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.

What a wonderful way to spend the day! This local festival has been running for more than a decade…read moreand it is such a gem! Fantastic food, desserts, coffees, smoothies, juices... Tons of family activities including petting zoo, inflatables, tons of jewelry and one of a kind souvenirs from Egypt. Great music, atmosphere and wonderful people make me come back every year!

The Taste of Egypt is my favorite little festival. Friendly people, savory foods, baklava,…read moretheology, camel rides, Middle Eastern music playing in the background. What's not to like? This year I enjoyed a delicious plate of marinated, grilled chicken with pita, tzatziki, rice, salad and a mango nectar soda. I could have eaten chicken and tzatziki all day! Also available were kufta, falafel, hummus & pita, stuffed grape leaves, and macaroni bechamel. For dessert I had two of the I-don't-know-how-many variations of baklava. Homemade baklava. So delicious! We then took a tour of the church from a well-prepared and engaging guide. Though we had taken the tour once before, I learned additional facts and traditions this time. If you are interested in architecture, iconography, or comparative religions you must not miss the church tour. Be sure to grab a copy of the pamphlet 'Egypt and The Copts' in the narthex (just inside the doors) of the church. We also attended a lecture by a knowledgeable presenter on the history of Christianity in Egypt. A few of us lingered afterward to discuss (Christian) church history and theology. Students and fans of comparative religions or theology will really enjoy this lecture. It's a great refresher on the history of Christianity in general. In addition, there are books for sale in the bazaar (Nefertiti's Treasures) about Egypt and about the Coptic faith. Now if tours and lectures aren't your thing, you can skip all that and take a camel ride. Yes, a camel ride! How often can you do this in the Western Suburbs? It's quite fun! You can ride alone or with others. This is not just for the kids. Both children and adults enjoy the camel rides. This year my husband and I rode the camel together. If you'd like, you can have your photo taken while on the camel. 4x6 or 8x10. It's a great souvenir of the day. I think the Taste of Egypt is a great fest for anyone. It's very family friendly -- not only can the kids ride a camel, but there's a petting zoo, a moon jump (bouncy house kind of thing) and some creative activities -- but adults without kids (like us) have a great time too. Hope to see you there next year!

I have been going to the fest for a long time, mostly to see cover bands. They usually get a good…read moreoffering of bands. You do pay a cover to see the bands. Parking can be tight. Check the deck first. Local businesses sponsor the event and money raised goes towards scholarships.

First timer at an ale fest, and it was a fun date night (even though my husband doesn't drink beer…read moreand ended up walking around with me and/or sitting by the band all night). The drink ticket price seems pretty reasonable, considering it gets you 20 samples. But the cost for a designated driver pass is a little steep in my opinion ($19). What is that $19 for exactly?? The band? Because it didn't include free soda. They did have free boxed water - but that was for everyone, which was nice. There were a few food vendors, which were just okay. It did the job. Our favorite was Nothing Bundt Cakes. For $20, you got 4 small cakes and a zippered cooler case. They give you a lanyard with a punchcard, and a 4 oz (or 3 oz??) sample glass to take home as a keepsake. You go to each tent, pick your beer, and they fill your glass. Most vendors will mark off one of the 20 spots on your card, to keep track, but a few vendors just gave samples to me without marking my card. They have chairs set up in front of the band, so you can relax in between samples. The country singer did a nice job - he had a few folks out there dancing along. There was a large wooden block "Jenga" game set up for people to play in between sampling. The lines to the port-o-pottys weren't bad. Usually just 1 or 2 people in front of you. Just don't forget to lock the door behind you! Too many people were forgetting and having the doors opened on them (myself included...). :-O There was a pretty large selection of local beers and a few classics (Sam Adams, Guinness, etc.). I tend to lean towards wheat ales, but I didn't find any of those. Unfortunately I don't like IPAs, but I'm starting to like stouts, so it was nice to try a few of those. I'm not sure we'll be back next year. It was just something to try out once. I recommend anyone who likes beer to check it out though!

All in all the Ale Feat was fantastic this year. This is our second year in a row and we are very…read morepleased with the expansion. I would like to see a few more food booths and a better way to display the art so it was more of an event I know they're working on it and they did a really good job transitioning from year to year. We will be back next year!

VOUCHER VEXATION The…read moreTaste of Bolingbrook is a great way to enjoy local businesses, but they need to revisit their ticketing scheme for 2026. This annual event is free to the public and takes place at the Bolingbrook Promenade towards the end of May. There's a decent variety of vendors although some are repeats (places serving the same thing) and some are ripoffs. I didn't see any public bathrooms, so we just used Macy's. The food & drink tickets themselves were a GIGANTIC 4" x 8". Who designed these, held the stack of proofs and honestly thought it was a reasonable size?? Bear in mind, a typical "keep this stub" raffle ticket measures 1" x 2", so what they gave people were SIXTEEN TIMES bigger than necessary. There were a handful of non-food vendors, like Ivy Hall (spin the wheel for bonus loyalty points), a 3D printing shop, Bolingbrook Garden Club, and several home remodeling companies. We really appreciated the sensory oasis, which gave our little guy an opportunity to color and relax for a bit. The lumpia (tiny crispy egg rolls, 4 for $4) from Riceby were tasty, as were the onigiri (we got pork belly adobo and beef bulgogi for $7/ea). I settled for mediocre sliders from Star Cinema Grill (2 for $9), no way I was waiting half an hour for Uncle Booker's BBQ or street tacos. A lot of people were confused that vendors were ticket only; naturally, lines to buy tickets stretched two dozen deep. My wife waited 20 minutes for a lobster roll from the Maine Lobster food truck, and it wasn't all that delicious, nor did it come with chips or a side (plus it was $25 fu%!#g dollars!) Beer was disappointing. A Miller Lite was $7 and we assumed we'd be getting 16oz tallboys......nope, 12oz cans. I rarely drink just one beer but at that size and price (coupled with the fact I didn't want to burn up precious tickets) it was a one-and-done brewski for me. * TL;DR * This was an otherwise nice event hampered by long lines, questionable prices and oddly oversized tickets. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid way to kill a few hours on a Saturday in early summer, I just wish food & drink were a little more affordable and the vouchers a little more ergonomic. I also disliked that food and alcohol shared the same tickets, so at some point it came down to "do I spend my last 7 tickets on a shitty beer or an undercooked slider?" Long waits at nearly every vendor discouraged me from trying things I wanted to sample. The tickets were FAR too large to fit into pockets, so unless you brought a backpack you were awkwardly holding onto them the entire time. The live music was nice, though. Unless things change for the better, we might pass on next year's Taste of Bolingbrook.

Decent little festival held at the Bolingbrook promenade. Kinda annoying that you have to get…read moretickets. Cash is king as card charges a convenience fee. (And I heard from a friend that attended later in the day it changed to cash only). I sampled some sliders from Ted's and ice cream nachos from the creamery. The vendors and food are spread out. Bathrooms in decent shape for a crowded event!

Look for parking ... Took a half hour…read more Walk to the festival took 15 minutes Stand in line to buy tickets Stand in line to go through security Stand in line at ATM Stand in line for beer tickets Stand in line for beer Stand in line for food Stand in line for bathroom Stand in line for beer Standing sucks ... Let's go home! 15 minute walk back to the car.

We came solely to see the hot air balloons. They did mini rides for people but it's not what I…read moreexpected. They never really left the ground. It was a big fest with a carnival, two stages ( Rock and country), and lots of food and vendors. The short fire works show at 945 was nice too. The area was huge with a pond and little bridge. The food we got was Super nasty. The $15 chicken kabob was all fat and the $9 turkey leg was hard and almost raw. NASTY! !!. We wasted money and threw the food out. Not worth it coming from Chicago. I rather go to a different fest.