It was more like a neighborhood block party with some carnival rides and games than it was a…read moreOktoberfest. Spent about an hour there since it was just me and my husband and had done everything. The beer wasn't too expensive and they did have some good music. Not really the Oktoberfest German experience you would really want.

The Berwyn Oktoberfest is a blast! Sure, it's not a real Oktoberfest, it is more of a HUGE block…read moreparty like the other reviewer said, but what makes it great is that there are so many local restaurants and vendors. This is a true community festival that has retained its character. The music acts are also great and they have ample seating and security for the event. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the event, especially from the Mayor and his presence. They had a great 80s band last year that really got the crowd going! Look forward to this festival every year as a 30 something year old.

This year marked 83 years of Lilac Festival and Parade tradition…read more I love the Lilac Parade. I've been going for over 20 years and it's become my tradition. I think that my favorite part (besides the veterans) is the drum line and dancers. Every year I convince myself that I could be one of them. Or I could be one of the dancers, I mean, I could totally do it right? Get out there and twerk, twerk, twerk....um yea I could totes do it. =) The only thing I don't like about this is finding a spot to camp out. You have to be there at least two hours before hand to find close parking. This year there were spots saved from the night before!! Imagine that. That was a little unfair because spots weren't' even being used while people were searching all over the place. Don't hold a spot if you're not planning on using it. I always manage to find a spot by Señor Jalapeño and this year it was perfect because we walked across the street to grab a slice of pizza from Gianorio's. Then we sat in our lawn chairs with our drinks, our pizza and watched the parade for about a good hour. Veteran Marching band, Antique Cars, Military Vehicles, Lombard Leapers Tumbling Squad, and our very own Lombard Falcons (which my friends son is part of), and the coolest horses around, those are just a few of the participants. Don't worry, there's a street sweeper that comes around to clean up after the horses. They also have face paint for the little ones, I always manage to get my face painted though. So, if you wake up one Sunday morning, sometime in May, and realize the parade is happening, I would definitely recommend going. With friends, family or yourself, well, I don't know about just yourself...that's a little creepy. Take your dog for a stroll! lol There's just so much history in the Village of Lombard and I hope Lombard never let's this tradition die.

This is one of this west suburban's traditions that I try not to miss. The Lilac Parade IS Lombard,…read moreand if the only event attended in this town is the parade, I feel like the best representation of the village is going to be on this day. Regardless of the weather, hoards of people line Main Street and East Maple to watch the 2 hour parade that has something for everyone to see and enjoy. This year featured a bunch of adorable miniature horses, and were the highlight of the day. For the constant every year, I like the Jessie White tumblers best of all. Having been a gymnast, there is something magical to see several teens fly 20 or so feet through the air from concrete as though they're bouncing on backyard trampolines.

Free party? I'm…read morethere. Okay, this isn't your traditional party. In fact, it's more like free, live, outdoor entertainment in coordination with many of the area's independent businesses, but it's a nice way to spend an evening while roaming through Elmhurst's bustling City Centre. Here's the deal: From Memorial Day to Labor Day, every Wednesday and Saturday evening from 6-9pm, downtown Elmhurst's City Centre hosts a variety of talented musician under tented pop-ups throughout the city. Most are in areas that overlook outdoor patios or have plenty of public seating to enjoy. The acts, as far as I witnessed, were pretty outstanding, although the temporary tents make for a very casual, almost easy to miss, setting. We kept walking through downtown Elmhurst and thinking we were just hearing some loud speakers from a nearby bar that was playing Kings of Leon, Darius Rucker, LIVE, Bob Dylan and other well-known artists on a jukebox or something, but it wasn't. It was the sounds from the four different tents set up through downtown Elmhurst carrying over. The whole thing was really cool and very unexpected as we'd just kept kind of wandering into these neat pop-up live shows on different corners. Each band, singer, duo, etc really shocked us with their level of talent and performances. For me, being hard of hearing, it was better than going to a concert because here I could actually hear every note and word clear s day. Some of the tents were busier than others, but I think that was due to some areas being better for seating and such, but in any case, mild crowds formed, families danced, young girls swooned, it turned our leisurely stroll around the town into a really romantic night. In addition to the musical acts, area businesses offer super drink food and drink specials and I believe, if you stop by the City Centre office during daytime hours, and ask nicely, they have little postcard type gift certificates for $5 good at almost all the downtown Elmhurst businesses and a great excuse to stop for a beer or wine. On Wednesday I believe there's also a classic car show, so it probably gets pretty crowded, but on our Saturday stroll, the conditions were perfect, it wasn't at crazy. Again, the set up is really casual and you could walk by and just catch a few musical moments, but it's worth it to grab a coffee or grub at a nearby biz and set up shop near one of the pitch-perfect tents for a relaxing and budget-friendly evening.

The food court area is very messy and unorganized A lot of…read morehand washing stations, outdoor restrooms.Plenty of games and rides for all kids of different age groups. Very nice craft vendors- support local and small business please. Live concert by Don felder was amazing. Fireworks at the end-- everyone enjoyed. Overall great fest to go and have family time with great entertainment options. Bring your chairs, hoodie and may be picnic blanket.

Its an amazing fest. I went for this fest for the 2nd time. Amazing performances, food stalls,…read morerides and best game stalls. Very good time.

My first time attending while visiting and didn't know what to expect. It was about $25 to get in,…read morebut when I found out it was a concert/fair/festival rolled into one I didn't mind! Many good food vendors with hefty places at cheap prices. And the entertainment acts were great.

I attended a few years back and decided to go again this year. The $20 admission was off-putting…read morebut everyone seemed to be in a good mood. I wasn't crazy about the blatant campaigning by a local alderman, and it seemed as if there were way fewer food vendors than last time. We split the rice and jibarito with pork, and I was dying for arepas, and the did not disappoint! The coconut ice milk was very good, but very hard to eat of the half coconut they used as a bowl. The Moderno liquor with vodka or rum or tequila was good, and the 'lounge' for sampling was a nice touch. I was quite disappointed that the restaurant '90 Miles Cuban' was ONLY IN THE VIP SECTION!! I really liked their food and style of cooking, and they seemed to have shunned the 'common folk'. What was with the pony and camel rides for kids?? Yes they get bored, I'm ok with ponys but a camel seems cruel and excessive. The music was awesome, and I admired the way some artists did not translate their speeches.

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!

Very nice art fair with lots of unique jewelry, paintings, pottery, woodwork, stained glass and…read moremore. On a hot June day it was blessedly shady in Burlington Park, and still pleasurable to roam and browse despite the weather. But damn, this fair makes Naperville and Geneva's art fairs look cheap! So budget accordingly... I still managed to find a cool porcelain vase for my tiny ceramics collection for $20. Worth checking out next year if you are near Hinsdale!

I'm only giving it 4 stars since my rating is based completely on the festival entertainment and…read morenot much else. However, it may be a sign that I've hit too many festivals this summer, but at quick glance there seem to be many of the same stands I've seen at others. As always the hideous outfits and odd people did not disappoint (senior citizen lady (who thought she was a lot younger) dressed in all hot pink and couple "waltzing to MJ tracks). Our group hung out at the center stage all night (kudos to the fest for having 3 stages to choose from). The fest served beer and Sangria. In my opinion the beer and sangria stands shouldn't have been so close to each other it got really packed with people trying to squeeze through the sangria line to the beer line! The port-a-pottie situation was a bit of a bummer, they could've used more stalls, a few friends went to the potties and then to grab a drink/snack and they were gone so long I began to think they left! We went to hear Who's Bad, a Michael Jackson cover band, who should not be missed. This was the second time I've seen them and they don't disappoint. They get the crowd going with all of your MJ faves. My favorite part about cover bands is you don't get stuck listening to newer, unknown tracks like you sometimes have to when you see the real deal - they just stick to the hits! I'm glad we decided to stick around for 16 Candles because they were awesome and Who's Bad was the perfect band to get us in the 80's classics mood. Everyone totally got into them, dancing and singing along. When they did Sunglasses at Night they had flashing, light-up sunglasses. The only negative was it seemed they ended rather abruptly, they finished a song, said goodnight and were done without any advance warning. Bottom line - great time and 16 Candles closes the show again on Sunday!

I feel like a proud papa watching this festival grow over the years. For you festival junkies,…read moreheading into 2011 this is clearly one of the Top 3 in the city. A decade ago this wasn't the case. Former giants such as Old St. Pat's (does this still exist?), Sheffield Garden Walk, and Taste of Randolph are now moving over for this All star extravaganza. All the big names play this gig: Hairbangers Mike & Joe Too White Crew Sixteen Candles Maggie Speaks Wedding Banned And with the vast layout, there is plenty of room for beer vendors and the lines are never long. For you non-junkies, if a few a Summer does the trick for you, make this one of them. Basically, anything in Lakeview is a can't-miss, that alone makes it worth the trip. Thanks Rock Around The Block, looking forward to 2011 already!