I have gone to canal days for the last 20 years I live in Chicago ridge. But when I went through a…read morefew years ago they changed the location to location that was nothing but gravel rocks. I am 68 years old and walk with a cane I cannot walk on rocks I like to better when I was in the middle of the town that you walked on the streets so I no longer go to canal days and I thought you guys had the best festival around the best craps and arts for I've everbeen to. It's hard enough for me to drive seeing I have a bad knee and walk with a cane if you ever brought it back to the little town so I can walk on the streets and sidewalks I would come back to you. Mary Ellen do you have anything to respond to me text me at 7:08 289-2033 thank you​​​

There's not a whole lot to review, quite honestly. This is probably going to be short and sweet. We…read morearrived around 5 p.m. on Saturday and nearly every booth was closed. 3 of the food vendors were still operating, but we missed one of the trucks we'd been hoping to see because they ran out of food. That apparently was a common occurrence. Most people were gathered around the band tent, but even that wasn't as packed as you'd expect. Maybe it's me, but most festivals I go to are pretty hoppin' in the evenings on Saturdays. This one felt like one of those malls that are on their last legs with a couple of shops (tents) barely hanging on. I didn't come here to really festival it up, so that's good. I really just wanted to hit one of the food trucks that was thankfully still operating when we arrived. Maybe the length of time the festival tried to operate was just too long. 13 hours is a LOOOONG day. Also, there were no signs to designate parking, at least coming from the south. There was a detour setup, and everyone was parking on residential streets, causing traffic chaos when you could only go one direction down a normally bi-directional street. But on the upside, they had a very nicely-designed map and website. So there's that.

Chicago is a summer of festivals and I love exploring each and every one. We saw a Groupon for…read morePorky's rib fest and decided to give it a shot! At $15 for two adult entrance tickets and free parking, it was pretty reasonable for festival pricing. As you do at a rib fest, we ordered a bunch of ribs from the following places: - Rasta Joe's: The best out of the bunch. The ribs were cooked perfectly and the sauce was great, with a hint of Caribbean flair. The portion size was also quite generous as we received 6(!) ribs for the 1:3 size that cost $10. This is what I expected a half slab to be. We were extremely happy with this! - Chicago BBQ: Decent. The ribs are quite fatty and fall or the bone. I would equate this to like Barnellis ribs. They're tender and BBQ-ey but nothing extraordinary. I would eat them again though. At $8 for 3 ribs, I'd go for Rasta's. - Texas Lightning: Ew. Ew. Ew. Complete regret for this one. So glad we got a sampler because I think I would have shed a tear if we bought a full slab. High expectations for the Texans but they failed to deliver. The ribs were extremely dry, flaky, and flavorless. It was like someone microwaved a slab of ribs and drizzled some sauce over it. The Jamaican Pork at Rasta's was pretty good too! Good spices. We would definitely give Rasta's an A++ for their ribs. The carnival itself looked fun but also very expensive. Overall, it was a decent event with live music and booze.

Another long overdue review: It was my 2nd year in a row going here and I came back determined to…read moretry the ribs I remember liking so much last time! Me, my cousin, niece and nephew went here on a Thursday around 7pm. Chicago BBQ company: we tried their Beef brisket, Pulled pork, Cornbread and Half slab ribs(unfortunately it wasn't fall-off-the-bone like at Ribfest Chicago, beef brisket seems like pulled pork) Uncle Bob's: we tried 1/2 slab ribs, Pulled pork, Beef brisket, and Cornbread( didn't measure up to Chicago BBQ company) Howling coyote: we tried 1/2 slab rib dinner(they claimed their ribs are more tender than a mother's love! It was tender but Chicago BBQ had more flavor) Rasta joes: tried their 1/2 slab ribs and Jalapeno cheese cornbread (had flavor like Chicago BBQ but not as tender as howling coyote) Porky chicks BBQ: we tried the Big porky- had most meat and very tender and they gave generous portions, sauces were good too!

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!

Overall a decent fest. I recommend parking near the train station. (Or if you live near a BNSF…read morestop, convenient to take train to). Free admission. I have come multiple times to see a cover band. If you want to try some of the local restaurants, they have booths. It is a decent amount of walking. You can bring in your own chair to watch the bands or stand. They accept both cash and card at the beer tent. However, if you pay with card there is a fee. Vendors and crafts are same junk you see everywhere. Every year there is someone trying to sell me home improvements.

Taste of Westmont is an annual event located in the Downtown area on N Cass Ave. It offers a mix of…read morecarnival rides & games, (2) stages for live music, vendor tents, a beer tent, and food vendor area. There is no admission charge and street parking isn't too difficult to find. This is my second time attending the event and loved the atmosphere in the mid afternoon. There were about 8-10 food tents or trucks offering samples of their best items. All food venders were local to the Westmont area which I love. Most of the vendor tents this year were home remodeling companies or community organizations. While this is nice, I missed some of the mom & pop vendors offering decor, candies, artisan goods, etc. Overall, this is a great family-friendly event. It may not be the biggest festival but it's enough. It's never been too crowded when I've come and I always enjoy the sense of community!

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.

Before I had a chance to buy something, I had already spent $20 on parking and admission. Maybe…read morethey couldn't find suitable grounds to set up the fest, but such a small fest seemed to be too pricey...even before you had a chance to spend money on food. The food seemed to be limited to a handful of popular Polish dishes. The entertainment was rather flat. The Perla tall boy beers tasted like a Miller or Bud. Overall, I expected more Polish cultural influence, rather it felt like a normal Chicago neighborhood fest with just a plethora of deep fried pierogi stands.

This is now the Pierogi Fest now and not the Southside Polish Fest…read more Well all I can say, as a first generation Polish American, is that I was highly disappointed with this fest. I came here with my girlfriend expecting a Polish surrounding and there was none. So let's review a few things here. 1st - There were no Polish people here like I was expecting. This was a very Americanized fest. I came here for culture. Chicago has the 2nd most population of Polish immigrants well over a million and all I heard was English spoken. 2nd - The food here was actually not bad, but not a lot of vendors. I had the Polish plate from Alex Deli and Grill. The sausage, pierogi, potato pancakes, and stuffed cabbage were amazing!!! 3rd - I was always an Okocim beer drinker, but they were not there. The only Polish beer there was Perli. And I was actually impressed! I bought a 4 pack of it on my way back home. I heard the Taste of Polonia at the Copernicus Center in Chicago is a lot better and Polish Authentic. I will definitely be there in September.

Bengstons is amazing. Definitely worth the price for everything there. Best pumpkin patch in the…read morechicagoland area.

I had a fun experience here! I think this is definitely a pumpkin patch that kids and young adults…read morecan both enjoy. This is a pretty big pumpkin patch, so there's plenty to explore and do. I went on a Saturday with my family which included two toddlers. It did get pretty packed, so getting there earlier the better, or just coming on a weekday if you don't want to deal with long lines or overcrowding. The Apple Cider and Apple Cider Donuts were delicious! I honestly wanted to come back here just to buy some more. They have plenty of other drink and snack options, too. The staff was pretty nice too. There's many things to do like a swing ride, petting zoo, and hayride -- all very fun. I will say, $40 per person is pretty steep for a pumpkin patch. While I had a good time, I kinda had to force myself to do everything to feel like it was worth that much money. Overall, I'd go back, though.

So disappointed in this place. They're Farmers Market on Thursdays used to be great because they…read morewould have a live band which would attract hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people and then people would come to the farmer's market and buy food and handcrafted items and things like that. They have decided to stop the music and the people stopped coming and now there's very few vendors. Bad decision you guys. And what makes it even worse is they are still advertising live music. You see people walking around with lawn chairs asking where the band is playing. Horrible.

A few good vendors as far as the fresh produce goes. However, we would consider this more to be a…read morefestival than a farmers' market, or a merger of both. On the plus side: local farmers, local businesses, live band, kids' activities, on the premises of The Promenade Bolingbrook mall - so plenty of parking plus if you need to shop at the mall you can do both. Lots of people, which is great! On the not negative side: in our eyes, a farmers' market should promote local, family-owned, small businesses, not huge corporate chains. We were disappointed to see there were a lot of chain restaurants in their own booths, promoting/serving their food. Yes, there should be hot food served at the farmers' market, but it should come from local restaurants. We probably won't come back. We decided to stop in and check it out mostly because we saw the signs coming out of IKEA. Overall, not a bad experience, but not fabulous either.