The fest is pretty large and spread out. Sure, it's free to get in. However, they get you on the…read moreparking costs. They have different tiers depending on how close you want to park. To get in and out of the parking lots can be a pain. The food vendors accept cash or card which is nice. Food lines are long! Be prepared to wait. They had multiple bar lines that were fast. Bar lines also sold water and NA options. Plenty of porta potties. If you plan on attending bring your own chair or blanket to sit on. They allow you to bring in your own food and drinks (just no outside alcohol). Something to keep in mind to keep your costs down. Spread out, but expect crowds. Overall a good event.

We attended this event last year, we had a table set up there for our company (Westway Coach), a…read moreschool bus company. Just wanted to add that we had an amazing time there, the ambient, the music, the food, all was great, we had an amazing time being part of this event.

Another year, another Itasca Fest…read more We live minutes from the Itasca border, so getting here is a breeze. And so is parking -- though you do have to be willing to walk a block or two. But downtown Itasca is lovely. I think most people, if they drove through this little village of 8,300 people, would not expect very big happenings. But Itasca Fest is pretty impressive for the size of the town. Free admission, and there's a huge carnival, a big tent set up with plenty of tables for noshing at and a stage with live entertainment, bingo, a rummage sale, educational events for the kids (including interacting with wild animals) and of course plenty of greasy food to go around. Last year, there was a super-cool NASA trailer set up where you could play with various gadgets and learn about life in a spaceship. Honestly, I enjoyed it as much as the kid with us did. Unfortunately, no NASA trailer this year. Still, four stars for a solidly good time nearby and on the cheap.

Considering the majority of my big fat Italian family lives in Itasca, it's shocking that this was…read moremy first time here. And let's be honest, I came for the Bingo. We started here on Sunday night, the last night of the fest. Bingo is run by the Lyons Club and they do a great job of keeping the natives restless while having some personality. The guy working our row was awesome, was so friendly. Cards are 3 for a dollar and my dreams were crushed when I saw they were the sliders and not the stamp kind of cards. I was really looking forward to having a big purple stamper to dot up my cards. Each round of Bingo could win somewhere between $50-$70 but alas, I didn't have any luck. The final round was a cover-all game and cards were $1 each. The jackpot for that final round was above the $200 mark. In order to entertain us before the final round (and possibly because it was the last night of the fest, we were able to get as many free drinks as we wanted before the last game). I spent about $13 total on an hour of Bingo, which I don't consider to be too much of a loss. Did I really just write about Bingo for a full paragraph? Back to the fest. They have about 8-10 vendors for food including local restaurants. Rides are plentiful here, I couldn't even guess how many. Upwards of a dozen? Games were also not scarce, and they had all the classic games. I ended up winning myself a stuffed monkey. It's what every 29 year old adult female needs. I can only compare Itasca fest to Bartlett fest or Naperville's Rib Fest. I would probably prefer Itasca fest over both because it has WAY more games and rides than Bartlett, and isn't as crowded as Rib Fest. It's a new summer tradition.

This was our first time attending the Dupage Native Plant Sale. It is now held at the Dupage Event…read moreCenter and Fairgrounds. Parking and admission were free. This is a 2 day event selling over 150 different types of native flowers,grasses,shrubs and trees. There were many volunteers around to ask questions and get recommendations. Plants are not restocked daily so best is to go early on the first day. It gets crowded and with so many people pulling wagons and carts,patience is required! They do have a few trays to use but best is to bring your own boxes. Cash,check or credit cards are accepted but I wish the checkout area was in a different location than where the plants were being sold as the lines for checkout were very long. Proceeds benefit the Dupage Forest Preserve.

It's a cute little county fair. My little family and I enjoyed it. Normal fair attractions and…read morefood/drinks. Reasonable fair prices. Little animals barn animals to enjoy. The cool little octopus to climb and take pictures with was different. What I didn't enjoy was the wristband didn't really work for my toddler. She went on one ride just fine and then was told she was too short for all the other rides, which should've been noted when purchasing the wristband. She was later told she couldn't even go on the same ride she first went on.

Our company was a sponsor for this years brewfest so I grabbed my babe and headed there. The line…read morewasn't bad at all, we bought his ticket and went straight to the first booth. There was 80 different beers and we tried them all! Some of my favorite breweries, including Church Street, Lunar and More, were there. I'm pretty sure we tried all of the beers. One of my favorites (not a beer) was the Peach Country Ciderboy! I'm so digging ciders right now. Villa Park did a great job for their first brew fest. The vendors and the volunteers were super nice and we never had to stand in a long line. They had a few food trucks too, I had two tacos from Dori's Tacos, not bad! I can't wait for next year!

I have to say, I still enjoyed the show, but it has gotten a whole lot smaller. There is one less…read moreroom of vendors on the second floor and the whole room in the middle on the first floor is no longer. Some of the long time vendors are not there and there are a couple of new ones. Also, down to just 2 choices for food vendors. Dave's Coffee Cakes is still up on the second floor and still offering samples ~YUM. Parking is still free but people park so haphazardly that it can be almost impossible to get into your car and out of your space when you are finished and want to leave.

From the owner: Promoters of award-winning arts & crafts shows. Each show is brimming with row after row of…read morehandcrafted, one-of-a-kind home decor & gifts. Entertainment, food & drink & lots of family fun.

This is one of my favorite summer festival to come and enjoy with my family. Great Food,…read moreEntertainment and Good Vibes. I have been coming here for many years and the vibes have always been good. The food prices are very reasonable. Food & Drinks range from $3.00 to maybe $6.00 if that much. Very inexpensive and budget friendly. This festival is a place for you to try different authentic foods, music and good vibes. You can shop the vendors tents and find some cool things to purchase. There are several stages where you can enjoy a live concert. There is a carnival with a few rides for the kids to stay entertained. I always look forward to coming here year. Taste of Melrose Park is always around the first week in September.

A bunch of us checked out the Taste of Melrose Park during Labor Day weekend. This is a food fest…read morewith free admission. Amazingly every food item was priced at $3 or less. It was fun to try all sorts of tasty foods. Many of them were Italian bites but there were other Mexican-style foods as well. We enjoyed items such as Italian beef, arancini, flat "fried meatball" sandwich, a "salad sandwich" that was quite good because of the fresh bread, cheese fries, cannoli, root beer float, slushie and a lovely serving of sfingi (freshly made "donut holes" made by nuns, how can you top that?). There are fair faves such as promotional freebies, carnival rides, a guy on stilts, and a clown pushing a mini-clown in a stroller (wha wha??). There is some entertainment as well (we heard bagpipers after someone belted out the Star Spangled Banner). This was sort of a folksy food fest, and the price was right. If you are looking for something fun to do next Labor Day weekend in the 'burbs, keep Taste of Melrose Park in mind.

2024 Review! This is…read morethe third year my partner and I have been to the Taste of Roselle! The festival is the first weekend in August every year on Friday evening and all day Saturday/Sunday. They have a mix of food vendors, artisan tents, and carnival rides. There is all live music each evening with 3-4 bands rotating timeslots. The entire event spans on Main Street from Park St to Roselle Rd. Each year we have gone, there have been some consistent food vendors but always some new! They always have Doctor Dogs, Italian Pizza Kitchen, and Pollyanna serving beers, seltzers, and some of Lynfred's wines. The first booth we stopped at was Chicago Culinary Kitchen out of Palatine. Their menu offered a variety of BBQ style sandwiches with unique flavors. My partner got the Pit Beef Sandwich ($17). Forewarning, the horseradish sauce did not disappoint on the spice level and meat was tasty! The second booth we stopped at was Aunt Tina's which offers souther style cuisine. They had a "tasting menu" where all items were $6; I got the mac and cheese as well as cornbread fritters. Mac and Cheese was creamy and hit the spot. The cornbread fritters I would pass in next time.

Lots of vendors and good entertainment. Went for the beer and music. The food is super expensive…read morefor what you get in my opinion. I did share a Mexican plate with my wife and it was very good.

This was my first Oktoberfest and I greatly enjoyed it!…read more There was German beer, food, and music! Now that's a real Oktoberfest or I would like to think so because Oktoberfest orginated from Germany and how can you have one without all the German goods? The event is quite small, but the crowd was great! People enjoying music and participated in German dances! I got to try some real German food, which made the foodie in me extremely happy! My favorites were the German potato salad and spaetzle (egg noodle)! The spaetzle came with a gravy, which made it deliciously flavorful! For you non-adventurers there were the basic hot dogs, pretzels, chips, etc. The bf and fam enjoyed the food and German beer also. They even bought some huge glass jugs with a German logo on it! Fun times, wish it was bigger and more German cuisines.

Ugly fest too depresed festival. Too small, too poor definitely if you wanna waste your time go…read more Watch tv is better. Sorry but I not recommended. Only if you wanna eat German food it's ok.

The 2023 Scottish Highland Games was another great year of bagpipes, fiddles, Scotch, food,…read moreculture, and plenty of dog friendly areas to bring your furry best friend. My only dislike is the long walk from the parking garage to the festivities. However, I heard it's last year at this venue, and it will hopefully be in a better place next year. We brought our folding wagon, chairs, and plenty of cold water for the day. Some highlights for me included the ice cold hard cider, beef meat pie, and fish and chips. We also enjoyed the Dogs of Scotland and Agility Junkies demo. The kilted bagpipers and athletes are incredible to watch, too. If you haven't been to a Highland Games yet, it's definitely worth it for a unique experience.

I AM KITH NOT KIN. If no go to no other ethnic festival GO…read moreTO THIS ONE! WHATEVER stereotype you think of it all goes away....theres' not a mean cold hearted Scrooge in the lot. The jewelry is my fave but men in kilts....OMG. And the contributions of Scots to American culture is mind blowing. Close your eyes but eat haggis!!!!! The bagpipes can be happy but when sorrowful will break your heart. There isnt a "bad kid" anywhere in the group and when their old colleagues show they get into high kicking duels!. The botiques are underrepresented but everything is PERFECT. Worth every dime. If they have tiaras Im getting one this year. So glad they are back, live and in person. HINT: Go to the Scotch saMpling table if there....the distributed could be a great Father Christmas. Missed y'all!!!

After experiencing the difficulty of getting near the launch site of the fireworks shows, this year…read moreI decided to watch Itasca's firework show from a distance in Elk Grove Village. Though there was still quite a line off 53 and onto Biesterfield and Arlington Heights Roads, this is still much better than what I've experienced closer where the fireworks are launched. It's a good idea to allow a minimum of 30 min before and 30 min after for heavy congestion though even an hour after the show, the traffic was still quite heavy on the main roads. The show itself really dazzled with both a higher frequency of fireworks than many nearby spots as was a larger size fireworks. This spanned a large array of different firework types though I wish there was a little more variety in the colors available. Regardless, even from over a mile away, the show was amazing and well worth the drive nearby. It's still crowded in the surrounding towns and there were a substantial number of lines at local businesses like McDonalds who were serving food. Overall, great fireworks show to watch -- even if you're not experiencing it directly at Hamilton Lakes.

Great shot with lots of beautiful and very patriotic colors and styles of designs above our heads…read moregoing off, but was a little too short.