For many years, the Holiday Craft Fair from was held at the State Fairgrounds on 84th St. the…read moreweekend of Thanksgiving from Friday through Sunday. For the past 2 years, the show has moved to the Milwaukee County Sports Complex in Franklin. It is probably close in size to the previous venue, but with free parking and easier getting in and out compared to the fairgrounds. Year to year, the shows can vary - some craftier than others. While it is targeted for the middle-aged types who like to decorate their homes with handmade crafty items, it is pretty diverse. Among the vendors you'll find gutter guards, insurance, basement waterproofing and windows. Then there are vendors offering non-crafty items like candy, nuts, even a homemade ice cream stand. For the record, 2013 was not one of the craftier years. We managed to cover the floor pretty quickly. Some of the vendors we always love to see, like "The Nut Man" who sells bulk nuts and chocolates, were there. Other vendors we liked sold hand-crafted ornaments, pillowcases or decorative magnets made from vintage-looking bottle caps. It's interesting to see, even if you're not in the market for something decorative for the home. Still, we always leave with something, a gift, even if it is small. For us Thanksgiving weekend is craft fair weekend and this is usually one of the better ones out there.

If you're looking for authentic Greek food, don't miss this festival coming to town! From gyros to…read morehand-made moussaka and costumed Greek dancers and carnival rides, you can get it all while supporting one of the group's biggest annual fundraisers.

Despite the blistering hear, this was such an epic day. So many different foods to try. Some…read moreamazing tacos, BBQ galore, local vendors, shaved ice and treats. Really fun to take the family to. Plus there are three separate stages to enjoy some free live music too

Waited in line for food for 30 minutes only to be told, they only except cash or Venmo what are we…read moredrug dealers? Left it don't need it not coming back again

This was really a lot of fun. We got to hear two bands - the first "Wedding Band", was a pretty…read moregood cover band. They all wore t-shirt tuxedos (a little tacky), but their music was good. At 10 pm the headliner came out - they were called the "Cherry Poppin' Daddies" out of Oregon somewhere. The name put us off a little (no- a lot). Their music was what I would call "suggestive" but their style could be classified as swing. This was not what a Saturday night crowd of several thousands wanted to hear. Not sure why Palatine chose them and not a rock band. Needless to say, a lot of people left during their performance. Now, the festival itself was great - Palatine festivals always get a great turn out. There were the regular information booths from insurers, politicians and window replacement companies. The food tents represented the best of Palatine - I had Pad Thai from Siri Thai and a hamburger from Heybeck's. Both were outstanding. Finally, the beer garden was packed. We set up chairs by the stage, but trans-versed the crowds to get beer several times. All I can say is there was no way to get to the beer tent easily. Oh, it was a straight shot. But there were so many people and the music was so loud, in many cases you had to push your way through. The craziest thing was the way they cordoned off the beer garden. The main entry was about a 30 foot long metal plank on the south of the area. There was one other entry point to the east. The porta- potties were set up to the northwest of the beer garden which I think makes sense. But, there was no entry between the two. In order to go from one section to the other, you had to leave the beer garden from either the south or the east, then walk all of the way around until you got there. It was not convenient. But, overall, it was a really good street fest which I will definitely go to again next years. My hope is that the people who put it together take these two points into consideration. If they corrected these, it would be a 5 star experience.

This is a pretty decent-sized festival for the burbs. It has the typical carnival rides on the side…read moreand food tents setup that you usually see in suburban festival. I decided to check it out after a Northbrookian (or is it "Northbrook-ite"?) kept saying how awesome it was and that he so far went on the previous two days. Most be good, I though, eh? I have to agree that it was pretty good. The weather was perfect on Sunday and its right next to the Metra stop so there was parking that was really close by. So unlike other suburban festivals that are held in residential parks (think Arlington Heights Frontier Days) you don't have to take a tour of the neighborhood and drive around in circles looking for somewhere to park. The food there was decent and "festival priced" -- the currency there is tickets, tickets, tickets and they were selling 1-ticket for 50cents. I got the beef brisket sammich at some BBQ place called TK's which was awesome, and I shall "bookmark". This place showcased a lot of Northbrook restaurants that I shall try out in the near future. My forgetful memory entails that I'll need to lookup the names again :-/ Overall, a decent-sized festival that is worth checking out if you're in the burbs.

Rides, games, music, food, people That IS NB days fest. Located in downtown Northbrook, the village…read moregreen turns into a huge carnival area with food/game/ride vendors plus a large stage area with live music. The kids love it, big enough to have fun, small enough to still be some what contained. Rides can get expensive, they used to have a band deal but not sure what the current status of that is. This event fires up on a Wednesday in late July and soldiers on through until Sunday evening.

Parking for Apple Fest is often a challenge. However the shops, restaurants, vendors, and food in…read moreLong Grove always deliver, especially during festival weekends. Parking is easy, both in and out at the Long Grove Community church. Bring cash or make a donation online and it is a short walk over the bridge for entry to the festival. We love ending our day at Buffalo Creek Brewing Co. where it is cool and nice inside and the beers and ciders are consistently good. Plus, nice, clean, indoor restrooms. Bonus points for being pet friendly inside and out, and for the super friendly staff.

Well, I'm glad that I have gone. I've driven by whilst this festival has been in full swing more…read morethan once but didn't want to stop since it can get pretty busy around here (and parking can be tricky). But my friend suggested we visit so I thought I could finally check it out. Ericka A.'s review is pretty accurate. Attending this festival felt like paying $5 to visit stores that you can visit for free on almost any other weekend of the year (when they aren't hosting one of their other questionably-named festivals). There was one booth that had apples, and some canned goods like salsas and pickles. And one or two booths had some apple cider donuts. There was one section of the event that was mostly food booths, but it wasn't anything apple-themed. And at least one of those booths was a booth for the ice cream shop that was behind where they'd set up the booth. And then there was a bunch of booth selling clothes, olive oil, windows, miscellaneous other stuff. It's unlikely I'll go again since it's a bit out of the way and just doesn't live up to its name in any way. If you're looking for an apple fest that has a bit more of an apple feel, visit the one in Lincoln Square. But if you're just looking for something to do to burn time on the weekend, or you/your kids want to go to the little carnival that they have, just don't be surprised that it's as likely as not that you'll just be visiting brick and mortar businesses that are here all the time.

Interesting art and exhibition enjoyed the atmosphere and would go again. Looking forward to my…read morenext visit.

Always a fun event with music, entertainment, vendors with a variety of items, a few (pricey) but…read moresolid food vendors, and activities for kids; all along our beautiful Evanston lakefront. One year my daughter and I partook of the Zumba class, and they have various demonstrations as well. It's also refreshing to see all of the cultures and the diversity that comprises Evanston. We enjoy browsing for the jewelry, accessories and ethnic items, incense, shea butter, as well as scented oils, candles, and miscellaneous artwork! This is an annual event always in July, and it's usually super hot! If you're a people watcher, it's definitely a nice place to be. People come from all over, and I feel blessed to have grown up here and experienced this event year after year, right in my hometown.