advertisement

North Shore Taco Fest joins Highwood Days July 20-23

Celebrate Highwood will welcome back the North Shore Taco Fest Thursday through Sunday, July 20-23, in the Downtown Highwood Metra station parking lot. More than 20 taco-centric restaurants, caterers and food trucks will come together to offer a large selection of taco creations.

Now in its second year, North Shore Taco Fest will piggyback on Highwood Days, the city's largest festival, marking its 49th anniversary complete with carnival rides and live music.

"Last year's inaugural North Shore Taco Fest attracted thousands of taco enthusiasts from all over Chicagoland despite the major heat wave and torrential downpours," said Eric Falberg, president of Celebrate Highwood. "This year, we've decided to tent the entire area to provide cover from the hot summer sun and potential rain and are anticipating an even greater crowd, rain or shine, so be sure to come early."

More than 20 taco vendors, including La Casa De Isaac, Longitud315, Mesa Urbana and Taco Nano will be sharing their take on the taco while competing for the best taco in town. Attendees can cast their vote in the People's Choice Award in categories like Most Authentic Taco, Most Unique Taco, Spiciest Taco and Best Tasting Healthy Taco. The winner in each category will receive a trophy and bragging rights. For health conscious visitors, many vendors will have a healthy taco option and offer a free three-day trial to Equinox health club in Highland Park with purchase.

Taco Fest hours are 4-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Highwood Days carnival hours are 4-10 p.m. Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday, 1-11 p.m. Saturday and 1-9 p.m. Sunday, with unlimited ride specials of $25 per person per day from 5-9 p.m. Thursday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to the wide selection of flavorful tacos, Celebrate Highwood will host the North Shore Taco 5K Run and Walk at 9 a.m. on Saturday, benefiting Highland Park-Highwood Legal Aid Clinic in their effort to provide legal services to low-income individuals in Highland Park and Highwood with housing, domestic violence, and immigration matters.

The run will kickoff at 333 Waukegan Ave., in Highwood with a morning stretch by event sponsor, Equinox. The course will go through downtown Highwood, up along the Lake Shore and through historic Ft. Sheridan. All participants will receive a goodie bag with run T-shirt and coupon for a complimentary taco and margarita, beer or soft drink. Advance registration is open through July 20. The cost is $35 per runner. Runners can sign up for the North Shore Taco Run 5K at runsignup.com. Packet pickup will be from 7-9 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Equinox, 799 Central Ave., Highland Park.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/celebratehighwood or www.celebratehighwood.org.

North Shore Taco Fest and Highwood Days

Both events take place concurrently, Thursday through Sunday, July 20-23, in the Downtown Highwood Metra station parking lot.

Thursday

4-11 p.m. Taco Fest

4-10 p.m. Carnival

5:30-7:30 p.m. Scott DuBose and the 101 Ranch (Country)

8-10 p.m. Heartache Tonight (Eagles tribute)

Friday

4-11 p.m. Taco Fest

4-11 p.m. Carnival

5:30-8 p.m. Kojo (Reggae)

8:30-11 p.m. Deja Vu (Party pop, '70s to modern)

Saturday

9 a.m. 5K Run and Walk

11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Taco Fest

Noon to 2:30 p.m. South Of Disorder (Buffett/tropical)

1-11 p.m. Carnival

3-5 p.m. Rally Day (Rock)

5:30-8 p.m. Mike Zabrin and Funkatastic (Soul, R&B)

8:30-11 p.m. Abba Salute (ABBA Tribute)

Sunday

11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Taco Fest

Noon to 2:30 p.m. Keithen Banks Band (R&B)

1-9 p.m. Carnival

3-5:30 p.m. Howard & The White Boys (Modern blues)

6-8:30 p.m. The Bandoleros (Latin/pop)

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.