A great Fourth of July festival. Frontier Days is a must see. The most fun you will have in five…read moredays. The activities during the day are geared toward families and great entertainment at night. The best part is that admission is free. Food and beer are available to purchase and at reasonable prices. The "Red Shirt" volunteers put in a great deal of care and effort and it shows. On Independence Day, I attended the parade and it is THE BEST parade that I have ever seen. The focus is on fun with a capital F. Before the band on the first night I saw them present scholarships. What a great way to give back to the community! Beyond the regular carnival activities are some very special and unique activities that make Frontier Days special. Among them are bingo, pony rides, pie eating contest, rib eating contest, cake decorating, dog frisbee, corn hole, water fights, soccer tournament, volleyball tournament, spikeball tournament, etc. The family fun stage is filled with lots of amazing entertainment such as the pet parade, magicians, reptile show, dancers, clowns, police demonstrations, and music acts. The best part of the festival for me is the Citizens with Disabilities day. This is a day where citizens with disabilities and their families can ride in the carnival without the big crowds and with accessibility considerations. This is followed by a great lunch and entertainment for the families. Frontier days is definitely a magical way to spend the Fourth of July weekend!

One of the busier 4th of July Festivals in the area, Frontier Days also has some of the most…read moreoptions for things to do or see. Here are some thoughts on various aspects: Location: Located conveniently in Recreation Park, this is an easy walk from parking garages and street parking around Arlington Heights downtown. Layout: As others have noted, most food and events are located in half of the park while the other areas aren't utilized as much. Due to the layout of recreation park, this is probably unavoidable. But, there's typically not much of a traffic jam except in the rides area and when exiting a concert. Food: Reasonably priced for a festival. There's fortunately lots of different food, drink, alcohol, and dessert (ice cream) options here. Nothing too fancy (or healthy) -- but you'll find the standard options to feed your family like pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, italian beef, etc. Rides: Great selection for a festival. Not as huge as the biggest ones around Chicago, but for this area of the suburbs it's quite large. There's also discounts for bargain rides for only $20. Performers: There are evening concerts with a band on the main stage every evening. Free to attend and a great way to end the evening. Previous performers have included Plain White T's, American English, The Wallflowers, etc. Other activities: Include parade, arts & crafts, eating contests, miscellaneous performers, athletic activities, marketplace, animal petting, etc. Overall, great place to spend the 4th of July weekend with tons of fun activities and reasonable prices -- plus great music.