Annual Roselle Rose Festival moves to new Petal Plaza
On May 30-31, the Roselle Lions Club and the village of Roselle are hosting the annual Rose Festival, featuring live music, food trucks, and beverages, at a new location, Petal Plaza at 31 S. Prospect St.
The musical stage will open on Friday, May 30, with Shukin and the Ramblers, offering a rock & roots review, at 6 p.m. and In The Stix performing country modern hits and favorite classics at 8 p.m. The food trucks will be Aunt Tina’s Sound Bites and Panziz.
On Saturday, the blues band Universal Slim & The Blues Kangaroos will kick off the entertainment at 6 p.m. and Fast Times Chicago will be “Rockin the ’80s” at 8 p.m. The food trucks will be Da Pizza Dude and My Cocina Grill.
“We are excited to invite the community to our reimagined Rose Fest, and we thank the village and Roselle Police Department for working with us to continue the Rose Fest tradition,” said Marc Hoarle, Roselle Lions Club member and Rose Fest event organizer. “This year, the Rose will be held at the new Petal Plaza and guests will enjoy two nights of bands, food trucks, tasty beverages and desserts.”
Community organizations hosting large scale special events are required to work with the village, Roselle Police Department, and Roselle Fire Department to ensure their event will run safely.
The organization hosting the event is responsible for paying for the village services they need to run their event, such as public safety personnel, traffic control and road closures.
With Metro 19 construction nearing completion, hosting Rose Fest at the Metra station parking lot would require additional village services to secure the parking garage and ensure the event’s safety.
Between increased costs of renting equipment and increased public safety costs, the Lions Club began working with the village to determine the best way to continue hosting Rose Fest.
“Roselle Lions Club events raise funds for programs that benefit the community, so when our costs increased for Rose Fest, we had to consider how we could tweak the event to ensure we are still raising money,” Hoarle said.
The village and the Lions Club met frequently in early 2025 to guide the club’s Rose Fest planning and discuss logistics of hosting the event at the newly completed Petal Porch and Petal Plaza spaces on Prospect Street. The village officially received the Lions Club’s 2025 Rose Fest permit on April 16, 2025.
“One reason we invested in two permanent stages downtown with built-in electrical access was to help reduce expenses for nonprofit event organizers like the Lions Club,” said Mayor David Pileski. “We thank the Lions Club for proactively working with the village to adapt Rose Fest in a way that works for both the club and the community. We greatly appreciate the countless hours Lions Club volunteers dedicate toward planning and running both the Rose Fest and the Taste of Roselle each year.”
While Rose Fest 2025 does not include a carnival like in years past, Hoarle said the annual Taste of Roselle will continue to offer a small children’s carnival.
And don’t forget to stop by the 11th annual Rose Festival Car Show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Wickstrom Chevrolet, 555 E. Irving Park Road. Trophies will be awarded to the top entries; entry fee is $10 per car. There also will be music by DJ Tony. The rain date is Sunday.
Plaza, sculpture dedication
Rose Fest traditionally marks the start of Roselle’s special event season.
On Friday, between 4 and 6 p.m., before Rose Fest officially begins, the community is invited to celebrate the completion of Petal Plaza with the unveiling of the new sculpture honoring Roselle first responders and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Plaza.
Run for Roses 5K and the Rose Parade
After the two-day festival wraps up, there’s still two big events on Sunday, starting at 8 a.m. with the 30th annual Run for the Roses 5K. The 5K course, which is USATF certified, is flat and fast, and a lot of locals’ favorites. The race is run in an oblong loop, starting and ending at Lake Park High School West Campus. Following the 5K race, there is a 0.6K Youth Run (one-third mile) for kids, age 12 or younger. Registration for the 5K is $35, and family rates are available. The kids race is $10.
Proceeds will once again go to the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Illinois (formerly known as the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin) which has covers Elgin, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, South Elgin, and Streamwood. Registration ends at 7:59 a.m. June 1. Sign up via runsignup.com/Race/IL/Roselle/RoselleRunfortheRoses5k.
Later in the day, the 64th annual Rose Parade, organized by the Roselle Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will step off at 2 p.m. at Turner Park, Devon Avenue and Roselle Road. It heads south on Roselle Road to East Thorndale Avenue, heading east on Thorndale, then south on Prospect Street to Irving Park Road, ending at Lawrence Avenue. The theme is “Totally ’90s!”
More information about Rose Fest, Rose Parade, and other events is available at www.roselle.il.us/SpecialEvents.