The city of Aurora did an excellent job pulling off their first ever Harry Potter Festival!…read more Tickets: This was a ticketed event ($3 cash per ticket - max 5 per person) and required in-person purchase several months prior to the actual event. Even though I arrived a few hours after the ticket purchase start time, I only stood in line for about an hour to get mine. A lot of people had complaints, but it honestly wasn't bad, especially given all of the publicity! The festival itself: They planned it out very well and had multiple events and activities, most kid-focused and friendly, but good for older fans too. Activities included a quidditch workshop, spell book creation, Ollivander's wands (x2), a potions lab, mocktail creations, Herbology, how to plant a Whomping Willow, Care of Magical Creatures, a self-guided Horcrux Hunt, Quiddich playing a, costume parade, a ride on the Hogwarts Express. Finally, there were multiple vendors in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade! Many of the activities required online preregistration, though many crafting events were free and just required you to stand in the queue. It was spaced out enough that the crowds were manageable and the lines weren't too long. Goods vendors in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade included bath bombs (including a House Reveal version - cool!), jewelry, bags, paintings, plants, wall decor, and much more! Everything was really cute and went along with the Harry Potter/Hogwarts theme. There were a few food and butter beer vendors, including 4-packs of bottled butter beer. A lot of the local businesses also got into the spirit of the festival and decorated their storefronts. I spied Wayne and Garth (20th anniversary of Wayne's World!) sporting Hogwars hats - cute! The local Paramount theatre offered four Harry Potter movie showings for $1 apiece, had Harry Potter-themed drinks and candy, and had an awesome 9 3/4 platform in their lobby! Security (and Aurora PD) was posted throughout the event and were friendly and helpful. Port-o-Johns were plentiful and stocked with hand sanitizer. By 2pm, garbage cans were overflowing.. so that's something they can keep an eye on next time. Great job on a really well thought out and organized event, Aurora!

Aurora's inaugural 2017 Harry Potter festival was a hit…read more There was plenty to do and see, and the overall vibe from all of the attendees was overwhelmingly positive, especially considering nothing like this has been held in Aurora before. The Quidditch pitch hosted tons of kids playing Quidditch which was tons of fun to watch. Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade showcased tons of local, themed vendors that had lots of cool trinkets and souvenirs to buy. There were tons of fun classes to sign up for and take part in, like Herbology, Potions, and Magical Mocktails. It was also great to see a lot of the local businesses, closed or not, decorate their windows or host themed events related to the event, which definitely added to the overall spirit of the day. Best of all, eagle-eyed visitors spotted a number of subtle decorations that showed that there were true Harry Potter fans behind this event, including a "2nd Triwizard Task Vieweing Area" (overlooking the Fox River), Tom Riddle's grave, and all 7 horcruxes to hunt and find, each with a clever clue that led to the next. I can't wait until next year's event. I'm sure it's going to be even better!

This was our first time attending the Dupage Native Plant Sale. It is now held at the Dupage Event…read moreCenter and Fairgrounds. Parking and admission were free. This is a 2 day event selling over 150 different types of native flowers,grasses,shrubs and trees. There were many volunteers around to ask questions and get recommendations. Plants are not restocked daily so best is to go early on the first day. It gets crowded and with so many people pulling wagons and carts,patience is required! They do have a few trays to use but best is to bring your own boxes. Cash,check or credit cards are accepted but I wish the checkout area was in a different location than where the plants were being sold as the lines for checkout were very long. Proceeds benefit the Dupage Forest Preserve.

It's a cute little county fair. My little family and I enjoyed it. Normal fair attractions and…read morefood/drinks. Reasonable fair prices. Little animals barn animals to enjoy. The cool little octopus to climb and take pictures with was different. What I didn't enjoy was the wristband didn't really work for my toddler. She went on one ride just fine and then was told she was too short for all the other rides, which should've been noted when purchasing the wristband. She was later told she couldn't even go on the same ride she first went on.

Great juried art and crafts show. Very nice area to have a show and many people attend because it…read moreis held on 3rd street in Geneva where there are a lot of places to eat. Don't miss it. You'll be sorry if you do!

Enjoyed the annual Art Fair. Lots of new artists and a wide variety of art styles.The weather was…read moreperfect and Geneva is the perfect setting for such a great event.Cannot wait for next year!

This was my first time attending Veggie Fest. This festival is free to attend and offers free food…read moresamples,music,speakers and meditation seminars as well as food for purchase . Parking is free . This was a fun festival to attend and have a delicious experience.

It's official, Veggie Fest trumps Vegandale! After being a day-one fest goer of Vegandale, I…read morefinally gave up on the festival after last year, and made room in my schedule to scope out Veggie Fest. This family friendly event offers free parking and free entry. There were PLENTY of decently sized samples in the first section of the fest, along with merch and healthier living tents. The food is purchase by food tickets only (no refunds on unused tickets). One tent is for cash, one tent is for card. Very quick process. I purchased 25 tickets ($1 = 1 ticket) and was able to get veggie kebabs, a lemonade, water and a smoothie, which was PLENTY after all of the sampling we did. There were plenty of vegan options as well, not just vegetarian! We spent about 3 hours here, 45 minutes of that was spent listening to a lecture which was very informative. I loved all of the guest speaker options, live music, children's area, yoga and meditation tents. I purchased some chili oil, veggie snacks and dip on my way out (all pre sampled) and in all, I spent $68 and my tummy was happy, whereas I typically would spend $200 at Vegandale pre alcohol purchases, and I would have spent 4 hours in lines being miserable. No alcohol here, but I preferred the chill vibes and appreciated the ample parking, seating, and quick lines. All of the Veggie Fest staff was friendly and helpful and the vendors were SO KIND. Highly recommend if you're getting tired of the hot mess that Vegandale has become.

We had so much fun. Plenty of parking near downtown. We parked near red mango and walked by the…read moreriver but didn't need to. We got there about 2 hours after the event began. Lot of people were already fully drenched in colors! the only pet peeve was that we were asked to get tickets first and then stand in a long line to buy colors. I'd've bought colors from home if i knew I'd have to stand in long lines for an hour. The event was free - but not really. great desi music to dance to! next time i'm getting all my friends and bring my colors!

I had never gone to this before, but it was super fun! The food was great and decently-priced for…read morebeing a festival ($2 to $5), the entertainment was fantastic (a live band plus some classical Indian dance groups), not to mention the super fun colors being thrown everywhere. (They sell colors on-site for $2 each, and you get quite a few. We bought one of each color available to split among our group of six people and we had more than enough). When we left we were sufficiently covered from head to toe. It was a bit chilly, but that can't be helped. I'd totally come back again next year. Everyone was so great and welcoming (strangers dancing with you, decorating you with colored powder, etc.). Super fun.

We went on July 4 hoping to see fireworks and hear Melissa Etheridge and the Stray Cats. It was a…read moreno to the first and partials for the 2nd two. We got an online discount so buying online isn't always a ripoff. I wasn't crazy about the lack of info for the shuttle service. We took the Metra in and read that shuttles came there, but we go off the train and foolishly crossed over, looking for a bus or a sign. After 10 min we got an Uber, THEN realized where the shuttles were; next time they should post signs on where to look for the shuttle. It was great when we arrived, you gotta go to Just North of Memphis for ribs and PEACH BREAD PUDDING. The mac n cheese was ok, so-so, but I never heard of peach bread pudding, it was to LIVE for! They cleared the park around 6 when no lightning was present, and we stood in the HOT gym across the street. Luckily Melissa had barely started, and we were able to stand outside as nothing major happened yet. We went back in, ate more and missed most of Melissa, then around 8 or so it really was lightning and about to rain, and we just managed to hear the Stray Cats do their #1 song 'Stray Cat Strut'. By 9 the whole thing was cancelled, and we sought out the shuttle buses as the rain started. I may go again next year in a car.

I came here for the first time on July 6th and had such a fun time! The weather was actually not…read morescorching hot for once, so I was able to fully enjoy what Ribfest had to offer without melting away in the heat. Parking: While there are many paid parking options, there is free parking out there if you don't mind a walk! Considering the fact that I was there for the food, I didn't mind walking it off. Saves me the cash! Tickets: Don't buy tickets online. I knew people who bought online and paid way too much. Because this Ribfest had quite a few event cancellations due to weather, they slashed ticket prices HARD. My boyfriend and I paid $10 for the two of us. Much better than paying $30+ per person! Buy tickets at the door for sure. Food: Omg the ribs were amazing. I highly recommend Texas Outlaw, which was hands-down the best rib offering around. They also made an awesome mac and cheese! I also tried ribs from Johnson's and Memphis but they were nowhere near as good. My only complaint about the ribs is that you are blindly purchasing them. I wish they would put together a little guide about the different restaurants there to help people decide which ribs to try. Since it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed with food and spending here, I recommend ordering the smallest amount of ribs from a booth and splitting that with a buddy. You'll cover more ground this way and will be able to try out more of the rib options without feeling like death. There's plenty of additional food out there aside from ribs. Dippin' dots were a refreshing sweet treat! Bands: I didn't really care about any of the entertainment--I was just there for the ribs. With that being said, the band offered nice background music. No complaints here. Seating: While eating, it's nice to get a seat. They offer lots of communal seating under a tent right next to where the band plays. Getting a seat was not an issue for me at any point. However, people do bring lawn chairs to just plop down anywhere. I think that's a good idea for sure. Sponsors: There are several alleys of sponsors set up at booths. Northwestern had a life-sized Operation game which was a ton of fun, and Arthur Murray dance studio gave out postcards for a free dance lesson. There were quite a few other fun freebies--including the BRILLIANT person who was giving away water, which saved me some cash instead of having me buy it at the food tents--but beware of all the weird home improvement tents. Those people were super pushy and epitomize a hard sell. FYI--Interestingly, I also randomly saw Gov Bruce Rauner here. He told me to enjoy the ribs, which I did, lol. Entertainment: There are lots of carnival rides for which you can purchase tickets, but I think they are a waste of money. There is an entire section of family-friendly and FREE activities to do. This includes a petting zoo, magic show, and plenty more fun giveaways. All in all, I had a wonderful time and am so glad that I went! I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime. This is a perfect summer event and the best summer festival in the 'burbs.

Went to this event for years, but never again if they continue the new format with payment to get…read morein ($10 a head). Obviously trying to make up for revenue that will be lost now that Ribfest is going to Romeoville.

This event is a disaster! Organizers would not let you into mainstage area until 5 pm when Seventh…read moreHeaven was going to begin to play despite the website saying gates open at 4:45! All the security is clueless! Management really dropped the ball on communication. Very disappointing after paying $10 per person online for tickets. Get a brain Last Fling!

I bought a groupon for this event which said I needed to register it online through a website…read morecalled extremetix. The red print at the top said I had correctly entered my grouoon code and that my credit card would not be charged. Unfortunately the $80 charge showed up on my boyfriend's credit card and I had also paid the $50 for the groupon. I tried calling extremetix and they were not helpful at all. They basically told me "not our problem, take it up with groupon" and that they would not refund me. Then the weather turned rainy. I checked the website and it said the event would be held rain or shine. After spending $130 on tickets to the wine fest I was determined to go and my boyfriend was working the following night, so Friday was our only option. We drove all the way down to Naperville and parked, only to be turned away at the entrance and told the event was cancelled due to rain. I again looked at the website which said it would keep patrons updated and there was no information on its closure. I told them what happened with the ticketing issue and was told there was no one to help me there. Fast forward to today, we were told we could use Friday tickets for today and they were working on what to do for the people who could not attend today. Last I checked, they made the decision they were not granting refunds and the festival was at capacity. So here I am down $130 for 4 tickets (when I only wanted the two for $50) and I didn't even get to go to the wine festival. Stay far away from this place!!!

I liked the fact that this was held on the grounds of naper settlement, even tho the buildings were…read morenot open, it is still fun to walk around and look at them. And the Mitchell mansion is spectacular. Now, the fest: if you got there early the lines weren't too long. We got there at 5:30 or so and it was good for awhile. It did get quite crowded by roughly 6:45 or so, this was on Friday nite. Huge quantity of vendors. Musical entertainment was an instrumental duo, guitar and violin. But at one point, they were even tackling Pink Floyd, and not too bad at that! They had free water, in box containers, which was new to me. That's what I drank myself as the beer tent had nothing I wanted and I don't drink wine, but my wife does and thats why we came... there were a number of food options if you wanted to soak up the wine. I didn't sample any but there were good smells floating around the tents. My wife tried mightily but did not find any new wines she wanted to buy. Some bottles started at about $14-$15 and most seemed in the low to mid $20's. A good strategy here with the crowd is to immediately line up in another queue and drink the one you just got while waiting in line.

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.

Cantigny Park is basically therapy with better landscaping…read more One of my favorite things about this place is that it somehow manages to be both incredibly family friendly and peaceful at the same time. There's tons of space for kids to run around, explore, and burn off energy without feeling crowded or chaotic. And if you need a little reset yourself, there's always a quiet corner waiting for you. Whether it's a walking path, a bench, or just a peaceful stretch of the gardens, it's one of those rare places where you can step away, clear your head, and just breathe for a while. Beautiful grounds, relaxing atmosphere, and something for everyone. I came for a walk and left feeling lighter. Cantigny really is a little escape hiding in plain sight.

A nice short trip from the city with family friendly atmosphere. Walking grounds, gardens and…read moremuseum to check out.