I was at Taste of Orland Park for this year's Taste that runs this weekend only. so tonight they…read moreare open untIl 11 pm, tomorrow 3 to 11 pm, and then Sunday 3 to 9 pm. I got pizza from Papa Joes, Barraco's and Jets pizza which is 2 half slices that is in a box. The drone show scheduled for tonight is postponed because of rain and instead 11 pm tomorrow night. This year before the veterans ceremony Jim Corinelson who performs the nat Anthem at Blackhawks home games, will sing the national anthem on the main stage tomorrow night at 6pm. The update is because of the weather and status of the grounds, the village has canceled Taste of Orland Park after delaying the gate opening to 6 pm. This is for today August 1st, but they are hoping to be open and see you tomorrow. If any wants Jet's Pizza, it is in the same row but further down that Papa Joe's.

Well it's moved again ... this time to the brand new Centennial Park West venue. The review…read morecomments from the past still apply, but this new venue is roomier and allows for more patrons and food tents. Now in its 21st year, Taste of Orland is a fun outing. Bring your own chairs to be sure you get seating. The permanent stage allows for much better audio performances. Fun outing ...

Look, I'm not Italian, I've been to Italy. Does that count? This fest definitely feels Italian…read more There's a lot of musicians singing Italian songs all over the place and the ton of food options is predominantly Italian. We had the bacon jam coal fire pizza, really thin crust with fresh buffalo mozzarella - excellent ! Most boths are run by mom and pop, so they don't flip the tablet to guilt you the mandatory 15% tip for handing you your food. Alleluia!!! The suggested entry fee is only $7! They have actual merchandise to sell here not just arts and crafts. They also have carnival games for kids.

This was a nice, pretty big fest. Great food choices, great atmosphere, singing artists, and a nice…read morechoice of small shops. Parking not far, it was $10, but considering the area it was not a price. Highly recommend this fest.

Was another fest that had some become fallen to the victim of substantial cutbacks…read more With the absence of many antique dealers taking part, bargains,etc. Plus one/two blocks shorter of the fest length. But nevertheless can still be a pretty fun fest. Despite some recent woes.

I want to start off by saying that the staff was very nice and helpful; therefore my two stars…read more I have been to drive-in movie theaters in the Bay Area and Las Vegas but this location/expierance was so disappointing. This gravel field is at the end of this industrial street with a large building in front of the screen that has lights on. The are low budget scones indicating where to park. First two rows are reserved and last had a private party. The color contrast is so dull and just sad. The movie started late due to technical difficulties and half into the movie, the audio stopped and after 10 minutes, they just skipped to another scene. Im absolutely speechless that they would charge over $40 for this very low quality movie expierance. I will most definitely not be going back.

My husband and I came to see Night of the Living Dead, and had a blast. The previous movie went a…read morelittle later than expected, but they got everyone out and us in quickly and efficiently, and the staff were nice. The food is nothing out of this world, but good. If you are getting a popcorn to share, then just do yourself a favor and get two. There were no technical difficulties during our visit. The staff were nice, and out of the way for the most part. We had a great view of the screen from where we were parked. I miss drive ins, and I would come back to this one without a doubt.

We go here every year. Our 3 year old enjoys the following:…read more -the spiderweb -jumping pillows -the corn pit (which has an accessible ramp) -the stacks of hay -the potato sack slides (HUGE hit) -the flying ride -the inflatable bounce house -the farm animals -the train I love that there are 3 other family fall themed ride options. The cows are my favorite! I wish I could give this place a 5 star but this last visit we lost 2 kids in our group because the hay stacks have two exits. I wish they could block one side off. Also, a SOBER, careful adult in our group almost got plowed in the head with one of those hammers from the strong man game while she was walking by a man doing it. They really should put a staff member there AND put a fence around it. Those adults having fun aren't looking around every time they swing... it's a recipe for disaster.

This was my first visit to this location and my first corn maze ever, despite being a lifelong…read moreIllinois resident. $18 admission on the weekend. How to get your money's worth: watch the cover band, see the animals, do the maze, ride some rides How to spend more money: booze, food, activities for the kids, pumpkins Bathrooms are Porta potties. People need to watch their children in the crowds. Other than that, it is a decent place to spend a couple of hours.

We went to the Hot Sauce Festival a second time, two years after going the last time. The festival…read morehas grown quite a lot - compared to 2023, there were more hot sauce vendors, food trucks, even carnival games. This year it was in the mall parking lot. Last time I went it was in downtown Joliet. We were more interested in the hot sauce than the other activities. (Like wrestling matches). Vendors were there was all over the country, not just the area around Chicago. We sampled dozens of hot sauces and walked away with about 20 bottles - it's going to take a long time to get through all of those. And, what a variety there was - from mild to very hot, traditional hot sauces, and flavored ones, hot jams, hot honey, barbeque spices, and much more. We truly enjoyed ourselves and thank Yelp for the tickets.

We had a lot of fun at this event. We got to try several different hit sauces, got some drinks in…read morethe VIP area and talked to some great people. Learned Monster now makes alcohol drinks much to my surprise and they are good! We watch some wrestling and a hot sauce donut eating contest. We grabbed some food from the food truck and it was delicious. Thr burrito was large and the elote was ok. We even ran into someone my hubby knows from work. It was a great time! Weather was perfect!!

Easily the best beer festival we've ever been to…read more My wife and I have now been to zoo brew several years in a row and it is easily our favorite beer festival. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this beer festival. We've always done VIP which means you get an extra hour, access to a few exclusives beers, buffet style meal provided, and a chance to meet amazing ambassador animals! They set up all of the beer vendors under one giant tent which we really love. Everything is in close proximity which makes it easy to be able to visit every single vendor. They always have a band for entertainment and the bands have always been amazing!! We always try to make a day of it by getting to the zoo early to enjoy the whole zoo and finishing with a beer festival. I highly recommend this event for everyone. It truly does offer something for everyone.

Animals + Craft Beer = Happy Sarah…read more I love animals ever so much, from tiny little fish to huge walruses and lions. The zoo is one of my absolute favorite places so I was beyond stoked for this event. Tickets were $50 but that included the usual parking fee + zoo admission fee. The band, Modern Day Romeos, was awesome. I didn't know what to expect but they were a fabulous cover band and seemed to bring some groupies with them. About 15 minutes into the event, it started raining quite hard and a hour & a half in, a torrential downpour started. Umbrellas were of no use and we were all soaked from head to toe. The beers & breweries were all listed on the event page so although the selection was not vast, I wouldn't criticize on that fact when it was all laid out prior. Lines got super long because of the crazy rain so I'm hoping it won't be quite that bad next year. I will absolutely go again next year. I was super sad to see how upset the lion was by the bass from the band though. He was so visibly agitated by the noise, he was pacing back and forth in the 2 foot glass area of his outdoor habitat. The lion's den was the closest to where the band was playing of all the animals...Poor big kitty! :( Pro Tips for next year: Go earlier~! Brookfield Zoo is huge and I need to make the most of my free admission. I went at 230 this year so only had an hour and a half before the event to look around. It was not nearly enough time! I wasn't sure what to expect with this event, but you're in a roped off type of party area. You don't have full zoo access near the beers. They need more seating! Or covered seating. There were some picnic tables that were not covered so were completely being rained on. Bring cash for the silent auction! They had some pretty cool items!

This year is the 28th Annually African Fest that happens every year in Washington Park on the South…read moreSide of Chicago. African fest is always the weekend before Labor Day. This has been me & the bestie's yearly traditional event to attend each year. There are so many vendors to walk around and be amazed to see handmade paintings,clothing and other African pieces to purchase. Every year its a must that I grab my fav bottle of Mango Butter Oil for $10.00. Its one of the hot seller oils at this fest. Each vendor that sells this oil has it burning throughtout their tent. The smell is amazing. Also, each year there is a celebrity performer for each day that the fest is running. Tonight at 8PM Wyclef Jean will hit the stage to perform. The only issue is that every year the price to enter the fest seems to go up. This year it cost $20.00 to walk thru the gate. Thats a steep price for a fest to just walk away. There are food vendors lined up on the side from jerk chicken, vegan plates, funnel cakes, the list of food goes on and on. Its a great family fun event to get out and enjoy. There are so many vendors to purchase shea butter and soap, oils, head pieces, handmade earrings and other unique pieces you may like to buy. Its just a fun filled day of getting out and enjoying nature and people.

An Awesome Experience, with many unique vendors…read more FOOD: The food selection was incredible. Caribbean fare, African fare, Latin fare. Featuring foods that are very authentic and very aromatic. I had oxtail, which was great. I lot of smoothie and juice stands as well. A few vegan friendly places and vegetarian spots too. VENDORS: vendors sold everything from dolls, to jewelry, to cloth, to makeup, to shoes. Very diverse selection with decent prices. TICKETS: Entrance was $20 at the door, and was cheaper in advance from what I understand. PERFORMANCES: Many talented singers, dancers, musicians and drummers on the main stage.