints. I saw the likes of Foghat , Molly Hatchet (2006), Titanium Black, DSG (former Manowar guitar player's band), American English, Ides of March, Hermin's Hermits, and many other once bigger and national acts play there. The last 2-3 years, it has diminished to mostly local or tribute bands. There is nothing wrong with those bands, and some of the tribute bands still draw a large crowd and get people rockin' - but - there just has been less of the once bigger bands - which obviously when they were booked would help draw a larger crowd which in turn probably would draw more revenue. - Related to above - Sundays there would always be a nightly band booked , even if it was somebody local or just low-key. Last night, there was no stage entertainment past 6pm. - Fireworks show: This may be nitpicking, but many people have noticed the fireworks show which was once always about 20 minutes long has now been reduced to about 12-15 minutes. While it may only be 5-8 minutes less, it's noticeable - especially to the kids. (The fireworks show last year for 2012 was cancelled due to the bad storm and then drought conditions that the city had. That put a huge damper on the fest for that night. While the fireworks show was made up sometime in September, it was basically a moot point, and hardly anybody went or even knew about it). - Food vendors: While this may not be at all related to the festival itself, many of the food vendors OVERCHARGE. My buddy last night got a cheese and bacon "fries" and it was $8.50. What he got (from whoever this food vendor was) was worth nowhere near $8.50. I understand the vendors have to make a profit, but overcharging for simple food items will not draw as many people to want to purchase food items, which in then can lead to what I will describe below. This is also worth mentioning. BY CHANCE, we were still walking around right around near the food vendors about closing time (9:45pmish) and we saw many of these vendors simply THROWING OUT large quantities of food - Italian sausage, fried rice, tacos, fries, etc. Not just one place but several. Our natural instinct was to jokingly ask one of the vendors if we could have something free, because they were just going to throw out the food anyways. They looked at us like we were a slave discussing freedom. One of my hugest pet-peeves is WASTED FOOD. By no means were we starving, but I would think that they could have given some of those Italian sausage sandwiches or fries or what not to maybe the few people or families with kids left that were still walking around. Why TOSS IT IN THE TRASH? Just wrong.. All in all, if those few things above could be improved, this would be a 4 to even 5 star rating. These are minor nuances but overall, it is a nice festival to attend during the summer and it is located right off the park district and pool grounds.

We went on July 4 hoping to see fireworks and hear Melissa Etheridge and the Stray Cats. It was a…read moreno to the first and partials for the 2nd two. We got an online discount so buying online isn't always a ripoff. I wasn't crazy about the lack of info for the shuttle service. We took the Metra in and read that shuttles came there, but we go off the train and foolishly crossed over, looking for a bus or a sign. After 10 min we got an Uber, THEN realized where the shuttles were; next time they should post signs on where to look for the shuttle. It was great when we arrived, you gotta go to Just North of Memphis for ribs and PEACH BREAD PUDDING. The mac n cheese was ok, so-so, but I never heard of peach bread pudding, it was to LIVE for! They cleared the park around 6 when no lightning was present, and we stood in the HOT gym across the street. Luckily Melissa had barely started, and we were able to stand outside as nothing major happened yet. We went back in, ate more and missed most of Melissa, then around 8 or so it really was lightning and about to rain, and we just managed to hear the Stray Cats do their #1 song 'Stray Cat Strut'. By 9 the whole thing was cancelled, and we sought out the shuttle buses as the rain started. I may go again next year in a car.

I came here for the first time on July 6th and had such a fun time! The weather was actually not…read morescorching hot for once, so I was able to fully enjoy what Ribfest had to offer without melting away in the heat. Parking: While there are many paid parking options, there is free parking out there if you don't mind a walk! Considering the fact that I was there for the food, I didn't mind walking it off. Saves me the cash! Tickets: Don't buy tickets online. I knew people who bought online and paid way too much. Because this Ribfest had quite a few event cancellations due to weather, they slashed ticket prices HARD. My boyfriend and I paid $10 for the two of us. Much better than paying $30+ per person! Buy tickets at the door for sure. Food: Omg the ribs were amazing. I highly recommend Texas Outlaw, which was hands-down the best rib offering around. They also made an awesome mac and cheese! I also tried ribs from Johnson's and Memphis but they were nowhere near as good. My only complaint about the ribs is that you are blindly purchasing them. I wish they would put together a little guide about the different restaurants there to help people decide which ribs to try. Since it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed with food and spending here, I recommend ordering the smallest amount of ribs from a booth and splitting that with a buddy. You'll cover more ground this way and will be able to try out more of the rib options without feeling like death. There's plenty of additional food out there aside from ribs. Dippin' dots were a refreshing sweet treat! Bands: I didn't really care about any of the entertainment--I was just there for the ribs. With that being said, the band offered nice background music. No complaints here. Seating: While eating, it's nice to get a seat. They offer lots of communal seating under a tent right next to where the band plays. Getting a seat was not an issue for me at any point. However, people do bring lawn chairs to just plop down anywhere. I think that's a good idea for sure. Sponsors: There are several alleys of sponsors set up at booths. Northwestern had a life-sized Operation game which was a ton of fun, and Arthur Murray dance studio gave out postcards for a free dance lesson. There were quite a few other fun freebies--including the BRILLIANT person who was giving away water, which saved me some cash instead of having me buy it at the food tents--but beware of all the weird home improvement tents. Those people were super pushy and epitomize a hard sell. FYI--Interestingly, I also randomly saw Gov Bruce Rauner here. He told me to enjoy the ribs, which I did, lol. Entertainment: There are lots of carnival rides for which you can purchase tickets, but I think they are a waste of money. There is an entire section of family-friendly and FREE activities to do. This includes a petting zoo, magic show, and plenty more fun giveaways. All in all, I had a wonderful time and am so glad that I went! I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime. This is a perfect summer event and the best summer festival in the 'burbs.

I love this fair. There are so many talented artists displaying their work. It's truly inspiring. I…read moregot so many design ideas from spending a couple of days here. It spans a couple of blocks on Jefferson and takes place annually in Sept. It's really worth it if you enjoy art and want to support artists There's no security checkpoints unlike the last fling. No entry fees. There are no food or drink venders, but there are porta-potties around if you're desperate enough to use one Check it out! The art is beautiful even if you have no plans to purchase

I've still been coming to this fair for years since it's conveniently located for me, but I agree…read morewith my sentiments from the review some years back. This is definitely the more costly art fair in town, but you will find all kinds of interesting paintings, sculptures, jewelry, fiber art, and more to browse. Saw a few unique things, like moving sculptures from found metal objects, and the really cool "Boxed Music" wooden drums (see video)! I've been some years when it has been beastly hot, and it's on the street so it's pretty punishing; this year wasn't too bad but still pretty toasty. Not a lot for small kids to do, though there were a few kid-oriented activity booths I saw. Dick Blick Art Supplies and the Naperville Art League were also present. Overall, always worth a look for something new, but bring the big bucks.

I bought a groupon for this event which said I needed to register it online through a website…read morecalled extremetix. The red print at the top said I had correctly entered my grouoon code and that my credit card would not be charged. Unfortunately the $80 charge showed up on my boyfriend's credit card and I had also paid the $50 for the groupon. I tried calling extremetix and they were not helpful at all. They basically told me "not our problem, take it up with groupon" and that they would not refund me. Then the weather turned rainy. I checked the website and it said the event would be held rain or shine. After spending $130 on tickets to the wine fest I was determined to go and my boyfriend was working the following night, so Friday was our only option. We drove all the way down to Naperville and parked, only to be turned away at the entrance and told the event was cancelled due to rain. I again looked at the website which said it would keep patrons updated and there was no information on its closure. I told them what happened with the ticketing issue and was told there was no one to help me there. Fast forward to today, we were told we could use Friday tickets for today and they were working on what to do for the people who could not attend today. Last I checked, they made the decision they were not granting refunds and the festival was at capacity. So here I am down $130 for 4 tickets (when I only wanted the two for $50) and I didn't even get to go to the wine festival. Stay far away from this place!!!

I liked the fact that this was held on the grounds of naper settlement, even tho the buildings were…read morenot open, it is still fun to walk around and look at them. And the Mitchell mansion is spectacular. Now, the fest: if you got there early the lines weren't too long. We got there at 5:30 or so and it was good for awhile. It did get quite crowded by roughly 6:45 or so, this was on Friday nite. Huge quantity of vendors. Musical entertainment was an instrumental duo, guitar and violin. But at one point, they were even tackling Pink Floyd, and not too bad at that! They had free water, in box containers, which was new to me. That's what I drank myself as the beer tent had nothing I wanted and I don't drink wine, but my wife does and thats why we came... there were a number of food options if you wanted to soak up the wine. I didn't sample any but there were good smells floating around the tents. My wife tried mightily but did not find any new wines she wanted to buy. Some bottles started at about $14-$15 and most seemed in the low to mid $20's. A good strategy here with the crowd is to immediately line up in another queue and drink the one you just got while waiting in line.

Two-time attendee, both summer and winter. I can honestly attest that this is a great festival to…read morevisit if you're a beer enthusiast. I've long been the type to continually try new crafts so the idea of having 60 (winter) and 120+ (summer) breweries at my disposal is a welcome thought. For the numbers, that's roughly 120 crafts in the winter and close to 250 in the summer. No..you won't (*you shouldn't) try to drink them all, even if you buy the early entry pass, but you can knock down a significant number of them in the four hours they're open. Regarding the different seasons: Summer is held in downtown Naperville at the Settlement. I prefer this one over the winter because it's larger, there are more vendors (both beer and other alcohols), they employ music acts on stage, there are more games and places to sit..and hey..it's summer. Even when it was 100 degree's last year it was fun. Winter was excellent as well. You can't judge the fest by the weather, you have to accept what mother nature gives you. In our case this year, that was near 40 degree temps in late February. Can't ask for much better than that in Chicagoland. The setup was an easy flow but the tents, which are necessary given the possible weather conditions, make for cramped quarters. The lines were never long, but getting to them usually meant maneuvering around idle drinkers. The winter doesn't provide a music act and the food/games/non-beer vendors are far less. Still..60 brewers in the dead of winter is a pretty awesome selection. Can't wait for the next one. Cheers!

Summer session was terrible. A lot of the booths were having trouble with their taps and kegs. Not…read moreworth the money.